INTRODUCTION
Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres are powerful women in the entertainment industry as well as in real life. They are the same and different in multiple ways. It is essential to focus on the two women because their unique personalities have a positive impact on society. Every person has their own opinion that needs to be respected. Both women host talk shows, which has currently become the favored format utilized by the media industry. The primary purpose of talk shows is to entertain and inform audiences. Many celebrities have their unique talk shows where every person seems to have a similar purpose. However, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres try to come up with distinct ways of hosting such shows. The two popular talks shows are Oprah Winfrey Show and the Ellen DeGeneres Show . They started their career while young women and worked hard to the top. They have been recognized in multiple platforms, and many young women looked up to them both in real life and in the entertainment industry. Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres both aim to offer information in the entertainment industry to their audience. They have unique ways of doing it, whereby Oprah Winfrey tends to have a serious tone and dwell on social and current issues. At the same time, Ellen DeGeneres, on the other hand, utilizes a lighter tone and aim to pass information with fun and laughter by infusion of comedy.
CHILDHOOD HISTORY
Family History. Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, an isolated farm on January 29, 1954. Her parents were Venitta Lee and Vernon Winfrey. While she was born, her name was supposed to be Orpah, but she changed to Oprah due to difficulties in spelling and pronunciation. Growing up was difficult for her because her parents separated and were left immediately after birth under the grandmother's care. As a child, she loved playacting in front of the animals on the farm. Under the strict guidance of the grandmother, she started reading at the age of 3 years. At six years, she joined her mother and other two brothers in the ghetto, popularly known as Milwaukee. The neighborhood was dangerous, and residents were poor. At 12 years, she joined her father in Nashville in Tennesse, where she started feeling happy and secure. Within the shortest time, she started addressing social gatherings as well as churches. Again, she was sent back to the grandmother, and she faced serious sexual abuse problems. Poor, urban, and insecure lifestyle became part of Winfrey. She had no thorough supervision because her mother used to do odd jobs and thus had little time for monitoring.
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On the other hand, in Metairie, Louisiana, Ellen DeGeneres was born on January 26, 1958. She spends most of his childhood living with her parents and older brother. During her free time, she explored New Orleans and rode bikes most of the time. During most of her interviews, she revealed that many people do not realize how unique was the city. Although she lived in a peaceful family, her mother was going through difficult times. She continuously tried to make her mother laugh through dancing. Ellen DeGeneres found her time choosing the best job that matches her personality (Ruansyah and Rukmini 99). Coming out as a lesbian in 1997 made her hated and loved at the same time. She admitted that she lost many audiences due to her sexuality.
Career. Both Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres have amazing professional careers. Oprah Winfrey graduated in 1976 from college with a degree in Drama and Speech and started as media executive and actress. She then started a show named "People Are Talking," which lasted for eight years. After leaving the TV shows, she began hosting AM Chicago, a show that became a significant achievement in her career. She gained popularity nationwide, which made her launch the biggest TV show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show." She made more than $100 million in the first show, with approximately 25 million viewership in a play. She has then written many books and launched multiple magazines while also taking place in charitable organizations.
On the other hand, Ellen Degeneres is an American famous stand-up comedian and an earnest advocate of LGBTQ rights. At 23 years, she started performing at local coffeehouses and received a significant debut while acting on a tip from Jay Leno. She was the only female comedian to be invited by Johnny Carson on the famous couch. Since then, Ellen started making regular appearances on multiple shows, including Oprah Winfrey Shows. Currently, she has written many books such as "Seriously…. I am Kidding, and "My point…and Do I have one." She has also been stared in multiple TV shows such as Bethenny, Repete After Me, One Big Happy, and Little Big Shots.
TALK SHOWS
Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres both have their shows, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Ellen DeGeneres Show, respectively. One of the similarities between the shows is that both are hosted by famous and respected women in the society. Both women have developed their unique reputations in their fields. Additionally, both the shows aim to entertain the audience and also assist people in multiple issues. For instance, constant gifts are being offered, especially on special occasions. They are also live performances on the show with lineup guests, both celebrities and non-celebrities. They also engage the audience through games, even those that watch at home.
The variation between the two shows is mainly attributed to the difference in their backgrounds. Oprah Winfrey began as broadcaster and news reporter where politicians and victims of crime were guests. Her show tends to have a serious tone, and her topics mostly surround social issues that inspire the audience. In each show, a central theme and guests are being interviewed regarding that same idea. On the contrary, Ellen DeGeneres shows is exclusively comedy, such as sitcoms and stand up. She infuses comedy into the show, and the topic varies around what is trending in guest life (Pamekasih 15). There are also funny issues that are discussed. There are also game playing and more performance than Winfrey's show.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
Regarding leadership evaluation, both women are transformational leaders who rule by inspiring other people. They both have charisma and confidence to influence individuals. Transformational leadership based on two women includes inspirational motivation where they encourage the audience through motivation and assuring them of high expectations. Based on personal consideration, they possess the ability to listen keenly and consider each audience's concerns. Based on idealized influence, they receive much admiration while motivating and influencing the audience positively.
Additionally, both women value mentorship, which has become the initial success of long-term partnerships among their mentors, family, and friends. They have both made to a point where they have excellent and mentor relationships with industry experts (McClerking, Laird, and Block Jr 316). They have both strategically extend their brands. Starting small and becoming famous women globally can be attributed to patience and hard work. One thing about transformational leaders is that they are focused and have mastery of their skills and career. Apart from hosting shows, both have done exemplary work in charitable works. Regarding motivation, it has been shown that Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres take care of the staff. They have unique ways of thanking them, such as lavishing team praises, gifts, and expensive vacations. It would not be difficult to acknowledge such people's efforts because, with staff motivation, it will work on their advantage.
CONCLUSION
Comparing Ellen and Oprah is difficult because they are both great individuals in society, and excellent talk shows hosts. They inspire and entertain the audience as well as helping them in multiple situations. With Oprah Winfrey being known to have a serious tone and mainly revolves her topics on social issues, Ellen specializes mostly in comedy, and her subjects revolve around what is trending on the guest's life. However, they are both influential, down to heart, takes place in charitable organizations and great people in the American televisions. In terms of their unique talk shows, they both offer inspiration and motivation to their global audience. Both women have proven to the young people that nothing in life can stop one from accomplishing their dreams. No matter how many challenges one faces, one should not let anything prevent them from becoming successful. Both women are termed heroines because they are influential, and their personalities have brought a significant impact on society.
Works Cited
McClerking, Harwood K., Chryl N. Laird, and Ray Block Jr. "The fragility of racial transcendence: An analysis of Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of the Barack Obama 2008 presidential campaign." American Politics Research 47.2 (2019): 304-328.
Pamekasih, Anesthesia Tripinta Kristi. The Comparison of Women’s Language Use between Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey in their conversations with Michelle Obama in Talk Shows . Diss. Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
Ruansyah, Rajif Alif, and Dwi Rukmini. "The host’s politeness strategies in Ellen Degeneres reality talk show." English Education Journal 8.1 (2018): 96-106.
