Oprah closes Harpo Studios, cuts 200 jobs

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Yesterday morning, Oprah Winfrey delivered some somber news her Chicago staff. She announced that after 26 years, she’s closing Harpo Studios in Chicago, transitioning all productions to OWN studios in Los Angeles.

The closure of Harpo, which had produced more than 800 hours of original programming exclusively for OWN, will translate to the loss of jobs for roughly 200 employees, who will remain employed through December.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Oprah opened up about shutting down Harpo.

“[Chicago has] been everything for me. I’ve spent more hours in this building than I have any other building on Earth. … We were here when there was nothing but hoes and rats on the street, and now it’s one of the hottest neighborhoods [in Chicago],” she said. “The time had come to downsize this part of the business and to move forward. It will be sad to say goodbye, but I look ahead with such a knowing that what the future holds is even more than I can see.”