Oprah Winfrey Sells Extra Montecito Ranch to Prominent Hollywood Filmmaker for $14 Million
Oprah Winfrey, the media magnate, has sold a portion of her Montecito property holdings to Rawson Marshall Thurber, a movie producer-director known for movies like Red Notice and We're the Millers. The small portion of the property, which is a part of the estate that Oprah purchased at $7 million in 2005, was sold in an off-market deal for $14.3 million, according to Dirt.
The property sits across from Winfrey’s Promised Land estate, which is about 66 acres of land that houses her 23,000-square-foot Georgian main residence, a guest cottage, and other structures. The modest ranch-style home on the property measures just over 3,000 square feet and contains four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The sold-off property sits on a little more than five-and-a-half acres that also accommodate a manicured lawn, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. It is located in the very lush section of Montecito, known as the Hedgerow district, a prime location where Ellen DeGeneres and Ariana Grande have also owned property.
As per Architectural Digest, Winfrey first picked up the Promised Land in 2001 when it was just forty-two acres. She has since expanded the estate by buying several of the surrounding properties. Winfrey’s Montecito holdings also include an 870-acre land in Maui.
Winfrey has been known to make significant investments in real estate over the years. In 2015, she purchased Seamair Farm, a 23-acre horse farm in Montecito, California, for $28.85 million. The property, which was one of the largest in Montecito, was owned by the Spencer T. Olin Trust and had not been on the market for nearly forty years. Winfrey made several personal visits to the property before her highest-bidding sale.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the Seamair Farm property includes a main house designed by California lifestyle architect Cliff May with a large backyard complete with a sparkling swimming pool and patio area surrounded by palm trees. Two private wells, a fish pond, fruit orchards, green lawns and an expansive amount of flat land are also situated on the sprawling farm, which is tucked away on the coast with a 44-acre dedicated preserve to the east of it. The property is fully designed to house horses, with a large circular paddock, ideal for equine roaming. It also houses multiple stables and training areas.
The farm is just under two miles from Santa Barbara County Pacific coastline and not far from her $85 million, 23,000-square-foot Montecito estate. Winfrey’s horse farm purchase came just two months after she bought a Telluride home for $14 million.
In September 2022, Winfrey sold another Montecito compound to longtime friend and Friends alum Jennifer Aniston for $14 million. The property was purchased in 2012 for $12 million and was later renovated to include a three-bedroom and three-bathroom main house, a one-bedroom guest house, a pool and a beach cabana.
Winfrey's real estate portfolio is not limited to Montecito. She owns numerous properties across the country, including a $50 million estate in Telluride, Colorado, a home in Maui, and a condo in Chicago's Water Tower Place. Her impressive collection of properties has made her one of the wealthiest and most influential figures in the world. In addition to her investments in real estate, Winfrey is also known for her philanthropic efforts. She has donated millions of dollars to various charities and organizations over the years.
