Oprah Winfrey’s net worth, in my opinion, cannot be truly measured in terms of money. She is a true living inspiration for all of the women, rather everyone living on this planet.

Who is Oprah Winfrey?

Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, philanthropist and most of all, an amazing human being.

She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.

Dubbed the “Queen of All Media,” she was the richest African-American of the 20th century, was once the world’s only Black billionaire and the greatest Black philanthropist in U.S. history.

Oprah’s childhood was nothing less of a nightmare.

Winfrey was born in a poor home in rural Mississippi to a single teenage mother and later raised in inner-city Milwaukee.

She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teens and became pregnant at 14; her son was born prematurely and died in infancy.

Winfrey was then sent to live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville, Tennessee, and landed a job in radio while still in high school.

And that was the start of her amazing journey.

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Oprah’s Net worth rising from zero to hero

The 1970s and 80s

At age 19, Winfrey landed her first television job at WLAC-TV (now WTVF), a CBS station in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1976, she transferred to WJZ-TV, the ABC affiliate in Baltimore, Maryland. But soon she shifted to a new morning talk show called People Are Talking, which aired in 1977.

Winfrey’s casual and welcoming nature helped her develop a rapport with her guests and they felt comfortable sharing their stories with her.

In January of 1984, Chicago’s ABC affiliate WLS-TV offered Winfrey a 30-minute morning talk show called AM Chicago. 

Within one year, the show sky rocketed from the last place to the top of the ratings.

In 1986, her program was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded to an hour in length. At the age of 32, Winfrey became the first African American nationally syndicated television host.

That same year, Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film The Color Purple.

Obviously, Oprah Winfrey’s net worth and fame both were taking a huge leap at this point. Bug little did she know, there’s a lot more to come.

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1990s

Oprah’s net worth and viewership continued to climb up. She used to pick controversial and needed topics to focus on such as child molestation, sexual intolerance, and racism. 

90s were the time when she was bagged multiple Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

By 1995, her net worth had bloomed to $340 million, making her the richest woman in entertainment.

In 1998, she co-founded Oxygen Media, a programming company revolving around women.

She also laid the foundation for the 2000 publication of O, The Oprah Magazine, she co-authored multiple books on diet and exercise, and she launched her influential Book Club in 1996.

2000s

In the 2000s, Winfrey became a billionaire. 

She co-produced a Broadway musical version of The Color Purple, created the Oprah.com website, and launched a 24-hour channel called Oprah Radio on XM Satellite Radio.

She continued hosting her talk show until 2011, after which she createdOWN: Oprah Winfrey Network,of which she is the CEO.

Winfrey even campaigned for President Barack Obama, who subsequently awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

As of 2021, Oprah Winfrey’s net worth is $3.5 Billions and she is an inspiration of every single person.

Conclusion

Oprah’s resilience, hardwork and creativity made her what she is today, a self- made richest woman in America.

Her struggle and stories have taught us if you truly believe in yourself, nothing in the world can stop you from acheiving what you deserve, no matter what circumstances you are in.

One of my favorite Oprah’s quotes is:

You’ve got to follow your passion. You’ve got to figure out what it is you love–who you really are. And have the courage to do that. I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams

Oprah Winfrey