Oprah Winfrey has revived her iconic holiday television tradition after a decade and a half.
The media mogul, 70, released a surprise-filled holiday episode on Nov. 12 as part of “The Oprah Podcast,” her weekly video podcast now streaming in video form on Prime Video. The installment marks the first Oprah’s Favorite Things holiday episode in 15 years, timed to the gift guide’s 30th anniversary.
Winfrey packed the audience with unsuspecting caregivers and showered them with her handpicked must-have gifts. The choice continued her long-running pattern of spotlighting everyday heroes, though this marked the first time the group received the full Favorite Things treatment on camera in years.
The original concept, Winfrey wrote in her introduction to the 2026 list, started with a simple impulse buy. “I bought a pair of plaid pajamas that I loved so much, I got them for everyone on my staff,” she explained. “Then a brilliant producer said, ‘Why don’t you do this for the whole audience?’ And that was the start of Favorite Things.”
The 2026 list itself spans price points and categories, with several items drawing particular attention. Winfrey proclaimed that flattering four-way stretch leggings from Vuori are her “new favorite workout pants!” She also singled out M.ph’s top coat lip gloss, writing, “The colors in these glosses are gorgeous, and I love that you can see them in their containers.” The product has won over other celebrities too, including Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa.
Among the more unexpected picks, Winfrey’s “perfect white shirt” turned out to be an under-$30 Amazon find. She also endorsed a bundt cake from Doan Bakery in Los Angeles, infamously known as the “Tom Cruise cake” since the actor gifts over 100 to friends each holiday season. As a self-described “bath connoisseur,” Winfrey added a bath salt product she said breaks new ground: “I can tell you I’ve never seen a bath salt like this,” she wrote.
The podcast episode also features author Allen Levi, whose bestseller “Theo of Golden” made the 2026 list. About the book, Winfrey wrote, “Theo of Golden makes us feel better about our own lives and notice a lot of other people’s lives.”
Musician Jacob Collier appears as well, performing and joining Winfrey to promote AHA Live, her upcoming experience at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The Sphere engagement represents Winfrey’s latest live venture, expanding her brand beyond traditional media formats.
The video podcast format itself signals a platform shift for Winfrey, who built her television empire through syndicated daytime programming before moving to cable with OWN. Streaming the holiday episode through Prime Video rather than broadcast or cable channels reflects the same digital migration that has reshaped how legacy stars reach audiences.
Non-subscribers can access the episode through Amazon Prime’s 30-day free trial, which includes Prime Video streaming. After the trial period, Amazon Prime costs $14.99 monthly or $139 annually.
The last Oprah’s Favorite Things television special aired in 2010, capping an era that saw audiences famously shrieking with delight as they received everything from cars to electronics to home goods. The giveaways became a cultural touchstone, parodied and referenced across entertainment even as the annual broadcasts grew less frequent.
Winfrey had continued publishing the written gift guide annually even without the televised component, maintaining the commercial tradition if not the spectacle. The return to filmed surprise distribution, even in podcast form, revives the emotional core of the franchise: ordinary people discovering they have been chosen.
The 2026 list launched Nov. 12 alongside the episode release.