Two of the most successful and powerful women in showbiz are, without a doubt, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
Despite the fact that the odds are against the average woman, especially the average minority woman, these two have risen above the challenge and reached the heights of superstardom and financial virtue. (In the United States, women make an average of 30 percent less than men: $.70 cents to a man’s $1.00. Women of colour fare even worse when it comes to income, making just around $.64 cents to a white man’s dollar.)
Oprah and Ellen have beaten all odds when it comes to financial success by hosting some of the most popular daytime television talk shows. Oprah is the wealthiest African-American woman in the U.S., worth over a billion dollars. Ellen is well on her way to becoming just as successful as one of the first openly lesbian TV personalities, and a multi-millionaire.
Not only are Oprah and Ellen both successful in the same industry, but they have been friends for years. Overcoming similar barriers hindering their success, they now are both similarly philanthropic.