One of the most influential celebrities of her generation, Oprah Winfrey has had a career for the ages. The American TV show host, actress, and philanthropist (and now podcast host) is rightfully dubbed as the "Queen of all media" and is a literal billionaire.
In fact, Oprah was once the only black billionaire in the world and was also the richest African-American of the 21st century.
While most young adults of today might not actively look up to her, Oprah rightfully played her part in inspiring an entire generation of women. One of the most recognizable faces in the world, her relationship with American businessman and author Stedman Graham is often part of tabloid articles.
The two have been together since at least 1986 and Stedman proposed back around 1993. While Oprah did not refuse, the actual ceremony never took place although the couple is still together, all these years later.
Oprah And Stedman Graham Share A "Spiritual Partnership"
Considering the nature of her work, Oprah has never shied away from discussing various aspects of her personal life. Recently, the now 68-year-old revealed that she never really wanted to marry Stedman. The actress had her doubts within days of accepting Stedman's proposal despite having little doubts about the relationship itself.
Back in January 2020, Oprah revealed that she thinks her relationship with Graham would not have worked out had she actually married him.
"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. 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. He and I agree that had we tied the marital knot, we would not still be together."
Oprah went on to reveal that she shares a spiritual partnership with Graham who was secure enough to create an identity that was independent of being "Oprah's man." Hence, while the two might never end up marrying, they have stayed together for almost four decades and appear to be thoroughly committed to each other.
Do Oprah And Stedman Graham Live Together?
Oprah Winfrey's main estate is in Montecito, California, although she also has homes in Illinois, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, and Washington. The Montecito 42-acre estate luxury home was purchased by Oprah back in 2001 for a whopping $50 million. This is where the former host prefers to spend most of her time, often alone. She claimed in 2014 that she recharges herself by staying alone with her thoughts:
"[My best friend] Gayle [King] will tell you, Stedman will tell you that I am really happy being with myself and my thoughts. Gayle will say, "What are you doing? Are you being alone with your thoughts? I really get recharged from being alone. I spend a lot of time - I mean Stedman's on the road a lot so I spend a lot of time with myself and the dogs and I really enjoy that because I never feel like, 'Oh gee, I don't have anybody to do anything with' and I spend more time alone than anybody would even imagine."
In a nutshell, while Winfrey cherishes the time she spends with Stedman Graham and her friends, she still lives alone, although she once considered having children with Stedman and bought a home that would fit a family. But the mogul, who did have one pregnancy at the staggeringly young age of 14, never did birth more children.
During the same interview, Winfrey claimed that she was always focused on her work which was part of the reason why she did not end up marrying. She claimed that her show required 17 hours of work every week which she would return home to her dogs and her partner. Graham allowed Oprah to be who she was. At the same time, she was wary of changing expectations:
"He’s never demanding anything from me like, 'Where’s my breakfast? Where’s my dinner?' Never any of that, which I believed would have changed had we married. No question about it – we would not stay married because of what that would have meant to him, and I would have had my own ideas about it."
Are Oprah And Stedman Legally Married In California?
Common-law marriage is not recognized under California law which means that an actual ceremony needs to take place in order for the courts to consider the couple as married. Additionally, Oprah and Stedman's relationship does not even seem to fall under the umbrella of common-law marriages.
Common-law marriage is only valid if a couple has lived together for a long period of time and held themselves to the public as married for a long period of time. In Oprah and Stedman's case, neither of the conditions have been met.
Winfrey prefers to spend most of her time alone at her home in Montecito. This is where she recharges mentally and although she has been in a relationship with Stedman for many years, the couple has never "held themselves as married" in the public eye.
Fortunately for Oprah, they don't appear to be legally tied to one another, either; that means the billionaire can continue to spend her wealth however she wants, and her money will be safe should she ever break things off with her partner.