Oprah (MADtv Sketch)
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Oprah is a recurring sketch on MADtv. The sketches spoof the real-life Oprah Winfrey and her show.
The character was made popular when first portrayed by Debra Wilson, the first and only African-American female cast member for the first 8 years of the show. Wilson overexaggerated Winfrey's enthusiastic attitude, but also mimicked her mannerisms and speech patterns well. Oprah first appeared in the first season.
Towards the end of Wilson's tenure on the show, Oprah became more and more of a caricature rather than just an impression, making outrageous claims, like owning people, while beginning to possess satanic supernatural powers in later sketches whenever someone upsets her. Dr. Phil, as portrayed by Michael McDonald, was portrayed as Oprah's servant/pet and often the victim of such episodes, as was her long suffering boyfriend, Stedman Graham, as portrayed by Aries Spears. A common opening theme was used starting with these sketches.
Since Wilson's departure from MAD, several of the other African American female actresses have filled in for Winfrey's character; Daniele Gaither, Nicole Randall Johnson and Daheli Hall.
Johnson's Oprah is much more calm and life-like, with a more realistic impersonation. While her impression is completely different from Wilson's, fan reaction has been mixed.
[edit] Oprah Situations
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #106 - 11/18/1995
In what is possibly Oprah's (Wilson) first appearance, three guests share their life plights with Oprah, who keeps one-upping them. A former "overweight child" is one guest, where another is a Vietnam veteran with two tours through that country (whereas Oprah has had "four"). When the FOX voiceover interrupts the outbursts, Oprah proceeds to one-up that as well.
- The Vagina Monologues - Episode: #601 - 10/7/2000
Oprah (Wilson) hosts a Public Television special featuring three former first ladies, Betty Ford (Alex Borstein), Nancy Reagan (Nicole Sullivan) and Barbara Bush (Mo Collins), as they read from the play "The Vagina Monologues."
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #707 - 11/24/2001
Oprah (Wilson) has Dr. Phil (McDonald) try to answer questions about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Dr. Phil's questionees include a mother who doesn't know how to talk to her kids (Alex Borstein), a man with a fear of flying (Frank Caliendo) and a woman who works a the top of a tall building, but probably has a bomb under her car (Stephnie Weir). Other advice from the duo includes installing a steel biodome, with laser grid detection, around your house or office.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #716 - 2/23/2002
Oprah (Wilson) hosts the Goddard family as the parents of "vanilla children", as Dot (Stephnie Weir) wreaks her usual havoc.
- Politically Incorrect - Episode: #722 - 4/27/2002
The Bill Maher-hosted show's guests included Oprah (Wilson), Drew Barrymore (Jill Michelle Meleán), Bill Clinton (Will Sasso) and Kelsey Grammar (Frank Caliendo).
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #802 - 9/21/2002
Oprah (Wilson) talks about repairing the economy, and encourages her audience to "buy a mountain, do it today!" An audience member (Weir) disagrees, as imminent music begins to play, and thunder and lightning is found within the studio. Oprah turns into a vampire-like creature as Dr. Phil (McDonald) hides beside the bleachers. Oprah proceeds to suck the blood out of Weir, as well as another audience member (Bobby Lee), before killing the rest of the aduience with a poisonous gas from her mouth and flying away with "Phillip" (whom she proceeds to drop from a great height).
- Oprah Winfrey Presents Oprah Winfrey's Dr. Phil Show - Episode: #806 - 11/16/2002
Dr. Phil (McDonald) invites guests to talk about plastic surgery. Oprah (Wilson) makes a surprise visit in disguise. When Phillip tells her that he suggests plastic surgery, Oprah rips off her hat and sunglasses, and subsequently crushes his head with her hands kinetically.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #811 - 1/18/2003
Oprah (Wilson) gives away "hard, cold cash...right out of my BRA!" to poor, pathetic people from her "Angel Network," as they cycle through the set, including an underwear model. Guests include Enid Trailer (Collins) and "another loser," Melanie Herbstrom (Weir). Oprah's "butthole" is also "an ATM."
