Oprah Winfrey has established herself as one of the most well-known media figures not only in the United States, but around the world. She began her media career as a teenager and eventually established herself as the queen of talk programs.
Her journey has been a roller coaster, yet she has overcome hardships and tragedy to become a global superstar, icon, and entrepreneur with a net worth of over a billion dollars.
While still in high school, she secured a radio job as a co-anchor for the local evening news at the age of 19. She was reassigned to a daytime talk program, which opened up new doors for her. She popularized and changed modern-day television as a chat show host. Winfrey is now one of the world’s wealthiest women.
Apart from being a media figure, she also has a business life that is rarely discussed. Winfrey is an active investor with holdings in various companies. Her multiple enterprises and other money streams helped her become one of the first Black female billionaires.
With the ‘Queen of talk shows’ in the spotlight, here are 7 businesses owned by Oprah Winfrey that you probably didn’t know.
Harpo Inc.
Harpo Studios, which she founded in 1986, is Winfrey’s multimedia enterprise. The company’s name is derived from the reverse spelling of her given name, Oprah. She founded the company to take over the production of her talk show, which propelled her to fame.
Harpo Studios, in addition to her show, has produced films such as The Color Purple, Selma, and Beloved. According to Forbes, Harpo Studios has an estimated net value of $150 million based on the success of the films.
Though Winfrey sold Harpo Studios in Chicago several years ago, her firm, Harpo Inc., is still owned and run by her.
OWN
She created her own cable network, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), in 2011. She founded the company in collaboration with Discovery Communications.
Oprah.com
Winfrey also owns Oprah.com, a digital media platform. The platform is a women’s lifestyle website with content on topics such as health, wellness, fashion, and food. It apparently receives over 75 million page views every month.
Weight Watchers
For $34 million, Winfrey purchased a minority ownership in Weight Watchers, a global health and nutrition program. Her investment, though, is expected to be worth $430 million by 2020. According to Forbes, she purchased a 10% investment in Weight Watchers in 2015, albeit she currently controls less of the company.
True Food Kitchen
True Food Kitchen, a health food restaurant chain created by author Andrew Weil, is an investor in the media mogul. According to reports, the corporation controls at least 42 venues from coast to coast.
Oatly
Oprah owns shares in Oatmilk Company, Oatly, which went to IPO last year for a $10 billion evaluation.
The Oprah Conversation
The Oprah Conversation was introduced in collaboration with Apple TV+ by the Queen of Talk Shows. “The Oprah Conversation,” according to Tech Crunch, contains timely dialogues between Oprah and “newsmakers, thought leaders, and masters of their craft” on a variety of issues.