America's talk show queen has become its most famous juror. One day after saying she'd never pick herself to serve on a jury, Oprah Winfrey was back in a Chicago courtroom Tuesday morning as a juror on a murder trial, but doing her duty could carry some heavy costs.

Longtime companion Steadman Graham told "Good Morning America" that Oprah's empanelling came as a surprise to both of them. "I was shocked and she was shocked," Graham said. "It was unbelievable that she would get picked to serve on jury duty."

So how did the talk show queen end up on a murder trial jury, when everyone thought she would be dismissed? Sources connected to Oprah told TV's "Celebrity Justice" that Winfrey felt she was too opinionated to serve, but the judge convinced her she could have opinions and still do her civic duty.

"It's been a long day," Oprah said. "I think the whole process is really good because I've been on trial myself, and I understand what it takes in terms of people giving up their time. I'm just hoping it doesn't take longer than a week because I've got shows to do."

The case is expected to last about three days. So what does the time away mean for Oprah? Well, the daytime queen pockets an estimated $200 million a year, or about $547,945 a day. As a juror, she will make $17.20 per day. The difference over three days -- about $1.6 million.