GOING STEDDY
Who is Oprah’s partner, Stedman Graham?
The pair met in 1986
MEDIA mogul Oprah Winfrey has been dating her partner Stedman Graham for over three decades.
The pair were set to wed in 1993 but ended up halting their plans while remaining committed to each other.
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Who is Oprah Winfrey's partner, Stedman Graham?
Stedman Graham, 73, was born in Whitesboro-Burleigh, Middle Township, New Jersey, on March 6, 1951.
He is a motivational speaker and accomplished author, specializing in self-help books.
He is also an educator and businessman.
According to his LinkedIn , he lives in Chicago, Illinois, and has served as the Chairman and CEO at S. Graham & Associates since January 1984.
How did Oprah meet Stedman?
Oprah Winfrey and Stedman met in 1986 at a charity function, per .
The pair crossed paths a few times, but Stedman was always with his girlfriend, so Oprah did not pay much mind to him.
One day they were both visiting a mutual friend at the same time and she realized he was not with his partner, so she asked him if he wanted to have a drink with her.
Stedman broke up with his girlfriend at the time and Oprah and him began dating shortly after.
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In a 2020 , Oprah spoke of the beginning of their relationship.
"I had seen a particular man around town, but he was always with the same girlfriend, so I didn't pay much attention," she said.
"One day, though, we were both visiting a mutual friend who was ill and later died of AIDS. The guy with the girlfriend had come to the friend's home alone, and so had I," she continued.
"We left together, and I asked if he wanted to get a beer. (Yes, I drank a lot of beer then and wore cowboy boots every day.) He said he didn’t drink. (Still doesn’t—not one sip of nothin’ alcoholic since I’ve known him.)"
"I thought he was nice enough, but I wasn’t that impressed. He was polite, yes, and kind. The sort of guy who sits with an ailing friend. Tall and handsome, for sure. But actually too handsome, I thought, to be interested in me.
"So I proceeded with caution, even with a friendship. It wasn't until months later, when I learned he'd broken up with his girlfriend and had been inquiring about my dating status, that I gave him a serious thought," she later continued.
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"Anyone who’s ever met him is always amazed by what a genuine gentleman he is. He's so positive. Wants the best for me and everyone he knows. Truly wishes people well. Doesn't curse. (I've been known to.) Never have I heard him gossip or say a negative thing about anyone. (I have, plenty of times.)"
Why did Oprah and Stedman never marry?
The couple have been dating for about 30 years.
In the 2020 column for her magazine, Oprah described their union as a "spiritual partnership."
The media mogul said, "Our relationship works because he created an identity beyond being 'Oprah’s man’' (he teaches Identity Leadership around the world and has written multiple books on the subject).
"And because we share all the values that matter (integrity being number one). And because we relish seeing the other fulfill and manifest their destiny and purpose," she continued.
"It’s what Gary Zukav defines as a spiritual partnership: partnership between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth."
Oprah denounced rumors that she was marrying Stedman after halting their wedding plans back in 1993.
"For years, there were hundred of tabloid stories, weekly, on whether we would marry. In 1993, the moment after I said yes to his proposal, I had doubts. I realized I didn’t actually want a marriage. I wanted to be asked," she said in the O essay.
"I wanted to know he felt I was worthy of being his missus, but I didn’t want the sacrifices, the compromises, the day-in-day-out commitment required to make a marriage work. My life with the show was my priority, and we both knew it."
The star is adamant about not being married and has previously spoken about why she and Stedman remained companions instead.
She opened up to in September of 2017 about their union, saying, “The only time I brought it up was when I said to Stedman, 'What would have happened if we had actually gotten married?' And the answer is: 'We wouldn’t be together.' We would not have stayed together, because marriage requires a different way of being in this world.
She continued, "His interpretation of what it means to be a husband and what it would mean for me to be a wife would have been pretty traditional, and I would not have been able to fit into that."
The pair had gotten engaged in October 1992 after six years of dating.
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A month later, Oprah told People that she was at her Indiana farmhouse with Gayle King when Stedman arrived and proposed after she went outside to greet him.
Per People, Oprah asked, "Is this the proposal?" to which Graham replied, "I want you to marry me."
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