Oprah Winfrey's grace to grass story is one that continues to make media buzzes. Most popular for her legendary TV talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, the now rich, famous and successful Oprah actually rose abject poverty through hard work and perseverance. Winfrey has since her rise, invested in numerous other businesses to become the world's first black woman billionaire. She has also broken many other records, including becoming 20th century's richest African-American, America's greatest black philanthropist, and recently, Golden Globe's first female black Cecil B. DeMille awardee. But do you know exactly how much Oprah Winfrey's net worth is at the moment; and how actually she spends her billions?
Forbes' 2019 report placed Oprah Winfrey's net worth at $3.2 billion. Oprah built her impressive worth from several sources, namely: her television talk shows (especially The Oprah Winfrey Show), media businesses, acting and film production, writing and publishing, and other investments. The Oprah Winfrey Show was particularly the business magnate's stepping stone to wealth and fame. The show witnessed tremendous success, earning Winfrey $30 million yearly in its hay days, and $315 million in latter years.
In addition to her numerous other media ventures, Oprah also makes millions from the multiple books she has authored as well as the stakes she has in several big companies. A close following of her lifestyle over time opened our eyes to exactly how Oprah Winfrey enjoys the fortunes life has blessed her with. Join us as we take a ride through the major ways she spends her B's.
Oprah appears to be a real estate freak. To name but a few, Oprah acquired a Montecito estate for $52 million in 2001. In 2014, she bought a winter home in Colorado. The Telluride property which many described as small, cost Winfrey $14 million. Two years later, she purchased a horse farm manor beside her Montecito mansion in Santa Barbara for almost $29 million. She had joined the $52 and $29 million properties to make a massive residence she nicknamed 'the promised land'.
Oprah also owns a massive vacation home of 163 acres on the Maui Island in Hawaii. Although the exact worth of the grand property was not revealed, a nearby home sold at $32 million in 2016. She recently purchased a 41-acre estate on Orcas Island in Washington at about $8.3 million. These do not include her earlier estate acquisitions in Chicago, most of which she has now sold off. That however, doesn't mean Oprah is in anyway cutting down her spending on real estate. She has expensive properties in other states including California, Tennessee, Illinois and so on. She only downsizes in one city to expand in others. That's Oprah Winfrey and real estate for you!
Prior to all these, Winfrey bought a jet of $42 million to privately take care of her travels as far back as 1991. She made the she had an encounter with rude person at the airport. Aside from real estate, Oprah Winfrey appears not to mind when she is spends on anything that has to do with health and wellness. In 2015, Winfrey purchased ten percent of Weight Watchers’ stock for $6.79 per share, totaling $43 million. Weight Watchers, now WW International is a US-based global company that offers assorted products and services that help in losing weight and maintaining a fit and healthy body and mind.
In addition to WW, Winfrey has also invested in True Food Kitchen, a healthy eating restaurant chain in Phoenix. Although the exact amount she put in the business was not publicly announced, the move which she took in 2018 was significant enough to make headlines. Aside from investing in wellness set ups, Oprah Winfrey actually spends a lot in directly taking care of her own self. Among so many expensive health and body maintenance precautions she has in place, Oprah has a personal trainer who coaches her on keeping fit. Oprah also revealed in a video interview that she splurged handsome amounts on good Ralph Lauren towels after she earned her first $1 million check. Despite having an extremely busy schedule, Oprah Winfrey always find time to wind down. This she usually does through going on vacations and throwing elaborate parties.
Meanwhile, Oprah doesn't always spoil only herself when it comes to vacationing. Records show that she often takes along her friends or members of staff on lavish holiday adventures. Sometimes they go on a cruise, and at other times, they go glamping in such mind-blowing places as Yosmite. Apart from her longtime close friend and regular companion, Gale King, Oprah has hosted big media names like Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, John Legend, David Oyelowo, and Maya Angelou, to mention but a few. Precisely in 2006, after one of her lavish parties at her Montecito estate, Oprah reportedly gave all female attendees diamond earnings as souvenirs. In 2009, she spoiled her employees with a $9.2 million 10-day cruise vacation! She recently took her OWN staff on a holiday to the iconic Maui Island.
Oprah Winfrey is one person that know how to and indeed gives freely. Since she started seeing money, Oprah has never stopped giving generously. To name but just only a few of her philanthropic gestures, Oprah Winfrey gave out gift cards of $1000 to hundreds to donate to any charity of their choice. That was in 2006. The next year, she established The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, in South Africa, and by 2017, she had already spent up to $140 million in the school's maintenance. In addition to the academy, Winfrey has so far awarded scholarships to over 500 students in Atlanta.
Her charity organisation, the Oprah’s Angel Network which she created in 1998 raised close $80 million for charity, with 100% of the donation going to various charities as Oprah personally took care of all the organisation's costs. She has also raised funds as well as donated millions personally to natural disaster victims. Among them is her $10 million donation for the relief of Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005.
Oprah recently supported the 'Times Up Campaign' with $100 million to enable sexual abuse victims have their legal battle fees subsidized. Other charitable causes she is significantly committed to include Free The Children, Peace Over Violence, and Women For Women International, among many others.
