Oprah Winfrey is shrinking her real estate footprint in Montecito. The media mogul has sold four acres of her Promised Land estate—her primary residence for over two decades—for $17.2 million, as first reported by Siteline Santa Barbara. Though she began assembling the compound in 2001, the just-sold property was a more recent acquisition; Winfrey bought the Spanish Revival-style ranch from actor Jeff Bridges in 2019 for $6.85 million.
The single-level main house was constructed in 1919 by architect James Osborn Craig, and was remodeled in 2016 with an upgraded all-wood kitchen and new bathrooms. Spanning about 3,500 square feet, it hosts two bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as formal living and dining rooms, five fireplaces, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, and oversized windows looking out at the lush grounds. In the primary suite, dual walk-in closets double as dressing rooms, while the ensuite bathroom comes complete with heated teak floors and all the typical high-end accouterments you'd expect: a deep soaking tub, a roomy glass-walled shower, and a double-sink vanity.
French doors spill out onto a brick patio with a fire pit and plenty of room to dine al fresco under the shade of some truly impressive trees. Elsewhere on the property the new owners can enjoy a swimming pool and spa, a guesthouse, a poolhouse, a carriage house, and equestrian stables.
AD PRO members enjoy exclusive benefits. Get a year of unlimited access for $25 $20 per month.
Although Bridges and his wife, Susan Geston, invested in extensively remodeling the property after it was damaged by mudslides, they sold it to Winfrey for about the same price they paid for it back in 2014. They initially asked about $8 million, so Winfrey got a deal on the estate when she secured it for under $7 million—and more than doubled that investment.
It's a significant change to the outline of her estate, but don't worry about Winfrey having to deal with her new neighbors. She maintains the rest of her famed Promised Land estate, which still spans over 60 acres, and also owns property in Colorado and Hawaii.
