Harpo President Confirms Oprah Winfrey Ending Talk Show Run On Network TV

Oprah Winfrey will announce on Friday that her popular daytime talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," will end its run in 2011, Tim Bennett, the President of Harpo, announced in a letter released to ABC affiliates on Thursday.

"Tomorrow, Oprah will announce live on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' that she has decided to end what is arguably one of the most popular, influential and enduring programs in television history," he wrote in the letter, obtained by Access Hollywood. " The sun will set on the 'Oprah' show as its 25th season draws to a close on September 9, 2011

It appears the decision was one that was made only recently. Just two weeks ago -- at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York City -- Oprah's best friend, Gayle King, said Oprah was still weighing her options.

"I know she's thinking," Gayle told Access. "I know she's thinking."
But Gayle said she wasn't playing advisor over the decision, just longtime friend.

"Listen, Oprah and I have been friends since we were 21 and 22 and now we're 54 and 55," she said, citing her and Oprah's ages, respectively. "We talk about everything but she's a big girl. She will make the decision that is right for her. No question about that. Whatever that is. It'll be the right decision for her."

Previously, at the September Toronto premiere for "Precious," a film Oprah executive produced, Oprah revealed she was still putting in the deliberation hours.

"I haven't made a decision yet and I have until the end of the year," she said. "But you know I think that deserves more thoughtful consideration than a red carpet."

No details were available about the rumored move to OWN and a rep for Discovery was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Access.

Oprah Winfrey Calls Jay-Z Her 'New Best Friend' After Interview

Looks like Jay-Z made a new fan during his sit-down with Oprah Winfrey over the weekend.

The media mogul phoned in to best friend Gayle King's satellite radio show on Monday (August 10) and gushed about her time with the iconic rapper.

"Oh, Jay-Z, my new best friend," Oprah told King.

Winfrey had long been critical of hip-hop, but in recent years she's opened up to inviting rappers, including Common and Ludacris, appear on her show.

On Sunday, Winfrey and Jay-Z ventured to the rapper's native Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York. The pair surprised many as they reportedly sat down on the front steps of his grandmother's old building. Winfrey said she doesn't agree with all of Jay-Z's music, but she took a liking to him as a person.

The media mogul was smitten, King teased.

"He was so charming and delightful, and he smelled so good," Winfrey said. "And it's that kind of thing where you hug a guy, and the scent is sort of buried in them. When we went to the second location, I could still smell him on me. It was like, 'Oh, this is wonderful.' "

Winfrey said that her interview with Hov would be for her magazine, O, though she didn't disclose which issue the piece would be for or what topics they discussed. She said the two-hour interview delved into Jay-Z, the person, and was more appropriate for a magazine piece as opposed to television, which has to be interrupted for commercials.

"It was really a conversation, and at the end of the day, you feel like you get to know someone," she said. "I feel like I met a new friend. It was really great."