Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah Winfrey is the Founder and Chairwoman of Harpo Productions and the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) cable channel, and is widely considered one of the most influential media entrepreneurs in American history.

From humble beginnings in rural Mississippi, Winfrey built a media empire that has generated billions in revenue and reached hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran from 1986 to 2011, was the highest-rated television talk show in history and made Winfrey the first Black female billionaire in America. Beyond her talk show, Winfrey founded Harpo Films, Harpo Print (O, The Oprah Magazine), OWN Network, and Oprah Daily, creating a diversified media and entertainment conglomerate. Her Book Club has sold hundreds of millions of books and single-handedly launched dozens of authors to bestseller status. Winfrey has used her platform to drive cultural conversations on topics from mental health to racial justice, and her philanthropic efforts include the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Her journey from poverty to becoming one of the wealthiest and most influential entrepreneurs in America is one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of American business.