Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks talk to the audience during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Oprah Winfrey and Tom Cruise talk to each other during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Oprah Winfrey and Madona talk during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey talks to the audience during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Thousands of people wait to see Oprah Winfrey during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Halle Berry (L) Katie Holmes (C) and Queen Latifah pay tribute to Oprah Winfrey during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Jerry Seinfeld talks to the audience during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
Stevie Wonder (L) and Jamie Fox sings to Oprah Winfrey during the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular” at the United Center in Chicago on May 17. 2011. The show, which featured several surprise celebrity guests, will air over two days, May 23 and 24. Oprah's final show will be a normal episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped at Harpo Studios and will air on May 25. UPI/David Banks | License Photo
CHICAGO, May 18 (UPI) -- Madonna, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks made appearances at the taping of the final edition of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago Tuesday night.
Winfrey decided to end her iconic talk show after 25 years so she could concentrate on her OWN cable television network.
Dozens of stars and thousands of fans turned out for the taping of "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular" at the United Center. The two-part special is to air May 23-24. The final episode of the show is to be a regular installment and will air May 25.
Among the performers for the "Farewell Spectacular" were the Black Eyed Peas, Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Groban, Jamie Foxx and Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle, Beyonce and Rascal Flatts, the Chicago Tribune said.
Also dropping by to salute Winfrey were Rosie O'Donnell, Maria Shriver, Simon Cowell, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Jordan, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Diane Sawyer and Katie Holmes.
"Oprah Winfrey, today you are surrounded by nothing but love. Your studio wasn't big enough to hold it all, so here we are," the Tribune quoted Hanks as saying to Winfrey in front of the enthusiastic crowd at the United Center.
