Oprah Winfrey
Montecito, California
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Tennessee State University
United States
10
TV shows, Self Made
$2,600,000,000
916
4
#10 America's Self-Made Women 2019
#916 Billionaires 2019
Oprah Winfrey has transitioned her hit talk show, which ran for 25 years, into a media and business empire.Winfrey parlayed her role as a news anchor into a 25-year talk show gig. Reinvested, the profits from her show add up to an estimated $2 billion.In 2011, Winfrey launched cable channel OWN. Her 25.5% of the network is worth about $75 million.The 'Oprah effect' has spread to Weight Watchers: she bought a 10% stake in 2015 (since lowered to 8%) and acts as a brand ambassador.In June 2018, she signed a deal with Apple's streaming service to create original content that will include a book club, documentaries and TV series.
Winfrey overcame a tough childhood, born to a teen mother in rural Mississippi and raised without indoor plumbing.Winfrey has focused her philanthropy on education. Many students at her girls' school in South Africa are AIDS orphans. She has donated $425 million throughout her career, including over $100 million to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
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