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #822 - 4/26/2003
Oprah (Wilson) is talking with her manager (Weir) while eating, when she realizes she has gained over 180 pounds over the weekend. Weir assures her that Camera #2 is the "Thinning Camera." Her guest (Paul Vogt) is also overweight, but as the cameras switch back and forth, Oprah is replaced with her "thin" self, and Vogt is replaced by Ike Barinholtz. Oprah's chair collapses "inexplicably" and promises to put the chair manufacturer out of business, after the next show (the Nicole Kidman show!"). Oprah sees her plus-size self on the monitor, but mistakes the image for Forrest Whitaker. When she realizes the truth, she goes berserk and builds up fat at an absurd rate causing her to blow up like a balloon before exploding, sending fat chunks all over the audience.
- Oprah's Jackass
Oprah (Wilson) takes her talk show outside one day, to host her own version of "Jackass." Guests include the real-life Jackass cast members of Steve-O, Wee Man and Steve, as well as "her long suffering boyfriend, whom she is physically stronger than," Stedman (Spears). Stunts include rolling Oprah down a hill in a garbage can, Oprah running at a port-a-potty and knocking it down (which turns into her running into it, and getting rolled down the hill), putting a lit firecracker down Stedman's pants (which ends up going down Oprah's pants) and a pie eating contest, which turns into a gigantic mess. Like the Kenny Rogers' (Sasso) Jackass sketches, breakable bats were also utilized heavily.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show - Episode: #1013 - 2/12/2005
Wilson returned as a guest star after her departure from MAD to reprise her renowned character. She has become an apparent lover of Dr. Phil (McDonald), and helps a tornado victim, "Guest" (Vogt) from Weedhole, OK, by giving him a ladies' cashmere scarf from her Favorite Things Collection. Dr. Phil also gives him a bottle of "Dr. Phil's Amazing Fat Cutter and Stain Remover," though "Guest" blows up at Oprah, calling her a "dumb bitch." Oprah sends Dr. Phil to his cage, as the set begins to self-disintegrate, Oprah dons a demonic voice and the name "Whirl Winfrey," and takes out "Guest" with a swinging bat.
- Daytime Talk Show Shared Audiences - Episode: #1108 - 12/10/2005
What starts out with the Oprah theme, which is also Johnson's first appearance as Oprah, is a short scene where Oprah introduces the show to her female audience. Once the intro is over, the audience's bleacher is rolled over to the Ellen Degeneres Show (with Nicole Parker as Ellen, and Jordan Peele at Tony) and then to Dr. Phil (McDonald) with Janice (Crista Flanagan). The bleachers are then pushed straight through the Tyra Banks Show (Gaither), then (accidentally) to the WWE, but then runaway out of control, and crush "The View" guest Orlando Bloom (Ike Barinholtz).
- Oprah Winfrey Oscar Special - Episode: #1215 - 2/24/2007
Oprah (Johnson) hosts her first Oscar Special, where celebrities interview each other. Jessica Simpson (Parker) interviews Clint Eastwood (McDonald), Mark Wahlberg (Barinholtz) interviews Rinko Kikuchi (Lee) and Hellen Mirren (Arden Myrin) interviews Sylvester Stallone (Frank Caeti). Guest transportation is provided by the Oprah Winfrey Space Shuttle.
- Dr. Phil - Episode: #1219 - 4/14/2007
Dr. Phil (McDonald) uses an HD camera to reveal the truth about liars, including one woman about her age (Myrin) and one man about his sexual orientation (Barinholtz). Oprah (Johnson) makes a surprise visit, and when the camera is turned on her, she is revealed to be the devil. In the expected reaction, she forces the HD camera to be turned on Phillip, which reveals him to be Hitler. This is the first caricatured sketch since Wilson's departure.
- Barack Obama in "O" - Episode: #1312 - 3/29/2008
Barack Obama (Keegan Michael Key) visits MADtv in honor of his best supporter, Oprah ("O"). He expresses his opinions in a parody of the song "Low," appropriately titled "O." This is Hall's first appearance as Oprah.
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