Speaking of staggering financial losses, Oprah Winfrey reportedly earns a full $125 million less than she did last year. According to Forbes, the 43 percent drop from Winfrey’s estimated $290 million earnings last year is mostly due to lost income from ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’, which aired its final episode in May 2011. Earlier this month, it was reported that the eponymous media mogul’s Oprah Winfrey Network may have lost as much as $330 million since its January 2011 start-up. Although she does not earn a salary from the OWN network, Oprah continues to make money from a diversified portfolio that includes ‘O: The Oprah Winfrey Magazine’, spin-off series such as ‘Dr. Phil’ and ‘The Dr. Oz Show’, and a radio sponsorship deal with Sirius, according to Forbes. In April, Winfrey asked advertisers to stick with her network despite its losses, telling them, “I’m climbing Kilimanjaro. With our restructuring and right-sizing and getting into the sauce of what needs to happen every day, I feel like I can at least now see the summit.” Even with her wincing pay cut, Oprah still managed to be the No. 2 (behind Jennifer Lopez) earner on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, topping Steven Spielberg, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Tom Cruise. If only Spielberg had thought to partner with Dr. Phil.
