Oprah Winfrey: One Of The Richest People In The World

Who do you think of when you hear the word billionaire? For many people Oprah Winfrey is the first name that pops into their mind. Even though Oprah is one of the richest people in the world, she did not start out that way. Oprah was born on January 29th, 1954, in the town of Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her dad, Vernon Winfrey, lived in Tennessee, far away from where Oprah lived in Mississippi. Oprah lived with her mom, Vernita Lee, and her grandma on a small farm. Her mom did not have a job, leaving Oprah with basically nothing. Oprah’s mother decided to travel up north to find a job to support her daughter. Oprah did not mind being away from her mother because she and her grandmother were very close. Being an only child, Oprah became

While living in Milwaukee, her mom had to work many night shifts, leaving Oprah alone in a sketchy part of town. Oprah was repeatedly molested from age nine to thirteen. This abuse emotionally destroyed her and she tried to run away only to be sent to a juvenile detention home. She then found that she could not stay at the dentition home because there was not enough beds. So Oprah was living on her own at the age of fourteen. Oprah was very sexually active during this time, and became pregnant with a boy. The baby died in infancy, so Oprah decided to live with her father in Tennessee. When Oprah got to Tennessee, she made the decision to change her life with the help of her father. He father set rules like going to school, curfews, and writing book reports each week. "As strict as he was," says Oprah, "he had some concerns about me making the best of my life, and would not accept anything less than what he thought was my best." Oprah turned her life around and she became a great student dedicated to her studies, and an even better person than she ever was

Many know the show the “Oprah Winfrey Show”, which aired from 1985 to 2011, twenty five years of a popular talk show which the whole world seemed to watch. In 1987, the show received three Emmy awards for Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service, and Outstanding Direction. The following year the show received the same awards. That year Oprah received the International Radio and Television Society 's "Broadcaster of the Year" Award, the youngest person ever to have this award. Oprah also decided to expand her love for television with acting and producing. Oprah acted in many different movies, getting nominations and awards for Golden Globes and Oscars. Oprah started her own production company, called “Harpo Productions”. Harpo produced “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, which made Oprah the first woman to own and produce her own television show. Harpo Productions also produced many other television shows, like Dr. Phil, and other famous shows. By this time, The Oprah Winfrey Show took the nation and the world by storm, being aired in one hundred forty other countries, with different guest stars and inspirational people and stories all making appearances. Her show had the famous Michael Jackson guest starring, which attracted a hundred million viewers, making it the most watched talk show host ever watched. Other accomplishments included Oprah being named one of the most Influential People of the 20th