Now that Oprah Winfrey has established herself as being one of the most influential and inspiring celebrities of this generation, she has created a social circle for herself filled with some of the most elite individuals ever. Oprah Winfrey is known for being a talk show host, a philanthropist, an actress, and more.
Her friends often fit into those categories too. Oprah Winfrey has been around making waves since the late '80s. When she was 32 years old, she ended up becoming the first African American person (male or female) to nationally host a television show. Her success has continued to build and grow since then, and so have her friendships.
10 Tom Hanks
One of Oprah Winfrey's good friends in the Hollywood industry is Tom Hanks. During an interview, he spoke highly of Oprah saying that she was a "one of a kind" woman and she makes the world a better place. He even added that she could potentially become the president of the United States. His opinion of her is filled with so much respect and admiration.
9 Meryl Streep
Oprah Winfrey has never run for president but back in 2018, Meryl Streep endorsed her anyway. She said, "[Oprah] launched a rocket tonight. I want her to run for president. I don’t think she had any intention [of declaring]. But now she doesn’t have a choice.” Meryl made this statement after Oprah's lifetime achievement speech. Meryl and Oprah are still good friends today.
8 Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey have always been good friends but they got even closer after they starred in A Wrinkle in Time together in 2018. For Oprah's 66th birthday in 2020, Reese posted a very sweet tribute! She wrote, "Happy birthday @Oprah!! It is an honor to know and walk through this world with you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and advice… it is truly invaluable!" The love is mutual.
7 Jimmy Kimmel
Back in the day, Jimmy Kimmel made the mistake of doing blackface while trying to do an impersonation of Oprah Winfrey. Fast forward to today and things are a lot different. He has apologized for doing such inappropriate non-comedy and he has been interviewed by Oprah a handful of times. They both know the importance of creating successful talk show entertainment.
6 Gayle King
The friendship between Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey has been going on for years. They have an extremely strong bond that is pretty much unbreakable. They met for the first time in 1976 when they were both up and coming journalists.
They were interested in a lot of the same things so a friendship between the two was inevitable. As of now, Gayle is the editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine. They have openly supported each other this whole time.
5 John Travolta
In 2010, a list of Oprah's favorite moments with John Travolta were posted to her official website which can only mean one thing-- she really enjoys his company! She mentioned his November 26, 1996, appearances on her show when he danced his way across the stage. She also mentioned his June 11, 1999, appearance where he discussed what brings him joy in life.
4 Maria Shriver
Maria Shriver and Oprah Winfrey have been friends for decades! When Oprah interviewed Maria, they acknowledged the fact that they have been in each other's lives for a very long time.
Maria said, "I'm very proud of having such a long-term friendship. You were the first friend I made outside of my family. I was raised in this clan mentality; the only people who could understand what I was experiencing were my siblings and cousins." They are like sisters to each other.
3 Ellen DeGeneres
Successful talk show hosts have to stick together it seems! Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey have both hosted really incredible and popular talk shows so they have that major thing in common. They are so different in so many ways but they know how to be inquisitive of guests, they know how to inspire, and they know how to change the lives of average individuals through generosity.
2 Busy Philipps
When Busy Philipps got a phone call from Oprah Winfrey on her own talk show, she was so moved that she was brought to tears. She had always been such a fan of Oprah so when Oprah actually reached out to her, she was so excited and could not even maintain her composure. The respect and admiration that Busy has for Oprah is so apparent! Oprah returns those sentiments.
1 Mindy Kaling
Just like Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling also starred in A Wrinkle in Time with Oprah Winfrey. The adventure fantasy film focuses on a little girl going on a mission to try to find her father who has gone missing into space. The family-friendly movie is worth the watch! Mindy Kaling was able to connect with Oprah Winfrey on the set of the movie and they have been close to each other ever since.