X4n6 Ebony and Essence are not reliable sources when it comes to business Also you seem to be missing the point If Bob and Sheila were both equal partners in the 1 5 billion BET fortune then that would mean neither of them were billionaires before Oprah but rather both were worth 750 million That would make Oprah not only the first African American female billionaire but the first African American billionaire male or female The only way you can justify claiming Bob Johnson was a billionaire before Oprah is by claiming that he originally owned 100 of the 1 5 billion but Sheila took her chunk after divorce But there s no way to claim both Bob Johnson and Sheila Johnson were both billionaires because that would require both to have 100 ownership of the asset which equals 200 which is more than what s there It s basic math