Oprah’s Master Class: The Podcast

R&B superstar Usher Raymond IV catapulted from breakout teen performer to multi-platinum music sensation. Usher details how he dealt with fame at a young age and the role that family has played in shaping his career and life along the way. Usher is an eight-time Grammy winner and has seen his albums go platinum more than 65 times over the course of 20+ years. Usher shares why he reconnected with the father he barely knew only a short time before his unfortunate death. He discusses what it meant for him to work with his mother as his manager and why they amicably parted ways. Usher shares what he learned from both his marriages and reflects on the dangers of being a young black man in today's world. Usher says that unconditional love and doing something you're passionate about are the real secrets to a lifetime of happiness.  

In Part 2 of Oprah Winfrey’s “Master Class” discussion, she shares how “The Oprah Winfrey Show” started and how it healed her. Oprah also explains why she believes she was cast in the movie “The Color Purple.” Oprah offers spiritual lessons she’s learned about finding your purpose, listening to the universe and why our lives matter.

In Part 1 of Oprah Winfrey’s “Master Class” discussion, Oprah traces her extraordinary life story, from her tumultuous childhood through her early days in television. Oprah offers spiritual lessons she’s learned along the way about finding your purpose, listening to the universe and why our lives matter. 

Academy Award-nominated and Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Sharon Stone opens up about her illustrious career, fighting to survive a brain aneurysm and the valuable lessons she's learned along the way. Sharon is known for her iconic beauty and indelible roles in "Basic Instinct" and Martin Scorsese’s "Casino." Sharon shares her thoughts on aging in Hollywood: “I don't believe that being 19 or 20 or 25 or 30 or 35, that any of these moments are 'the moment' of ultimate beauty," she says. In 2001, Sharon was knocked over with a pain so severe, she felt as if she had been shot in the head. After surviving the brain aneurysm, Sharon had to relearn how to walk, talk, hear and write. She says she lost her career, marriage and custody of her child in the process. Though it was the darkest period in her life, Sharon believes that starting over actually made her life richer and showed her how to stay in a place of gratitude.

Before he became a U.S. congressman, John Lewis was one of the pioneers of the civil rights movement. John reflects on his life of activism, his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and offers wisdom for the ongoing fight for justice and equality. By the time he was 18, John was participating in lunch-counter sit-ins to protest segregation. Eventually, John rode with the brave Freedom Riders on buses through the deep South, spoke at the famous March on Washington, led the historic Selma to Montgomery march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and was in the room when President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today, John is a congressman from Georgia who continues his fight for civil rights, most recently leading sit-ins on the House of Representatives floor in favor of immigration reform and gun control. John says he still believes in non-violence, and says it is his obligation to pass on this tradition to a new generation of young activists, so that we may never go backward and repeat the mistakes of the past.

With dozens of Top 40 hits, more than 4,000 songs to his credit and more than six decades in the business, Smokey Robinson reflects on his legendary career. Smokey is known as the “King of Motown,” responsible for such hits as "Tracks of My Tears," "I Second That Emotion," and the Temptations’ unforgettable smash, "My Girl." Born and raised in Detroit,Smokey was childhood friends with both Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, who grew up down the street. "The Temptations and The Four Tops and all those people were growing up in my immediate neighborhood,” he says. “I can't answer why there was so many of us in that same neighborhood, but it was happening all over Detroit.” When Smokey was 40 years old, he became addicted to drugs. "I went on a hell of a drug trip and it was horrendous,” he says. Smokey shares how he eventually overcame his addiction and explains why he believes love is the most powerful emotion we can experience.

Throughout her childhood in New Orleans, Ellen Degeneres always looked at things a little differently. Ellen’s unique perspective has guided her courageous journey. She first became known to home audiences with a memorable appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." For years, her easygoing comedy style was masking a secret, but that changed in 1997 when Ellen came out in front of 42 million viewers on her sitcom “Ellen.” It was an emotional first in the history of television that will forever place Ellen among trailblazers, and remains a valuable lesson on compassion and living proof that your truth will set you free. Since 2003, Ellen has danced her way into the homes and hearts of millions of viewers with her Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, “The Ellen Show.”

Grant Hill is one of the best-known players in professional basketball. After back-to-back National Championships with Duke University, Grant went on to play for nearly 20 years in the NBA. When he was a child, Grant's father, who attended Yale and played in the NFL, set a high bar--if Grant wanted to play basketball he had to get good grades. On top of emphasizing academics, his parents also taught him to live with respect for people and for the game. Grant carried that lesson with him through life and says it helped him to understand that great players make their teammates better. In his first six seasons in the NBA, Grant led the Detroit Pistons to the playoffs three times in a row. Then, Grant's career was nearly destroyed by a debilitating ankle injury. But after four surgeries and a life-threatening infection, Grant found his fighting spirit and managed to come out on top. More than that, he says he came to believe that our wounds make us part of who we are.

Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-Award winning actress Cicely Tyson is a living legend whose remarkable dedication to what she calls her “life's purpose” is reflected on film, in television and on Broadway. Cicely says she decided early on that her work would be more than a job: she'd use her opportunities to help make a difference. Cicely looks back on her iconic career, explaining how she prepared for her most recognized role, that of Binta, Kunta Kinte’s mother, in the epic historical miniseries "Roots." "No matter where I go in the world, they will say to me, 'Roots!'" Cicely says. Cicely reflects on her Oscar-nominated role in “Sounder” and her Tony-winning role in Broadway’s “A Trip to Bountiful.” Cicely also explains says that even from the time she was a young girl, she always felt she had a sixth sense. She says could tell when something was going to happen in her family. Although her intuition worried her at first, Cicely shares how she learned to embrace what she calls “her divine guidance."

As a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist, singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks has produced more than 40 Top 50 hits, sold more than 140 million records and received nearly 20 Grammy nominations. Even before they joined Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham were a couple, but that changed shortly after 1975. Stevie opens up about why she and Lindsey broke up, what it meant for the band and why she says, "Never go out with rock stars." Stevie shares how her mother's life lessons influenced her music career and how her passing has led Stevie to do some difficult soul searching. Stevie also discusses her addiction to drugs and how a plastic surgeon's warning convinced her to go to rehab.

James Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, with classics such as "How Sweet It Is," “You’ve Got a Friend” and “Shower the People.” In 1968, when James Taylor was just 18 years old, he opted out of college and talked his parents into buying him a ticket to London. James arrived with guitar in hand and set out to travel and play music. He got his break as the first signed artist to the Beatles' Apple Records, and with influences like Joni Mitchell and Carole King, James has earned his place as one of the best songwriters of all time. He speaks openly about working hard to avoid his family's curse of addiction: "The sooner you get over it, the sooner you get on with your life." James also explains his process of tapping into the emotions that sometimes can only be expressed in a song.

Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-nominated actress and singer Vanessa Williams opens up about her Miss America controversy, motherhood, aging in Hollywood and how she believes success comes from "giving your whole heart." Vanessa, who describes herself as a woman of “great faith and spirit,” shares her beliefs on a higher power, forgiveness, optimism and gratitude. In 1984, Vanessa was a junior at Syracuse University when she was crowned the first African American Miss America. Vanessa discusses how she prepared for the pageant, how she survived what she describes as the “racist” backlash for winning and why she resigned with six weeks left in her reign. A mother of four, Vanessa explains how she managed a successful career, reveals the major role she turned down while raising her children and why she doesn’t regret any of the sacrifices she’s made.

Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor Tim McGraw sits down for an emotional conversation about his childhood, the family secret that would change his life forever, his marriage to Faith Hill and what he's learned from fatherhood. Tim holds the record for the highest-grossing tour in country music history and has had 16 albums reach number one on the Billboard charts. Married to superstar Faith Hill for more than 20 years, the couple is considered country music royalty. Although Tim has performed in giant stadiums in front of thousands of fans, he says that deep down he is an innately shy person. As a young artist, he began using alcohol as "liquid courage" to get onstage, a habit that turned into an addiction. Tim explains how he finally came to realize that enough was enough.

Nominated for seven Academy Awards, acting legend Robert Duvall credits his deep belief in authenticity as the driving force behind his ability to bring characters to life. Robert explains how he started out in drama classes at a small college in Southern Illinois. After two years in the military, Robert quit a steady job with the U.S. Postal Service to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Robert reminisces about his early days in New York City with then-unknown actors Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. Robert’s storied career includes appearances in iconic classics such as "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Apocalypse Now," “The Apostle” and "The Godfather,” and his Oscar-winning performance in “Tender Mercies.”

Supermodel, fitness expert and entrepreneur Cindy Crawford discusses her childhood, her former marriage to Richard Gere and her storied career. Growing up in the small town of DeKalb, Illinois, Cindy lost her younger brother to leukemia when he was three years old. Cindy shares how this loss and the divorce of her parents impacted the way she lives her life. Cindy also talks about the tough decision to leave Northwestern University to pursue a career in modeling. She takes a candid look back at her short-lived marriage to A-list actor Richard Gere and reflects on what she learned from their relationship. Cindy says her goal in life isn't to be happy, it's to be present, whether she's at home with her two children or on a dinner date with her husband, Rande Gerber.