Oprah Winfrey has become a business and media mogul, generating an incredible amount of money. With her name plastered all over her projects, Winfrey has created a thriving empire, bringing fans, fame, and fortune. She is most known as a celebrated talk show host and an actress, author, producer, and philanthropist. She has engaged herself in many projects and organizations over the years, helping build her empire while helping those in need.

Winfrey has reinvented her daytime talk show ”The Oprah Winfrey Show” from time to time, focusing on literature, self-improvement, mindfulness, and spirituality as main topics. In 2008, she took another progressive step in her career and launched her own network called the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Her work has been criticized by some but has been praised and honored by others. In fact, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-president Barack Obama in 2013.

While Winfrey is undoubtedly loved by many for her caring and generous way, it’s clear that she is loved most by her adoring longtime partner Stedman Graham. Graham is best known for being a businessman, author, and speaker.

The pair have been together since 1986 and have a beautiful relationship. They have been through quite a lot over the years, from enjoying their accomplishments together to going through struggles in their personal lives. Still, Winfrey and Graham have held onto each other through every challenge thrown their way. Surprisingly, the couple is not married but has time and again shown just how successful and wonderful unconventional relationships really can be.

Straying From Tradition

Oprah Winfrey, Stedman Graham (circa 1995), (Ron Davis/Getty Images)

In November 1992, PEOPLE reported that Winfrey and Graham were engaged. They had decided on 1993 as their wedding year but still hadn’t decided on a date. The pair had already been together for several years, and the general public wondered if they would ever tie the knot. “We will announce happily when we’re getting married when we decide, and not before,” Graham once said.

On top of that, Winfrey’s friends and family adored Graham. “Stedman is a really nice person,” a friend said. “Perhaps even nicer than Oprah.” Winfrey’s friend Patti LaBelle agreed, “When I heard the news, I thought, ‘It’s about time, because the man was too good to let go.’”

However, it wasn’t always perfect within Winfrey and Graham’s relationship. According to PEOPLE, the talk show host had a tough time balancing her work and spending time with Graham, and the latter was often made a second priority. They also had a hard time agreeing on their marital expectation, as Winfrey worried she would lose some of her freedoms, while Graham was determined to make this marriage last, unlike his first.

Despite this, the wedding never happened. Although Winfrey and Graham are still together, they are not married nor engaged to be married. In 2013, Winfrey said that she had no plans of ever walking down the aisle. She admitted that she felt that she and Graham wouldn’t have lasted nearly as long as they have had they gotten married all those years ago – and it seems that Graham agreed.

“If you ever interviewed him, he would tell you that had we married, we would not be together today,” Winfrey said. “Because he’s a traditional man and this is a very untraditional relationship.”

Supporting Each Other

Oprah Winfrey, Stedman Graham (2015), (Dan MacMedan/WireImage/Getty Images)

The talk show host explained that she couldn’t see herself as a wife because the word holds plenty of responsibilities that she doesn’t think she’s capable of managing. “I think it’s acceptable as a relationship, but if I had the title ‘wife,’ I think there would be other expectations for what a wife is and what a wife does,” Winfrey said. Clearly still the workaholic she’s always been, Winfrey joked, “First of all, you’ve got to come home sometimes.”

Back in 2008, Winfrey opened up about the secret behind making her unconventional relationship with Graham last and even shared her advice with others. “They need to learn how to give us our space,” she told E! News. Winfrey explained, “I happen to be with a man who has always appreciated the fact that I was… considered a powerful person. (He’s) not trying to crowd in on it, not competing with it. He knows how to hold his own.”

Back in April 2020, the couple unexpectedly gave each other some space. Graham isolated himself in the couple’s guesthouse for 14 days after returning home from a business trip to protect Winfrey from any chance of catching COVID-19.

According to NBC, Winfrey had been diagnosed with a “very serious” case of pneumonia back in September 2019, so Graham spent time away from her to keep her safe. Fortunately, he didn’t show any symptoms, and the couple happily reunited at the end of the quarantine period.

Nowadays, Winfrey and Graham are continuing to enjoy their 36-year long relationship as they stick loyally by each other’s side.

Oprah Winfrey, Stedman Graham (2019), (Paul R. Giunta/Getty Images)

What do you think about Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham’s long-lasting relationship? Are you surprised to hear that they don’t plan on getting married? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your loved ones.