VIDEO: Oprah Announces Only 18 Months Left...In Syndication

Oprah Winfrey, the biggest personality on network television, made her anticipated announcement just minutes ago that she will forfeit her daytime programming choke hold on September 9, 2011. In front of a live audience, Winfrey delivered the news and explained her departure, curiously leaving out any mention of her new Oprah Winfrey Network venture.

In the video, Oprah tears up while thanking the viewers who welcomed her into their homes during the past twenty-five years and explains why she is really leaving her popular program:

"So why walk away and make next season the last? Here is the real reason. I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number, the exact right time."