( CNN ) -- Oprah Winfrey will announce on Friday 's `` The Oprah Winfrey Show '' that she will end her talk show , said a spokesman for Winfrey 's Harpo Productions . `` Oprah will be ending her talk show , '' Harpo spokesman Don Halcombe said Thursday . `` She will be speaking about it on tomorrow 's live show . '' The show will air live from its Chicago , Illinois , studio at 9 a.m. CT ( 10 a.m . ET ) , he said . The show will end on September 9 , 2011 , as its 25th season draws to a close , according to a letter from Harpo Inc. that President Tim Bennett addressed to partners and obtained by CNN affiliate WLS-TV . `` Tomorrow , Oprah will announce live on `` The Oprah Winfrey Show '' that she has decided to end what is arguably one of the most popular , influential and enduring programs in television history , '' Bennett wrote . Marquee Blog : Oprah to make it official . The show has been the highest-rated talk show for 23 consecutive seasons , according to the Oprah.com site . It is seen by an estimated 42 million viewers a week in the United States and is broadcast to 145 countries . The show had its origins in 1984 , when Winfrey moved to Chicago to host WLS-TV 's morning talk show , `` AM Chicago , '' which became the No . 1 local talk show . The show surpassed ratings for `` Donahue '' one month after it began , the site said . Within a year , it had expanded to an hour-long format and been renamed `` The Oprah Winfrey Show . '' It entered national syndication in 1986 . In August 2004 , Winfrey signed an extension for the show to keep it on the air through 2011 . `` I got a call from Oprah , and she told me that she is announcing that next year will be her last year , '' talk show host Ellen DeGeneres told her audience Thursday . `` It will be her 25th year , and she feels like it 's time for her to stop . `` I do n't think I could be here without her , '' DeGeneres said . `` I think she has blazed a trail . ... She is an amazing woman . She will always be the queen of daytime television . ... She is fantastic , and I love her and I wish her the best . She deserves to rest . She has worked really , really hard . '' Over the years , the show has made news on several occasions . In September 2004 , for instance , Winfrey began a new season by giving each member of the audience a new car . In May 2005 , Tom Cruise caused a sensation when he jumped up and down on Oprah 's couch , declaring his love for actress Katie Holmes . Other guests have shared their personal struggles , such as Elizabeth Edwards , wife of former vice presidential candidate John Edwards ; performer Whitney Houston and Lisa Niemi , widow of actor Patrick Swayze . Read Harpo 's letter to partners obtained by CNN affiliate WLS . The show has also served as a launching pad for several experts -- Dr. Mehmet Oz on nutrition and health ; Suze Orman on financial matters ; Dr. Phil McGraw on families and relationships ; and Martha Beck , a life coach . McGraw went on to have a talk show of his own . Along the way , Winfrey has revealed her struggles with weight loss and as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse . From the talk show , she has created the popular Oprah 's Book Club ; O Magazine ; Oprah 's Angel Network , a charitable foundation ; and co-founded Oxygen Media , a 24-hour cable channel aimed at women . Check out Oprah 's Book Club web event on CNN . In 2008 , Winfrey announced that beginning in 2009 , the Discovery Health Channel would be named OWN : The Oprah Winfrey Network . The network is `` a multi-platform media company designed to entertain , inform and inspire people to live their best lives , '' according to Oprah.com . Harpo Productions has also grown to include Harpo Films . Winfrey 's wealth was estimated at around $ 1 billion by Forbes in 2004 . Last year , she topped the Forbes Celebrity 100 list that measures both power and money .
Oprah Winfrey to announce she 'll end show in 2011 during a live broadcast Friday . Comment: An estimated 42 million U.S. viewers watch it weekly ; show had its origins in 1984 in Chicago . Winfrey 's wealth was estimated at around $ 1 billion by Forbes in 2004 .