Oprah Explores the Rising Trend of Going No Contact with Your Family

The Oprah Podcast

Harpo

Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah?sub_confirmation=1 In a groundbreaking conversation about one of the fastest-growing cultural shifts of our time: Oprah talks with leading experts and a live audience about the decision to go “no contact” with a family member. It’s estimated one third of Americans have cut off ties or is estranged from their family. Once considered taboo, family estrangement is now being openly discussed by people of all ages who are redefining what healthy boundaries look like in family relationships. In this revealing episode, Oprah and best-selling psychologists unpack this rising trend of people distancing themselves from parents, siblings, or relatives they consider toxic. Adult children and parents who have chosen to go "no contact” share their stories and their reasons behind this difficult decision. Oprah and the audience explore the emotional, cultural and psychological issues behind the movement - ranging from trauma and generational patterns to mental-health awareness and the expanded definition of abuse. BUY THE BOOK! DR. JOSHUA COLEMAN - RULES OF ESTRANGEMENT https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622584/rules-of-estrangement-by-joshua-coleman-phd/ DR. LINDSAY GIBSON - ADULT CHILDREN OF EMOTIONALLY IMMATURE PARENTS How to Raise an Emotionally Mature Child by Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD: https://www.newharbinger.com/9781626251700/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/ NEDRA GLOVER TAWWAB - DRAMA FREE & THE BALANCING ACT https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706826/drama-free-by-nedra-glover-tawwab/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760457/the-balancing-act-by-nedra-glover-tawwab/ Chapters: 00:01:00 - One-third of Americans are going no contact—what it means 00:02:00 - Younger generations choosing no contact for mental health 00:02:50 - Guest: Dr. Joshua Coleman, Rules of Estrangement 00:03:40 - How the concept of family has shifted 00:06:27 - Guest: Dr. Lindsay Gibson, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents 00:09:30 - How to tell if a parent is emotionally immature 00:10:25 - Guest: Nedra Tawwab, Drama Free 00:12:20 - Dr. Coleman on his daughter cutting contact 00:14:22 - Chris shares going no contact 00:18:48 - Why Chris made the decision 00:19:30 - Talking to kids about going no contact 00:23:04 - What kids learn from cutting off difficult relatives 00:24:39 - Bristyl shares her no-contact story 00:26:20 - Will the longing for a mother–daughter bond fade? 00:29:00 - Expanded definitions of harm, neglect, trauma, abuse 00:30:00 - Bree shares her no-contact choice 00:33:37 - Is forgiveness possible? 00:37:26 - Christy shares her daughter’s estrangement 00:39:40 - Do some estranged kids lack conflict resolution skills? 00:43:20 - Kendall on going no contact with her adult son 00:44:50 - Why parents are criticized for going no contact 00:47:20 - Aaron shares his daughter cut ties with him 00:53:25 - Have we gone too far? 00:54:48 - The one thing that can save your family relationship 00:58:10 - There are separate realities in every family 01:00:17 - Hadley shares her experience as a hospice nurse 01:05:00 - Why Hadley went no contact 01:09:00 - Parent child dynamic has shifted from role to relationship Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, officially marks one year no contact with my parents.
0:03.8	I've been basically fully no contact with my parents for the last three plus years.
0:07.6	We're talking about the rapidly growing epidemic of estranged children who walk away from their parents.
0:14.5	What are they protecting themselves from?
0:16.3	You know what? I'm over it.
0:18.6	I'm over the idea that parents are supposed to sit around in emotional time out
0:22.8	until our kids decide we're worthy again. And when somebody new in my life finds out that I've
0:27.0	been no contact with them, without failure, the number one thing that they tell me is, but they're
0:32.7	still your mom. Hi, everybody. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Oprah Podcast. We are here in New York City with a live audience of our listeners.
0:45.2	Hello, New York, hello, New York, hello, New York.
0:53.9	So maybe you all can relate in some way to this growing phenomenon known as going no contact.
1:01.9	That's when a person cuts off ties to someone in their family.
1:06.2	A Cornell University study now shows that almost one-third of Americans are, one-third,
1:13.6	are actively estranged from a family member.
1:18.6	That is incredible to me. I want to ask a few people in our audience to help us understand what that means.
1:24.6	So Bristol, go ahead.
1:25.6	I have been no contact with my entire family for a year and a half now.
1:31.3	No contact.
1:32.3	No contact.
1:33.3	Not a phone call, not a text, not a nothing.
1:35.3	Nothing.
1:36.3	For a year and a half now. Okay.
	...

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