With a net worth nearing the $3 billion mark, it is clear Oprah Winfrey can afford the finer things' life has to offer, and then some... However, she does have some extreme tastes as we're going to reveal in the following. Winfrey made a certain addition to her Telluride home, and it seems like Tom Cruise might've had something to do with the move. We'll reveal how Tom factored in, and what else the stunning chalet has to offer. In addition, we'll reveal other properties Oprah owns, and how one in particular is causing problems with the locals. However, we'll start things off by taking a closer look at a major reveal made by Oprah, and it involves not leaving her home for almost a year during the pandemic. Let's take a look at why she made the decision, and how Oprah was able to cope.
Oprah Has A Close Attachment To Her Home, And Claims She Isolated Herself For 322 Days During The Pandemic
Given her celebrity status and importance to the world, fans could not believe Oprah's reveal that during pandemic, she spent nearly a year sheltered at home. According to the popular TV personality, this took place due to the difficulties her friends and family were going through at the time. Oprah didn't want to contribute and make things worse.
She revealed, "My empathy and understanding of what that must be like to go through that is how I have been relating. I've been so careful with myself that my own friends make fun of me," she told the outlet. "I didn't leave home for 322 days — literally did not leave the house. So it has not been for me personally a heavy burden to bear."
As expected, Oprah was questioned by others and her unwillingness to leave home during that time. However, Oprah found the good in isolating herself, especially given all the time she has spent around others throughout her career.
"I was in an audience of 350 people twice a day, so I've had shaking hands and autographs and selfies, and lots of attention, and exposure to being around a lot of people," Winfrey continued. "I was able to be with myself in a way that I haven't been able to for years, because usually, even if I take time off for myself, I'm thinking about what is the next thing to come," Oprah revealed.
Of course, Oprah has more than just one place, and has built quite the real estate empire. However, one ski resort home in particular has an odd feature most would not be as content with...
Oprah's Ski Chalet Home Features A Wine Room Located In A Cave
It certainly is a dream to purchase a $14 million ski chalet. However, building a cave in it worth $240,000 isn't on everyone's bucket list...
According to Insider, Oprah's Telluride, Colorado chalet has some absurd features, which includes a stunning spa, and limestone bathtub worth more than your average fancy looking car ($70K)... The real kicker of the home is the wine cave, which contains just under 2,000 bottles of wine, and is 56 feet long. Insider writes, "There's an old mining cart down there that runs on rails."
It seems like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes might've influenced the purchase, as Oprah was blown away after she met the former couple in the area years prior.
It remains to be seen if Cruise had a cave of his own in the resort home...
Oprah's Wall In San Ysidro Creek Caused Tension With Her Neighbors
According to the LA Times in late April of 2023, Oprah's properties are also problematic. She has also invested in Montecito with various purchases over the years. However, building a wall proved to be problematic with her neighbors given that it is causing flood damage.
The publications writes, "Residents fear that the wall could redirect the creek, pushing floodwater onto other properties during intense rainfall."
“You can’t alter creek canals and not expect there to be results,” Sharon Byrne, executive director of the Montecito Assn., said in an interview with Noozhawk. “Don’t change the creeks. They are going to shift and move on their own.”
In fairness, the wall was given permission to be built and the approval. The LA Times notes that Oprah bought the property back in 2015 for $28.85 million. Winfrey was planning to expand from her other property in the area, "The property was an expansion of “the Promised Land,” Winfrey’s famous main residence that she picked up for around $50 million in 2001. The 42-acre spread centers on a 23,000-square-foot Georgian-style mega-mansion overlooking the ocean," the LA Times writes.
Clearly, Oprah's real estate portfolio is impressive but inevitably, it has come with some concerns.
