Top ten Oprah moments

The Oprah Winfrey Show will cease broadcasting after today's farewell show after 25 seasons of daytime talk. The show grew from being a typical talk show to a powerful force in U.S. society, one that could guarantee sales of a new book with a discussion on the show, one that was criticized for NOT having Sarah Palin as a guest because of the appearance's potential impact on national politics.

The moments fans will remember range from the inspiring to the harrowing. Here's ten of the most memorable occurrences on the top-rated television show.

10. The last show. Set to be aired today nationwide, the program will reportedly feature appearances by Winfrey's best friend, Gayle King, as well as Maria Shriver and Tyler Perry.

9. Oprah presents a wagon containing 67 pounds of fat. The host's body weight became part of the national conversation as she gained and lost significant weight over the course of the show's run. On the November 15, 1988 episode, she wore size 10 jeans and wheeled out a little red wagon that had 67 pounds of fat in it to demonstrate what she had lost and to inspire the audience.

8. The Backstreet Boys reunite to support troubled member. Singer A.J. McLean came on Oprah in 2003 to discuss his problems with drugs, and the host surprised him by bringing out his bandmates.

7. Mackenzie Phillips says she had an incestuous relationship with her father. The actress told Winfrey that she had a sexual relationship for 10 years with her father John, who was a founding member of the '60s folk group The Mamas and the Papas.

6. Winfrey discusses her abuse as a child. In an emotional 1986 episode, Winfrey revealed that she was sexually abused when she was 9 years old.

5. Author James Frey on the hot seat. After Winfrey featured Frey's book A Million Little Pieces on her book club, a news website discovered that Frey had fabricated parts of the memoir, which depicted Frey's jailing and drug rehabilitation. Winfrey brought him on the show to discuss the allegations in 2006 and proceeded to eviscerate the author.

4. Every audience member gets a new car. For the season premier of 2003, General Motors gave everyone in the audience--276 people--a new Pontiac G6 automobile.

3. Michael Jackson discusses the myths, rumors and medical issues surrounding him. Jackson' appearance on a February 1993 episode was the highest rated show, with 62 million people tuning in to hear the singer talk about his skin condition, his abuse as a child, and some of the crazier rumors surrounding him.

2. Ellen DeGeneres comes out. DeGeneres had starred in a situation comedy, Ellen, for four years when she publicly announced she was lesbian on Oprah in February 1997.

1. Tom Cruise jumps on sofa, professes love for Katie Holmes. Cruise's manic behavior on the May 23, 2005 episode captured the imagination of everyone, even people who had never watched her show. His appearance was widely parodied on comedy shows and elements of it became part of the cultural vernacular.