Oprah Winfrey Shocked By Fan Who Says US$100 Is Too Much To Spend On A Christmas Gift: "It's Really Not"

Oprah Winfrey is at the centre of a row after a journalist told her US$100 (S$135) was too much to spend on a Christmas present.

The 68-year-old talk show host — worth US$2.5 billion — was videoed out and about telling a fan to buy a jewellery box for his mum, after he told her his mother was struggling and he needed inspiration for a festive gift to cheer her up over the holiday.

Winfrey replied: “A wonderful thing is that jewellery box that I had on Favourite Things [her famous gift ideas list]. A beautiful red jewellery box with a little... .“

When Drummond — who says on LinkedIn he is TMZ’s Washington Bureau Chief — said: “That’s too expensive for me", Winfrey protested “It’s really not... It’s like 100 or some dollars”.

He stuck to his opinion it was too much to spend, with Winfrey looking surprised he wouldn’t spend $100 on his mum.

When Drummond told her his mother liked “sentimental gifts”, Winfrey advised the “perfect gift” was to “do a list of your top 10 reasons why you love her, and you make a beautiful card, and it’s your top 10.”

The clip, which has racked up nearly 1 million views on TikTok, has left social media users divided.

Some have accused Winfrey of being “out of touch”, with one saying: “A billionaire doesn't understand how it is for the rest of us.”

Others said $100 wasn’t too much to spend on an ailing mother, adding her second suggestion was “incredibly thoughtful”.

Another Winfrey fan added: “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.”

Winfrey, one of America’s wealthiest self-made women, is said to make $300 million per year and owns $127 million worth of real estate.

A recent online post revealed her lavish lifestyle, showing the chat show host and her Thanksgiving guests sitting around an 18-person table in the dining room of her 23,000-square-foot California mansion, which was filled with flowers and candles.

Other posts have shown Winfrey, who uses a private chef and owns a $75 million private Gulfstream G650 jet, sipping on wine on her huge porch and enjoying movies in her home cinema, along with her massive walk-in closet.
Her main home is a sprawling mansion in Montecito, near the $14.65 million home where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live.— BANG SHOWBIZ

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos