When Oprah Winfrey gave her powerful acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement at the 2018 Golden Globes Sunday night, all eyes were on her, including those of her lifelong partner, Stedman Graham.
His love and support for the media mogul have never wavered, even as reports of a potential presidential run in 2020 begin to pick up steam. “It's up to the people,” Graham told The LA Times of whether Winfrey would run. “She would absolutely do it."
However, dating a force like Winfrey doesn't come without its fair share of challenges. Over their 32-year relationship, the couple has had to fight off rumors of a split, a cheating scandal, and more. The partners, who have chosen not to marry, are very private about their relationship, but we've compiled a timeline of some of the highs and lows they've shared over the years.
1986: Oprah and Stedman start dating.
Stedman was a divorcé, who was previously married to a woman named Glenda Graham in 1974. The couple had a daughter together named Wendy. Stedman reportedly met Oprah in 1986 at a charity event in Chicago, where he founded the nonprofit organization Athletes Against Drugs. The Oprah Winfrey Show premiered that same year.
But according to Oprah, not everyone took a liking to the handsome, former college basketball player at first. “They figured if he looked like that, he either had to be a jerk or want something,” Winfrey said, according to a 1992 People magazine article.“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo. But you want someone who’ll help you catch the bus.”
1989: Oprah and Stedman fight fake cheating rumors.
In an article titled "Gourmet Gossip" for The Chicago Sun-Times, gossip columnist Ann Gerber alleged that Stedman was found in bed with Oprah's hairdresser, the Chicago Reader reported in 1989. The claims were unfounded, and Gerber retracted the story days later. "If I made a mistake, it was in trying to help Oprah with her pain about the rumor and in agreeing to run a second story," Gerber said in a press conference at the time. "If I made a mistake, my editor Joe did so as well. . . . Joe Pixler did not choose to reject this story after hearing all the facts."
1991: The pair tossles with the idea of moving in together.
In 1992, Oprah shared with People that it wasn't until 1991 that Stedman began to keep "a toothbrush at my apartment.” The couple had already been dating for five years, and Stedman reportedly owned an apartment just a few blocks away from Oprah's condo in Chicago.
1992-1993: They get engaged, but end up calling it off.
Oprah opened up about the details of Stedman's proposal in a 1992 People cover story that featured the headline "Oprah's Engaged!" “I want you to marry me. I think it’s time,” Oprah said Stedman told her. “Ah, that’s really great," she said she replied. The proposal reportedly took place in their kitchen of their Indiana home. The engagement was kept a secret, but in less than a month, Oprah shared the news with a local television station, and the story spread nationwide.
However, the marriage never came to fruition and the reason why has not been revealed. According to a 2000 New York Post article, a narrator for her A&E Biography special asked the public and media to not question the couple's relationship status. “Oprah has made it clear to the public that she is happy with their relationship just as it is—no more questions about marriage," the narrator said. In 1993, Oprah also decided not to print an autobiography she was reportedly working on.
1995: Oprah and Stedman confirm living together in Chicago.
A 1995 nwi.com article titled At Home With Oprah noted that Stedman and Oprah lived together in a 57th-floor condo in Chicago, while she taped The Oprah Winfrey Show during the week.
1997: Stedman steps out of Oprah's shadow for the first time.
In a 1997 New York Times profile titled 'They Used to Call Me Oprah's Boyfriend,' Stedman said he wanted the world to know he's not just "Mr. Oprah." The founder, president and chief operating officer of S. Graham & Associates—a management, marketing and consulting firm that specializes in sports—said, "People didn't know anything about what I do or what I'm involved in. I'm stepping out. I know there is going to be a backlash at some point."
2013: Oprah admits if she had married Stedman, it never would have lasted.
After more than two decades together, the public continued to question why Stedman and Oprah never walked down the aisle. However, Oprah made it clear that the relationship was better off as is because the mogul's lifestyle and Stedman's expectations for a wife did not match up. “If you ever interviewed him, he would tell you that had we married, we would not be together today,” Oprah said, according to news.com.au.“Because he’s a traditional man and this is a very untraditional relationship.”
2015: The couple becomes grandparents.
In June 2015, Stedman's daughter from his previous marriage, Wendy, gave birth to a baby girl, the Daily Mail reported.
2017: Oprah denies fake reports that she and Stedman got married.
After a false Star magazine cover story was printed, the talk show host took to Twitter herself to blast the news. "IT' s NOT TRUE!!," Oprah wrote.
2018: Stedman remains Oprah's number one fan.
Stedman supported Oprah as she was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2018 Golden Globes Sunday night as he typically does on red carpets.
In a 2015 segment that aired on the Own network, he shared his feelings about being there for his other half. "I want her to succeed and be as successful as she possibly can, so I encourage that," he said. "That's not always an easy thing to do when you're a man in a relationship with a very powerful woman, and so, I'm not threatened by her fame or her success or her money or all of that—that's who she is. It has nothing to do with how I define myself."
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