Oprah Winfrey has become a business and media mogul generating an incredible amount of money. With her name plastered all over her projects, Winfrey has created a successful empire, bringing fans, fame and fortune. She is most known as a celebrated talk show host, as well as an actress, author, producer and philanthropist. She has engaged herself in many projects and organizations over the years, helping build her empire while helping those in need.

Surprisingly, the television legend did not always have her well-known moniker. Winfrey was born January 29, 1954 with the name Orpah Gail Winfrey. Her name was consistently mispronounced as “Oprah” by other people, causing the new name to stick. She grew up poor in Kosciusko, Mississippi, wearing dresses made out of potato sacks and being forced to take the bus with people who worked for her classmates’ families. Feeling out-of-place, Oprah began stealing money from her mother so she would be able to fit in more with her classmates.

Her mother didn’t approve of the rebellion, and sent her off to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Winfrey’s father was strict and wanted his daughter to focus more on her education. She quickly became an honor’s student and joined the East Nashville High School’s speech team. Winfrey was finally able to show off her talents, placing second in the nation in dramatic interpretation.

This was just the beginning for Winfrey, her skills helping her launch an impressive career. With all the success and fame she has achieved in her life, people would think that Winfrey also has a large support system. However, the famed talk show host told PEOPLE in October 2021 that she has only three close friends.

Oprah Winfrey (2007), (MUNAWAR HOSAIN/FOTOS INTERNATIONAL/GETTY IMAGES

Speaking to PEOPLE, Winfrey said, “I don’t have a lot of friends. Everybody knows Gayle [King]. There’s Gayle, there’s Maria, there’s Bob [Greene]. And that’s about it, you know? Gayle and Maria, I met around the same time; Gayle and I [have been friends for] 42 years, Maria and I [have also been friends for] 42 years.”

She added, “I never really expanded that circle until recently. You know, I had become friends with a couple of people in my later adult life in the past five years.”

Based on what Shriver had to say about her friendship with Winfrey, it seems that the love they have for each other is profound and mutual.

Shriver described her bond with Winfrey as “deep, simple, low-maintenance, trustful, loyal, constant, consistent, honest, tried and true.”

She also added that it was the small things that kept their friendship strong over the years, such as getting a cup of coffee from Winfrey.

“It was so moving to me because … that’s not how I grew up, you know? Nobody brought a cup of coffee or a cup of water to me,” Shriver said. “In a funny way, even though I had a very close relationship with my mother, I wasn’t nurtured, mothered in that way, right? And [Oprah] wasn’t mothered in her own way. But I think, in a way, we have mothered each other,” Shriver added.

A friendship that has lasted over four decades is certainly something to celebrate! However, it may come as a surprise to many people that someone as famous as Winfrey is close to only three people in her life.

Oprah Winfrey, Maria Shriver (2011), (Barry Brecheisen/WireImage/Getty images)

Refinery29 explored the reasons as to why it is surprising that someone like Winfrey has so few friends. As they write, “Of course, being in a position like Winfrey’s where you not only possess wealth beyond most peoples’ comprehension, boundless fame and connections, and, of course, a reputation for being one of the wisest and most insightful people in entertainment, would pose a unique challenge.”

Upon further inspection though, it is not that surprising that Winfrey is close to only a few people. Being in such a position of power means that there may always be a question of whether a friendship is coming from a genuine place, and knowing people who have stood by you for such a long time and helped you through the best and worst of your life can make for an extremely solid friendship.

Bob Greene is also someone who holds a strong place in Winfrey’s life. “Bob Greene was the answer to my prayers,” PEOPLE reported that Winfrey wrote in the foreword of Greene’s 2008 book, “The Best Life Diet,” “When I first met Bob at that last-ditch-effort spa in Colorado, I thought for sure he was judging and labeling me as I had already judged and labeled myself — fat and out of control. Bob, it turned out, wasn’t judging me at all. He really understood.”

She also said that “working with Bob has been priceless therapy.” Most of us are lucky to have at least one person we can depend on in our lives, so for Winfrey to have such strong friendships is certainly a blessing.