Oprah Winfrey — Media Empire ($2.8 Billion)

Born into poverty in rural Mississippi, sexually abused as a child, pregnant at 14 (the baby died in infancy), and fired from her first TV job for being "too emotionally invested." Oprah turned that pain into the most successful talk show in television history (25 seasons, 4,561 episodes), Harpo Productions, OWN Network, a $430 million profit on Weight Watchers stock, and an Apple TV+ deal. Net worth: $2.8 billion. She's the wealthiest self-made woman in American media history. The anchor who fired her has never been identified, but they definitely know who they are.