PureWow
Oprah Winfrey and her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, are practically the definition of couple goals. Although they’ve been together for more than 30 years, most people aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of their relationship.
From their meet-cute to their nonexistent wedding, here’s everything you need to know about Oprah and Stedman’s love story.
He’s a businessman, an author and a podcaster. Graham was previously married in 1974 to a woman named Glenda. He and his former wife share a daughter together, Wendy.
Oprah and Stedman first hit it off at a charity event in 1986—the same year The Oprah Winfrey Show premiered.
Graham proposed to Winfrey in 1992 in the kitchen of their Indiana home. Graham said, “I want you to marry me. I think it’s time.” To which the media mogul responded, “Ah, that’s really great.” Leave it to Oprah to have a nonchalant reaction.
Although they’re happily engaged, the pair have no plans to tie the knot…ever. Back in 2017, Winfrey appeared on the September cover of Vogue and revealed that the secret to their relationship is their lack of marital vows.
“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 said.
The couple never had kids of their own—though Graham’s daughter, Wendy, welcomed a baby girl back in June 2015, marking their first venture into grandparenthood.