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Oprah Winfrey has dismissed online accusations that she closed off a private road on her Maui estate during a tsunami warning, blocking residents from evacuating to higher ground.
The backlash emerged after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia triggered tsunami warnings in Hawaii, prompting thousands to seek safe routes inland.
Winfrey, who owns a home on the island, was accused on social media of refusing to open her private road to help alleviate traffic congestion. Several viral posts claimed she intentionally denied evacuees access to the road, despite its potential to provide a faster escape route.
However, her spokesperson Nicole Nichols told AFP that Winfrey’s team had promptly coordinated with local police and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure the road was made accessible. “Any reports otherwise are false,” Nichols said.
Maui officials also confirmed that the road in question had been listed in public emergency alerts as a viable evacuation route. “Oprah’s road is open to get Upcountry,” the county wrote, citing local police.
According to Nichols, law enforcement officers managed the flow of vehicles through the area, allowing 50 cars at a time. She added that the road would remain open for as long as it was needed.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later downgraded the warning to an advisory, and evacuation orders were lifted.
This isn’t the first time Winfrey has been the subject of conspiracy theories in Hawaii. During the 2023 wildfires in Maui, she was falsely accused of using blue paint to protect her home from so-called energy weapons and even of starting the fires to acquire land.
