Oprah Gail Winfrey, born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, is an American media executive, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. Raised in poverty by her single mother in rural Mississippi, she later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then Nashville, Tennessee, where she began her career in radio and television as a teenager. Winfrey attended Tennessee State University, studying speech communications and performing arts. Her breakthrough came in 1983 when she hosted the morning show in Chicago, which evolved into The Oprah Winfrey Show, a nationally syndicated program that ran for 25 years from 1986 to 2011, making her a cultural icon dubbed the 'Queen of All Media.'

Winfrey's influence extends beyond television; she founded Harpo Productions, her multimedia company, and launched the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) in 2011. She has authored bestsellers like 'What I Know For Sure' and starred in films such as 'The Color Purple' (1985), earning an Academy Award nomination. As a philanthropist, she established the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa in 2007 and has donated hundreds of millions to education and disaster relief. By 2007, she was ranked as the most influential woman in the world and became the first Black female billionaire.

Winfrey has faced controversies, including criticism for promoting pseudoscientific health advice on her show, such as endorsing Jenny McCarthy's anti-vaccine views, which drew backlash from medical communities. She has been accused of workplace issues at Harpo, with allegations of a toxic environment and lawsuits from former employees, though many were settled out of court. In 2019, she faced scrutiny for her association with figures like Harvey Weinstein before his scandals emerged. Despite these, her net worth exceeds $2.5 billion, derived from media ventures, real estate, and investments, solidifying her as the richest Black woman globally.