Billionaire Oprah Winfrey left in shock after fan says $100 is too much to spend on Christmas gift

Oprah Winfrey's rags-to-riches story has inspired the world to work hard and turn their lives around. Growing up in a poor household, Winfrey aimed for the stars which led her to become one of the greatest media moguls of all time. Recently, Winfrey was asked to share ideas for a Christmas gift. The fan requested the legendary TV show host to share something sentimental. While her response won the hearts of many, it also drew backlash. 

Oprah's Reaction to $100 being too expensive, divides viewers

In the video shared on 10gsocial (@10gsocial), Winfrey seems to be on her way to an event, surrounded by security. While she appears to be in a hurry, a fan stops, seeking suggestions for a Christmas gift for his mother, who is not doing well. Winfrey stops to answer the question, and with her hand on her chest, she suggests the man give her a "beautiful jewelry box" that she has on her list of favorite things. 

However, the man says it was too expensive for him and he was looking for something on a budget. Winfrey assures him that it isn't too expensive saying that it costs only about "a hundred something" dollars. The man reaffirms that it was still too expensive for him. Winfrey looks shocked hearing that the man couldn't afford that. 

She goes on to suggest another gift, "here's what you do, you make a top 10 reasons why you love her and make a beautiful card of it," she suggests. She adds that they had to be his personal reasons. The man seems to be happy with the suggestion and asks if it is sentimental. Winfrey replies that yes, it was sentimental. 

While several found her suggestion to be warm and sentimental, many felt that Winfrey was out of touch because of her initial response. "She was SHOOK that $100 was too expensive. ‘Do they even make things that cost less than $100?’" wrote user, @sfalconib. "She said oh you poor? I got a better gift for you," added another viewer @choolah20. 

Winfrey took her talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to unprecedented heights. After reigning the ratings for 25 years, she transitioned her show into a media empire.

Launching her own production company, Harpo Productions, Winfrey invested in films like The Color Purple, Beloved, and Selma. Profits from her company and dozens of other investments, boost her net worth to about $3 billion as per Forbes. Thus, she now lives extremely well, despite her humble beginnings. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the billionaire media mogul may not have the same idea of money as other commoners. 

However, several viewers argued that her response was humble enough, given her stature. "Oprah is a billionaire but she gave a gift suggestion that’s $100 .. but y’all saying she’s out of touch lol," wrote one user @tastebudct, supporting Winfrey.

"Bless her heart. She was trying to help. I love both of her suggestions. There was no judgment in her tone or reaction. Love her sentimental gift idea," added another user @lmchristenson. 

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Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 16, 2024. It has since been updated.