Oprah Winfrey is at the centre of a row after a journalist told her $100 (about R1 700) was too much to spend on a Christmas present.
The 68-year-old talk show host – worth $2.5-billion – was videoed out and about telling TMZ worker Colin Drummond to buy a jewellery box for his mom, after he told her his mother was struggling and he needed inspiration for a festive gift to cheer her up over the holiday.
Oprah 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... .“
@10gsocial Oprah knows hiw to give a sentimental gift #oprah #tv #gift #christmas #suprise ♬ Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
When Drummond, who says on LinkedIn he is TMZ’s Washington Bureau Chief, said: “That’s too expensive for me” she protested “It’s really not”, adding: “It’s like 100 or some dollars”.
He stuck to his opinion it was too much to spend, with Oprah looking surprised he wouldn’t spend $100 on his mom.
When Drummond told her his mother liked “sentimental gifts”, Oprah 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 a million views on TikTok, has left social media users divided.
Some have accused Oprah 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 Oprah 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.”
Oprah, 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 2000-square metre California mansion, which was filled with flowers and candles.
Other posts have shown Oprah, 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 cupboard.
Her main home is a sprawling mansion in Montecito, near the $14.65-million home where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live.
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