After Wednesday’s 8.8 magnitude quake, false claims spread online that Winfrey refused to let the public use a private road in Maui – and not for the first time

Even as the threat of a tsunami swamping Hawaii had passed on Wednesday, social media posts were still circulating claims that Oprah Winfrey had refused immediate access to a private road that would allow residents a shorter evacuation route.

The warnings followed one of the century’s most powerful earthquakes, an 8.8 magnitude quake that struck off a Russian peninsula and generated tsunami warnings and advisories for a wide swath of the Pacific. Posts on X and TikTok contended Winfrey refused to open her private road, or was slow to do so during the evacuation.

But the roadway does not actually belong to Winfrey, and efforts to open the road to the public started soon after the tsunami warning was issued.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

Claim: Winfrey owns the road and refused to allow public access for residents trying to reach higher ground

Fact: This is false. Despite being commonly known as “Oprah’s road”, the portion of Kealakapu Road is privately owned – but not by Winfrey. The road belongs to Haleakalā Ranch, a 30,000 acre property spanning the southern shoreline to Upcountry Maui, which has been family-owned and operated since the late 1800s. The private road connects a public roadway with a highway on the island’s oceanside.

Winfrey has an easement agreement with the ranch, which allows her to use and...

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