Oprah Winfrey’s ex-boyfriend John Tesh says the pair used to laugh off people who were bothered by their interracial relationship.
The “Entertainment Tonight” alum and Winfrey, 72, briefly dated in the ’70s when they worked at rival local TV stations in Nashville, Tenn.
Tesh, 73, exclusively tells Page Six that it was “very uncomfortable back then for an African-American woman and a very, very white guy” to be dating.
John Tesh, pictured here in his home, dated Oprah Winfrey in the ’70s. Page Six
Tesh and Winfrey, seen here in a 1978 photo, worked for rival news stations in Nashville, Tenn. Getty Images
Tesh acknowledges that their relationship “was unusual in the South. My whole family grew up in the South, and so I was obviously aware of that.”
However, the pair refused to let it get to them.
“It became a joke between us,” he explains, “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?’”
Tesh remembers experiencing “uncomfortable” bigotry. (Winfrey pictured in 1978). Getty Images
Tesh looks back fondly on their relationship, explaining that they were very good friends. (Winfrey seen here in January 2026). Getty Images
Tesh tells us it was clear from the very beginning that Winfrey was a star and destined for great things.
“We all knew that she was something special,” he shares, noting that he loved when they were assigned to cover the same stories. “It was like, ‘OK, this makes this a lot of fun.”
When asked if the A-lister was a good kisser, he jokes that “is such a Page Six question! I grew up with Page Six,” before admitting he doesn’t remember.
Tesh, pictured here with “ET” co-host Mary Hart in 1981, moved to New York and Los Angeles for his job on the entertainment show. ©Paramount Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
The former TV mainstay eventually married “Hotel” alum Connie Sellecca. The couple was pictured together in 1991. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Oprah, pictured here in 2018, has been with Stedman Graham since the ’80s. Getty Images for Robin Hood
“I don’t even remember us kissing! We were really, really close friends,” he says.
But the relationship sputtered out due to their heavy workloads, and Winfrey moved on to Baltimore and then Chicago, while Tesh eventually made his way to New York and then Los Angeles, where he became the long-running co-host of “Entertainment Tonight.”
Tesh married “Hotel” alum Connie Sellecca in 1992 and share one daughter, while Winfrey has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986.
He left after 10 years to concentrate on music. He’s seen here performing in 1995. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Tesh, pictured earlier this month, recently performed it at the NBA All-Star Game. Getty Images
He and wife Sellecca, holding hands in LA, share one daughter. / SplashNews.com
Tesh gave up his “ET” job in 1996 to concentrate on his burgeoning music career, which includes writing the now-iconic NBA on NBC basketball theme “Roundball Rock,” which he recently performed during the All-Star Game. His live concerts raised millions of dollars for PBS.
Tesh tells Page Six that in a good year, he earns “low six-figures” for the catchy ditty, and he can thank former sports executive Dick Ebersol.
“It was Dick Ebersol who decided to use the song back in 1990,” he recalled. “He said, ‘Hey, this is good, this is great. We’ll use this. Why don’t we play this for a while and put one of your kids through college?’ And so I said, ‘Okay, fine!’”
Besides music, Tesh also hosts a radio show, “Intelligence for Your Life,” which is heard on 350 stations.