Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author. Over the course of her esteemed career, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, making her one of the most respected and admired figures today.

For 25 years, Winfrey was host and producer of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she entertained, enlightened, and uplifted millions of viewers. Winfrey currently serves as Chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine and digital site OprahDaily.com, and oversees Harpo Productions. In 1996, Oprah’s Book Club launched, serving as a catalyst for the creation of book clubs around the world and millions of books sold across genres, with over 100 selections to date.

In 2017, the podcast debut of Super Soul launched as #1 on Apple Podcasts and has been downloaded over 600 million times by listeners in over 155 countries worldwide. In 2021, What Happened to You debuted on the New York Times best-seller list, which Winfrey co-authored with Dr. Bruce Perry, and has remained on the audio best-seller list for over two years.

Winfrey is also a dedicated philanthropist. During a December 2002 visit with Nelson Mandela, she pledged to build a school in South Africa and has contributed more than $200 million towards providing education for academically gifted girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Graduates of the school have continued on to higher education both in South Africa and at colleges and universities around the world. Winfrey’s Morehouse Scholars Program has supported over 600 men graduate from college, with her additional pledge in 2019 bringing her total investment to $25 million, marking the largest endowment in the College’s history. Winfrey is a founding donor of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and in 2020, Winfrey donated over $20 million in vital COVID-19 relief support to cities around the country, including her hometowns of Chicago, Nashville, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Kosciusko, MS.

In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2018, Winfrey became the first African American woman to be honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award.