Oprah confirmed today that Sept. 9, 2011 will be the final airing of The Oprah Winfrey Show – a date that will mark its 25th anniversary.

Said Oprah: “So here we are, halfway through the season 24. And it still means as much to me to spend an hour everyday with you as it did in 1986. So why walk away and make next season the last? Here is the real reason. I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye. 25 years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It’s the perfect number, the exact right time.”

Oprah did not address her future plans beyond the next 18 months but did have this to say about the rest of her run in daytime: “Over this holiday break, my team and I will be brainstorming new ways that we can entertain you, and inform you and uplift you when we return here in January,. And then season 25 — we are going to knock your socks off.  So the countdown to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show starts now and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you.”

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