A TikTok of a person asking Oprah Winfrey for a gift recommendation for their mom has divided opinion after she suggested an item that was out of their price range.
During a video posted on December 18 by a TikTok user who goes by @10gsocial, an unidentified person off-camera can be seen approaching Winfrey and saying, “A favorite gift for my mom, she’s not doing well.”
Winfrey took a moment and then approached the camera, recommending “a beautiful red jewelry box,” before the person interrupted her to say, “that’s too expensive for me.” Winfrey then said, “No it’s not. It’s really not. It’s like one hundred and something dollars.”
In the 38-second video, which received over 800,000 views, the person said they were looking for something “a little lower in my price budget.” Winfrey replied, seemingly surprised, “Lower than $100?”
After the person asked for a “sentimental” gift instead, Winfrey suggested they write a “list of your top 10 reasons why you love her and you make a beautiful card.”
The video received over 350 comments which included a mixed reaction to Winfrey’s reaction and original gift suggestion.
“She was SHOOK that $100 was too expensive. ‘Do they even make things that cost less than $100?'” read one comment that received over 1,800 likes. “The judgment when he said $100 was too expensive,” a comment with over 640 likes read.
The second suggestion also prompted criticism from some. “She said oh you poor? I got a better gift for you,” a comment with over 4,800 likes said. “Oprah said I’m not even gonna try to give you a suggestion for $50 Here you go free from your heart,” read one comment with over 300 likes.
TikToker user @amandachristine_1 re-shared a section of the interview in a video and said, “I love Oprah, but this clip of her saying $100 is not a lot of money is taking me out.”
Other viewers defended Winfrey’s gift idea. “Oprah is a billionaire but she gave a gift suggestion that’s $100…but ya’ll saying she’s out of touch lol,” a comment said with over 2,600 likes. “I think Oprah handled this and answered this very well,” a comment with over 77 likes said.
TikToker @lawirk posted a video reacting to the clip, pointing out Winfrey was asked to name one of her favorite gifts, not the most affordable. “Most of her favorite things gifts is gonna be like $100 or more,” he said. “She gave a very good option for a Christmas present for someone who has a job.”
This isn’t the first time Winfrey has been accused of being “out of touch.” During a 2017 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, she said she hadn’t visited a bank since 1988, and decided to line up and desposit $2 million dollars “just to do it.”
Winfrey hosted “The Oprah Winfrey Show” over the course of 25 years. In 2011 she launched a cable channel named OWN, and has a current net worth of $2.5 billion, Forbes reported.
Her website OprahDaily features a holiday gift guide named “Oprah’s Favorite Things 2022” which offers a selection of 104 gift ideas. It does not include a red jewelry box priced at $100, but it does feature a number of more affordable items such as $29 reading glasses and $18 gloves. Winfrey did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
It is unclear when the footage was filmed. The TikTok account @10gsocial has over 4,000 followers and frequently posts short interviews with celebrities, including Snoop Dogg, Tony Hawk, and Anna Wintour. The account did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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