Will Oprah Make the Move West?

0

Is Oprah Winfrey relocating to Los Angeles?

Well, there’s certainly nothing official about that, but there are signs she is getting more established in Los Angeles. Her new TV channel, OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network, which is set to launch Jan. 1, is headquartered on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile. And Winfrey reportedly has hired Peter Adamson, who currently serves as chief investment officer for L.A. billionaire and philanthropist Eli Broad, to begin setting up a family office to handle her personal investments.

What’s more, her longstanding relationship with Chicago is uncertain, since her Chicago-based talk show will end next year. And her relationship with that city is a bit strained. Winfrey’s longtime partner, Stedman Graham, recently ranted to Fox Chicago News that the Windy City hasn’t shown sufficient appreciation for its biggest star.

“I don’t think she gets her just due based on who she really is and what she’s done for the Chicagoland area,” he said.

If she were to move here, she may need a new home. She already owns an estate in Montecito near Santa Barbara, but that’s a long commute for daily business.

A spokeswoman for Winfrey said she doesn’t have plans to purchase a home in Los Angeles.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has warned that the queen of talk may get unwanted attention from L.A.’s notorious paparazzi if she sets up shop in Hollywood.

However, Michael Levine, founder of the local celebrity public relations firm Levine Communication Office, said Los Angeles would embrace Winfrey if she moved here.

“I predict that the love affair between Los Angeles and Oprah will be a hot, intense, passionate love affair,” Levine said.

“Los Angeles is a celebrity city. It loves celebrities,” he said.

If Winfrey became a Los Angeles resident, her net worth of $2.4 billion would place her in a tie with private equity tycoon Tom Gores for 12th place on the Business Journal’s list of Wealthiest Angelenos.

No posts to display