All of the recent hoopla surrounding Oprah’s friendship with her best bud Gayle has got me thinking about friendship. Oprah and Gayle sat down for an interview which was published in the O Magazine’s August issue. Lately, there has been a lot of speculation in the media about these two women being gay. The only reason, it seems, that the media would assume these women were gay is because of the amount of time they spend together and the amount of time they talk about spending together.

I must preface this by saying I am a huge Oprah fan, I even have a subsciption to her magazine, so I had no doubts that there was no hanky panky going on between her and Gayle.

But why do so many media outlets in America find it so strange that these women might actually just be friends and nothing more? Why does anyone assume they are gay, and why does anyone care?!

This crazy media circus surrounding the friendship of these two high profile women got me thinking about friendship in a broader sense and how much emphasis we as a society put on the value of friendship. In the interview with Oprah and Gayle they explain the nature of their close bond, talking on the phone 4 times a day, taking vacations together, etc. Maybe their friendship is hard to believe because of the business Oprah is in. How can you be that famous and that rich and keep the same best friend all this time?! How can two women really be that close and never fight?

I think, or at least I hope, that Oprah and Gayle will serve as a shining example. They are two successful women who have an incredibly strong bond and have been there for each other through thick and thin, tv shows, divorces, fame, you name it! Reminds me how lucky I am to have the wonderful friends that I do. Not many people will tell you when you have spinach stuck to your front tooth or your fly is down.

Cherish your friendships! (and leave Oprah and Gayle alone people!)

Add to del.icio.us!