Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. Her parents were unmarried.
According to biographer Janet Lowe, Oprah lived with her father's parents until she was six, referring to her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee, as "momma." She was fearful of her grandfather, who Oprah said used to throw things at her.
At age seven, Oprah moved to Milwaukee with her mother. There she was sexually abused by male family members, according to a People.com biography. At age 14, she became pregnant, but the baby died a week after birth.
Oprah was first exposed to broadcasting when she was in high school. In an interview with the Academy of Achievement, she explained that when she was 17, she was chosen to attend the White House Conference on Youth and gave a local TV interview.
That first TV interview went so well, Oprah was chosen to represent the station in the "Miss Fire Prevention Contest," a beauty pageant, which she won. She then became a newsreader prior to finishing high school. Oprah won the Miss Black Tennessee pageant in 1972 at the age of 18.