Oprah Winfrey is an American media mogul, actress, executive producer, author and television personality, widely known as the “Queen of All Media”. Her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011, and made her one of the most influential women in the world. Born into rural poverty in Mississippi on January 29, 1954, she became the first Black woman billionaire and, in 2026, was named the greatest living self-made American. At 72, she remains one of the most powerful figures in media. She has been with her partner, Stedman Graham, since 1986, and her net worth is approximately $3 billion.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Oprah Gail Winfrey |
| Date of Birth | January 29, 1954 |
| Age | 72 years old (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | Kosciusko, Mississippi, USA |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (169 cm) |
| Profession | Media mogul, talk show host, actress, producer, author |
| Partner | Stedman Graham (partner since 1986) |
| Children | None |
| Net Worth | Approx. $3 billion (Forbes, 2025) |
Who Is Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey is the most successful talk show host in television history and one of the most influential people in the world. Dubbed the “Queen of All Media”, she is globally the richest Black woman and the wealthiest female celebrity, and in 2003 she became the first Black woman billionaire. By 2007 she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world, and in 2026 she was named the greatest living self-made American.
Winfrey’s honours include 18 Daytime Emmy Awards, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy in 2012, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 2018, where her speech became one of the most talked-about moments of the night. She received that award a year after Meryl Streep received the same honour. Beyond television, she is an Oscar-nominated actress, a best-selling author, the founder of Harpo Productions and the OWN television network, and one of America’s best-known philanthropists.
Early Life & Background
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, to Vernita Lee, a housemaid, and Vernon Winfrey, a coal miner, barber and councilman. She was raised by her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee, on a farm without indoor plumbing, and she has spoken openly about the poverty of her childhood. At six she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother, and as a teenager she was sent to Nashville to live with her father, where she became an honours student at East Nashville High School.
Winfrey’s rise began early. At 17 she won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant and a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, where she studied speech communications and performing arts. She began working in radio at WVOL in Nashville at 17, and at 19 she became the first Black female news anchor at WTVF in Nashville. In 1976 she moved to Baltimore to co-anchor the evening news at WJZ-TV, and later she hosted the station’s talk show People Are Talking, where her warm, conversational style first stood out.
Career
In 1984, Winfrey moved to Chicago to host AM Chicago, a morning talk show on WLS-TV. Within months it had overtaken its rival, Donahue, and in September 1986 it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and went into national syndication. The show ran for 25 seasons and 4,561 episodes until May 2011, becoming the highest-rated talk show in American television history. In 1986 she also founded Harpo Productions, becoming the first Black woman to own a major studio, and she later launched O, The Oprah Magazine in 2000 and the OWN television network in January 2011.
Alongside television, Winfrey built a career as an actress. She made her film debut as Sofia in The Color Purple (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred in Beloved (1998), The Butler (2013) and A Wrinkle in Time (2018), and she voiced characters in The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Charlotte’s Web (2006). Her Oprah’s Book Club, launched in 1996, turned its picks into bestsellers — a phenomenon publishers call the “Oprah effect” — and her 2018 Golden Globes speech on the #MeToo movement was widely praised.
Winfrey’s business career has been as remarkable as her television one. In 2015 she bought a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers (now WW) and joined its board, a move that lifted the company’s share price, and she sold her stake in 2024. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013, and in 2007 she opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. She remains the chair and chief executive of Harpo Productions and the driving force behind OWN, and her long-running partnership with Stedman Graham — they have been together since 1986 and were engaged in 1992, though they never married — is one of the most enduring in public life.
Facts About Oprah Winfrey
- She was born into rural poverty in Mississippi and raised by her grandmother on a farm without indoor plumbing.
- She became the first Black woman billionaire in 2003.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show ran for 25 seasons and 4,561 episodes, from 1986 to 2011.
- Her Oprah’s Book Club picks regularly became bestsellers — a phenomenon publishers call the “Oprah effect”.
- She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She is 72 years old as of November 2026.
How tall is Oprah Winfrey?
Oprah Winfrey is 5 feet 7 inches tall (169 cm).
Who is Oprah Winfrey’s partner?
Oprah Winfrey’s partner is Stedman Graham. They have been together since 1986 and were engaged in 1992, though they never married.
What is Oprah Winfrey’s net worth?
Oprah Winfrey’s net worth is approximately $3 billion, according to Forbes in 2025.
What is Oprah Winfrey best known for?
Oprah Winfrey is best known for hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 years from 1986 to 2011. She is known as the Queen of All Media and was the first Black woman billionaire.