Oprah Steps Down to Pursue Cable Network Just as Other Celebs Have Equally Abandoned Shows

According to Harpo Productions, Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful women in entertainment will be announcing the end of her show tomorrow, November 20, 2009. The shows scheduled end will be September 9, 2011, as her 25th season draws to a close. Oprah will then be announcing that she will be moving her show to her OWN network in 2011. Discovery Channel and Oprah have come to a deal. She will move her staff and studios from Chicago to LA's OWN. There will undoubtedly be layoffs, with sacrifices made accordingly. Winfrey most likely with her loyal following will do well with this surprise change.

Other equally shocking celebrity announcements in recent months have been.

Back in July 2009, Paula Abdul announced that she might not be returning to American Idol as a judge, if a contract deal could not be reached. Soon after it was released that a contract deal was not agreed upon and Paula Abdul had decided to step down. This decision surprised a lot of American Idol fans since Ms. Abdul was a pivoting part of the American Idol judges.

Likewise, Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight decided to leave the hit medical drama and now states it was the best decision he had ever made. The actor showed dismay for the show when not only was his screen time drastically cut, but the executives for the show expressed concern on his decision to become openly gay. There was a breakdown in communication, and he felt as though they truly didn't understand his character.

An unbelievable shocker was when Jay Leno announced that he was leaving the Tonight Show after 17 years, to pursue another avenue during a prime-time slot. It is still left to be seen if this was a smart move.

Not to mention, CNN's Lou Dobbs has decided to step down from his controversial role. Mr. Dobbs is stepping down because he feels as though that the change that is blanketing this county and affecting all of us, has pushed him to seek a more activist role and go beyond what CNN can offer him.

Lastly, Shane McMahon announced that he will be leaving WWE. His resignation will be effective January 1st, 2010. Although he admitted he had never thought of it before, he stated that it was time for him to move on. He thanked his father and expressed he was extremely proud and grateful of the WWE business.

References for this article include: www.oprah.com, abcnews.go.com, www.nytimes.com, eonline.com, www.cnn.com and wrestlezone.com.