India, April 21 -- Talk show hosts have come to be among the most influential people in America in the last 50 years. The influence and reach of these primetime talk shows are so high that the faces leading them end up building empires. The richest and most prominent of them all can be counted among the wealthiest people in America, despite coming from a very humble background. (Also read: World's richest musician has $2.5 billion net worth, sold 140 million records; it's not Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Beyonce)

No prizes for guessing that the world's richest talk show host is Oprah Winfrey. The journalist-turned-actor-turned-talk show icon has amassed a net worth of $3 billion, according to Forbes. The new 2025 Forbes Billionaire List puts O...