John Tesh Reflects on Dating Oprah Winfrey and 1970s Interracial Challenges
John Tesh, the former Entertainment Tonight host now aged 73, is looking back on his brief romantic involvement with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, 72, during the 1970s. The pair dated while working at competing local television stations in Nashville, Tennessee, and Tesh has now opened up about the significant social challenges they faced as an interracial couple in that era.
The Social Climate of 1970s Nashville
During a recent interview with Page Six, Tesh spoke candidly about how uncomfortable it was at that time for an African-American woman and a white man to be in a relationship. He acknowledged that their pairing was particularly unusual in the Southern United States, stating, "My whole family grew up in the South, and so I was obviously aware of that."
Despite the external pressures and societal attitudes of the period, Tesh emphasized that they refused to let outside opinions define their connection. He revealed that they even developed a humorous approach to dealing with the attention, explaining, "It became a joke between us because we would work all day and then, like we really saw each other once a week, and she or I would say, 'Hey, which restaurant do you want to empty tonight?'"
Early Careers and Mutual Respect
The relationship occurred while both were building their careers in local news before eventually pursuing separate paths. Looking back, Tesh said it was evident from the beginning that Winfrey was destined for extraordinary success. "We all knew that she was something special," he shared, adding that he particularly enjoyed when they were assigned to cover the same stories. "It was like, 'OK, this makes this a lot of fun.'"
Winfrey would go on to become one of the most influential media figures globally, while Tesh later achieved national prominence as a television personality and musician. Their brief romance has become a notable footnote in both of their storied careers.
Current Relationships and Life Paths
John Tesh is now married to actress and author Connie Sellecca. The couple wed in 1992, one year after Tesh finalized his divorce from Julie Wright, and they have one daughter together named Prima.
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey has been in a long-term relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986. In 2020, Winfrey wrote about their decades-long "spiritual partnership" in her "What I Know For Sure" column for O, The Oprah Magazine. She admitted that when she first met Graham, she thought he was a "player" and "too handsome" to be interested in her.
Winfrey and Graham's Enduring Partnership
Winfrey recalled that their relationship began after both visited a mutual friend who was ill in 1986. "We left together, and I asked if he wanted to get a beer," she remembered. "He said he didn't drink. I thought he was nice enough, but I wasn't that impressed."
She described being cautious initially, but had a change of heart after learning he had broken up with his girlfriend and was inquiring about her dating status. The two have remained together ever since, surviving even a broken engagement that neither regrets.
"For years, there were hundreds of tabloid stories, weekly, on whether we would marry," Winfrey wrote. "In 1993, the moment after I said yes to his proposal, I had doubts. I realized I didn't actually want a marriage. I wanted to be asked."
She explained that their relationship works because Graham created an identity beyond being "Oprah's man" and because they share fundamental values. "We relish seeing the other fulfill and manifest their destiny and purpose," she concluded.
