Oprah and Tracee Ellis Ross Interview

Oprah is sharing the stories behind some of her most memorable hair moments in The Hair Tales, a new docuseries that focuses on the role hair plays in shaping the identity of Black women. Issa Rae, Chlöe Bailey, Marsai Martin, CHIKA, and Congresswoman Ayana Pressley all speak openly about their relationship with their hair in the series.

The idea for The Hair Tales was conceived by Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross and journalist Michaela Angela Davis, who are executive producing the six-part series, along with Oprah.

The Hair Tales celebrates the beauty of Black women—wavy, curly, coily, kinky roots and all. “We’re using hair as a metaphor to really talk about the humanity of Black women, and to give that humanity not only connection but context,” Ross tells Oprah Daily of the new project. “I believe hair is like a portal into our souls, and so much of our identity, especially as Black women, is connected to our hair because of how the world sees us and how we have to navigate the world because of our texture and it being something that is unique and beautiful and special.”

In the premiere episode, titled “Beyond a Wild Dream,” Oprah chronicles her hair journey, which she says started on her grandmother’s porch in Mississippi, where she learned that a woman’s hair is her “crowning glory.” Oprah recalls the moment she was asked to change her appearance after being hired as a news anchor in Baltimore at age 22, as well as the time when her weave locked while she was on tour in Australia, after she dove into the ocean and needed “emergency weave assistance.”

Get a glimpse inside the episode in the video above and tune in at 9 p.m. ET on Hulu and OWN on October 22 for the full conversation.