Overview
- The revelation came during an episode of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer on Thursday when Winfrey told host Keke Palmer that her original name was Orpah.
- Oprah said her birth certificate reads Orpah and that she only realized people had been calling her Oprah around age 20 because of a spelling or pronunciation mix-up.
- Winfrey traced the name to the Bible, citing Ruth 1:14 and saying she was named Orpah by her Aunt Ida, a detail she has recounted in past interviews.
- Keke Palmer reacted with surprise and brief speechlessness on the show when Winfrey shared the story and noted Palmer’s given name, Lauren Keyana, during the exchange.
- The account matches a long-standing explanation Winfrey gave in a 1983 audition tape and other interviews and confirms a biographical detail rather than any official name change.