Oprah Winfrey has found herself at the center of another online debate after sharing her thoughts on work-life balance during a recent podcast interview. While the 71-year-old media mogul rose from humble beginnings to build a global media empire spanning television, film, publishing, and philanthropy, many social media users argued that her advice no longer reflects the reality facing young workers today.
The talk show host sparked controversy during an appearance on Keke Palmer‘s Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast, where she suggested that young people aren’t “supposed” to have a work-life balance at the start of their careers because they should be focused on putting in the extra work to get ahead. Keep reading to find out more…
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Oprah Winfrey And Keke Palmer Discuss ‘Living Your Best Life’ And Work-Life Balance
According to the Daily Mail, Oprah was recently criticized for failing to “challenge” Meghan Markle‘s claim that she was “silenced” by the royal family during their now-infamous 2021 bombshell interview. Now, the conversation has shifted, with Winfrey being criticized for sharing what some believe is out of touch career advice.
The Build the Life You Want author was speaking with Palmer, 32, about what it means to live your best life before the conversation turned to freedom, success, and the sacrifices it takes to get there. “What is, for you, the definition of living your best life now? What does it look like?” Palmer asked the former Weight Watchers spokesperson.
“Well, it looks like freedom,” Oprah replied. “It looks like being able to make the choices that are based on what you really want, which I think is the most important question.”
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Oprah Winfrey Tells Keke Palmer About The Advice She Gives Girls Graduating From College
"You know, I think when you're not free, not completely free, you can't make decisions based upon what you want. You have to do what you have to do," the Enough: Your Health, Your Weight and What It's Like to Be Free author continued, before explaining the advice she often gives young women beginning their careers.
"This is what I say to my girls, you know, graduating from college and starting their first jobs and they're talking to me about, you know, work-life balance. At this point, I go, 'You ain't had no work-life balance at 22. It's not there. You're not supposed to have it. You're supposed to lay it in. Lay in the work.'"
The Color Purple producer added that she has reached a point in her life where her decisions come from "the purest part of myself." She said: "I only do what I want to do and I've earned the right to do that because there was lots of times I had to do what I had to do."
"A lot of people think, 'Oh, I just want to do what I want to do.' You got to work to be able to do what you want to do," she declared. "You have to do what you have to do, until you can do what you want to do."
Mixed Online Reactions
Although Oprah's comments were rooted in her own experience of building a decades-long media empire, many people felt they failed to acknowledge the financial pressures younger generations face today.
"Don't take advice from billionaires. They can't relate to normal people's lives and give advice based on real-life struggles," one person commented on Instagram, adding: "She became a millionaire at 32-years-old and has been living with financial freedom for a few decades now."
"Bad take! Life is TOO short to sit around miserable, overworked, underpaid and mistreated!" exclaimed a second. They continued: "Everyday we have a new disease popping up, wars all over the globe! Flooding, wildfires, violence and so on! Happiness and peace isn't a destination... we should be trying to find it everyday in our journey!"
"I agree with Oprah in theory but the comment section is right, there is this level of expectation that you're even living long enough to experience the doing what you want to do part. A double edged nuance," wrote a third.
"The younger generation are learning how to make money and do what they want. There is room for many avenues but I don't believe fully in that ideology," added a fourth, as a fifth commented: "@oprah what 20 year olds got access to you?! Because us millennials are grinding!! And auntie.. we are tired!"
Others defended Oprah's perspective. "She's not telling you not to have a work life balance. But she is advising, that if you want freedom aka optionality, you will have to work a lot, particularly in your early years," one supporter wrote.
"Some of y'all won't get this lesson and that's fine. But she's absolutely right. For successful people, work-life balance simply does not exist. Anything you really want in life is going to require sacrifice, hard work, and dedication. That doesn't mean you don't have any fun along the way, but if you're thinking you're going to work half the time and play half the time, that's a fallacy," added a second.
"She wasn't born a millionaire. She worked for it. Why wouldn't I take advice from someone who acquired billions out the mud?!" asked a third, as a fourth wrote: "She's giving advice that she believes helped her on her journey if you don't believe it's right for you, don't take it."
"Thank you for this. We're suppose to be 'laying it in,' laying in the work. There is no balance. You gotta work for this," said a fifth, as a sixth praised: "I have told my kids this for years! I stand by the mantra, 'You do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do.' To hear @oprah confirm my belief is inspiring."
