The Oprah Winfrey Show: The Podcast

Exclusive: The Suburban Mom Who Was a Fugitive For 32 Years

<p>Original Air Date: 04/07/2011</p><p>To the outside world Marie Walsh was living the American dream. She had a happy 22-year marriage and was a devoted mother to three children. She played bridge, tennis and rode horses in her upper-middle-class San Diego suburb. In truth, Marie was living a life she had spent decades crafting to hide her identity. Marie was really Susan LeFevre—a fugitive who had been hiding from the law for 32 years. In 1975, 19-year-old Susan was arrested for selling 2.5 grams of heroin to an undercover Michigan State Trooper. She pled guilty and was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. After a year behind bars, Susan's grandfather helped her escape. With just clothes, a toothbrush and $200, Susan fled to California to start a new life, under a new identity: Marie. It was a headline that grabbed the nation’s attention and deeply divided public opinion. Marie opens up to Oprah about how she lived a secret life for 32 years.</p>

Oprah is opening the vault of The Oprah Winfrey Show with 25 years of hand-picked legendary interviews, a-ha moments, ugly cries and unforgettable surprises. A lot has changed since she ended the show, but many of our personal struggles have stayed the same. We’re all still looking to connect, to be seen and to know that we’re not alone. We’re also looking for some joy, some laughs and some much-needed inspiration. As we head into this new decade, what better time to look back and reflect, to take stock of how we’ve grown and to be reminded that we’re all in this together. The Oprah Winfrey Show aired from September 8th, 1986 to May 25, 2011 with 4,561 episodes. The show remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in American television history, averaging between 10 to 20 million viewers a day.