It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a billionaire doesn’t have the same ideas about money as the rest of us.
As of December 2023, Oprah Winfrey’s net worth is $2.8 billion, according to Forbes.
The media mogul transitioned her hit talk show, which ran for 25 years, into a media and business empire.
Reinvested, the profits from her show–plus profits from films like The Color Purple, Beloved, and Selma–add up to an estimated more than $2 billion.
She also has a sprawling real estate portfolio, which includes homes in California and over a dozen properties in Hawaii.
Though she was born into poverty in rural Mississippi and had a rough time growing up, Oprah has been living a lot differently for decades now.
In fact, she was the world’s only Black billionaire from 2004 to 2006.
Despite her humble upbringings, Oprah clearly lives a very different life now, and some fans are upset at how disconnected she’s seemingly become.
In a new clip uploaded to TikTok, Oprah can be seen giving advice on what to get a loved one for Christmas.
The video, which has gained nearly 1 million views on the platform, shows the fan asking for ideas on what to buy his mom, who is apparently in poor health.
Oprah’s first suggestion is that the cameraman buy a jewelry box that she featured on her show.
In response, the fan is quick to point out the price tag, explaining that the item is a bit too expensive for him.
Oprah responds by telling the fan that the gift she suggested is “only like $100.”
Still, the cameraman doesn’t back down, insisting that he needs something cheaper for his “price budget.”
The former talk show host seems surprised by the idea that $100 is too much, but she manages to think of another suggestion.
“You do a list of your top ten reasons why you love her, and you make a beautiful card, and it’s your top ten,” she says.
Though she came up with a much less expensive idea, the comments section on Tiktok was still flooded with fans who were upset with her initial suggestion.
“The judgement when he said $100 was too expensive,” one commenter wrote.
“A billionaire doesn’t understand how it is for the rest of us,” another fan pointed out.
“She said ‘Oh You Poor? I have a better gift for you,'” one fan wrote of her second suggestion.
Still, some fans were on her side, pointing out that $100 is a reasonable price tag for a billionaire to suggest.
“Oprah is a billionaire but she gave a gift suggestion that’s $100…but y’all saying she’s out of touch,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “Bless her heart, she was trying to help. I love both her suggestions. There was no judgement in her tone or reaction. Love her sentimental gift idea.”
Unfortunately for those defending Oprah, this isn’t the first time she’s upset fans over being “out of touch.”
During an NPR interview earlier this month to promote her new book, Build The Life You Want, Winfrey argues that the secret to happiness has nothing to do with money.
“If you do something to make someone else happier, it’s almost like it comes back to you exactly a hundredfold,” she said. “That’s where I get my great joy.”
Her co-author Arthur Brooks went on to explain: “People say, if I had particular gifts, if I had that wealth … I don’t care, then I’d be happy. That’s wrong. You would be happy if you used your gifts in service of others.”
Still a lot of people weren’t happy with Oprah saying money isn’t the key to happiness while she has so much of it.
Sure, doing things for other people can make you feel good, but Oprah probably isn’t the best example to speak on money not being an important part of the equation.