Oprah Says We're 'Numb' to the World. She Has an Antidote

Oprah Winfrey is planning something she has never done before. She is bringing a live event called "Oprah Winfrey's AHA" to Sphere, a cutting-edge arena in Las Vegas. The one-weekend-only show runs from April 2 to 4. Winfrey, age 72, says she wants to wake people up and help them feel more alive.

The idea started at a U2 concert at Sphere. Winfrey was sitting next to Jim Dolan, the man who built the arena, when the technology completely amazed her. The huge screens made her feel like she was outdoors, and she says she could even smell the sea. "I was literally a little disoriented because I wasn't prepared for the immersive experience," she said.

After the concert, Winfrey had a powerful feeling. She imagined taking an audience to the edge of space so they could see how big the universe is — and how amazing it is that we are here at all. That feeling reminded her of watching her grandmother hang laundry as a child. Her family had no washing machine, no running water, and no electricity, but young Oprah quietly told herself: this will not be my life.

Winfrey says that same calm, guiding feeling has led her throughout her career. She followed it when she left Baltimore to host a TV show in Chicago, even though many people thought she would fail. Her best friend Gayle King was one of the few who believed in her. Winfrey says she has trusted that inner voice her whole life, and it has always pointed her in the right direction.

So why does she think people need wonder right now? Winfrey says many people are "numb" — drained by their phones, their jobs, and the constant flow of bad news. "Everybody's just shut down," she said. She hopes the Sphere show will remind people of something they already know deep inside themselves. That is also why the event is called "AHA" — because an aha moment is not about learning something brand new, but remembering what you had forgotten.

The show will feature some of the world's top artists, musicians, and storytellers. Grammy-winning musician Jacob Collier, poet Ocean Vuong, and visual artist Es Devlin are among those taking part. Musical direction comes from composer Max Richter, and the show is directed by Ethan Tobman. Tickets start at $145 and can be found at ahalive.com.

Winfrey's TV show first aired 40 years ago, and she says her mission has stayed the same ever since. From day one, she wanted to show people that they have the power to change their own lives. She has faced criticism along the way, including when she added a segment in the 1990s called "Remembering Your Spirit." Critics accused her of preaching, but she says she was simply trying to help people reconnect with who they really are.

When asked about her legacy, Winfrey shared a lesson from the late poet Maya Angelou. When Winfrey opened a school in South Africa and called it her greatest legacy, Angelou told her that a legacy is not a name on a building — it is every life you have touched. Winfrey says wherever she travels, someone approaches her with a story about how her show changed their life. One woman told her that a TV episode about abuse gave her and her sister the courage to speak up about something that had happened to them.

Winfrey also wants people to know that it is never too late to grow or change. "Until the last breath," she said, when asked about people who feel that time has run out for them. She admits that change gets harder with age, but believes every person has a purpose worth following. Her message: stop following someone else's path, and start listening to your own.