Oprah Winfrey has made a surprise return to Sydney, embracing a local-approved itinerary recommended by an Aussie friend as she prepares for her one-night-only speaking tour across Australia and New Zealand.
Oprah Winfrey landed Down Under on Monday for her first visit in ten years as she gears up for her Oprah In Conversation tour across Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne.
The global media icon marked her return with an Instagram post from Bondi after completing the famous coastal walk recommended by her friend, Aussie actor Hugh Jackman.
In the clip she told fans she had “made it to beautiful Australia” and was beginning her trip with the Bondi walk before heading for ricotta hotcakes at Bills Australia.
Oprah then filmed herself trying the city’s most famous hotcakes and said in the post she had walked four miles for them, calling the dish “worth every step.”
She later toured the Sydney Opera House and playfully asked viewers what she should do next on her Aussie itinerary.
The star encouraged fans to buy tickets to her upcoming shows while sharing snippets of her Sydney stroll.
According to the Daily Mail, Oprah surprised a small group of fans when she asked her convoy to pull over at a private jet base so she could greet them.
One fan joked about whether she would buy him a car, prompting Oprah to laugh and reply that she didn’t think she could do that today.
Fans said her response reminded them of “a parent saying no to a child begging for a pony at Westfield”.
She delivered the now-viral line “You get a selfie but not a car” before posing with the stunned group.
Fans also noted her transformed appearance following her dramatic weight loss journey.
Her visit comes after she faced backlash in 2023 for revealing she used a weight-loss medication despite previously criticising GLP-1 drugs as the easy way out.
The medications, including Ozempic and Mounjaro, were initially created for type two diabetes but surged in popularity among Hollywood figures.
Oprah shed 22 kilograms after years of fluctuating weight and later told People she uses the medication only when needed to manage stability.
She said a health scare pushed her into long-distance hiking, eventually reaching 16-kilometre weekend treks.
She stressed the changes made her feel stronger, fitter and more alive than she had in years.