American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey joined US President, Barack Obama and others at the Lincoln Memorial to mark 50 years of Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech, on Wednesday.
The invitation shows Oprah’s relevance to black history in the US. Oprah, who is best known for her multi-award-winning talk show, ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, has been described by many as the most influential woman in the world.
On Tuesday, Obama in a radio chat at the White House, said he was moved to tears watching Winfrey in a recent movie she starred alongside actor, Forest Whittaker in ‘The Butler.’ The story was about an African-American man who served several presidents, but endured discrimination throughout his lifetime.
A few weeks ago, she was in the news following her involvement in a racism row. She accused a clerk at an upscale Zurich boutique of refusing to show her a handbag because the boutique staff allegedly thought that she couldn’t afford the $38,000 purse.
Meanwhile, Oprah’s love life has remained a subject of public discourse. Just last week, the 59-year-old media personality said she was not sure she would get married to her long time boyfriend, Stedman Graham. Oprah and Graham have been dating for 27 years, but she said she feared that a serious commitment might ruin the relationship.
“I don’t know if I wanna do that. It’s really good right now, and when you add that ‘wife’ thing, then too much,” Oprah told femalefirst.
Oprah’s lifestyle
Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States. She was raised by her mother, Vernita Lee, a housemaid, in a poor urban neighbourhood. At age 17, Oprah won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant and attracted the attention of the local black radio station, WVOL. Oprah got hired part-time at the station and she worked there during later year in high school and first two years in college.
Oprah became a millionaire at 32 after her talk show went national. By that time, her success and popularity had put her in position to negotiate ownership of the show and start a production company. At 41, Oprah had a net worth of $340m which put her on the Forbes’ 400. Oprah was also the first black woman billionaire in world history, according to Forbes.
In 2013, Oprah is worth an estimated $2.8bn and she earned $77m between June 2012 and June 2013.
Oprah lives on her 45-acre estate named ‘The Promised Land’, which was bought in 2001 for $52m and has a view of the ocean. In addition, Oprah has the ownership of a five-bedroom, 5,994-square-foot house on a 1.62-acre parcel at 4555 Stratford Drive in Douglasville, Ga.
She also owns a house in New Jersey, an estate in Florida, a ski house in Colorado, and property on Maui, Hawaii and Antigua.
‘The Promised Land’ has 14 bathrooms and 10 exquisite fireplaces.
She recently sold her apartment in Chicago for $2.8m, at a loss of $2.75m. She bought the apartment in 2006 for $5.6m and did not get a buyer having earlier listed it for $6m in June 2008.
Oprah owns the Global Express XRS Jet, which she bought for $42m and said to be one of her prized possessions. The custom-designed jet features seating for about 10 passengers, with leather interior and designer fixtures for the bathroom and galley. Oprah was once quoted as saying, “It’s great to have a private jet. Anyone that tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”
But in spite of her wealth, Volkswagen Beetle seems to be the car Oprah prefers over others as she featured the car twice in her Oprah Winfrey Favorite Things show. She also gave a brand new Beetle car to each member of the show at both times.
Oprah has also shown that she likes to enjoy the Caribbean. She has been spotted a number of times at the Caribbean beaches, and it is believed that the Caribbean is her favourite region for relaxation.
Hawaii is another favourite vacation spot for most celebrities and Oprah is no exception. Her beach house in Maui, Hawaii is stocked with a full fledged library of 1,500 books.