Unique moment in TV history when Oprah gave away almost 300 cars

September 13, 2004 TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey gave away a new $28,500 Pontiac G-6 sedan to anyone who visited his studio, totaling 276 cars.

Oprah told her producers to fill the crowd with people who cars “extremely necessary”, and when he announced the award, jumping up and down, waving a giant keychain and shouting “Everyone has a car! Everyone has a car!” Chaos broke out around her, crying, screaming, delirium, fainting.

It was, as one media expert told a reporter, “one of the greatest publicity stunts in television history.”

Unfortunately, the scandal is not far off. One side, the gift wasn’t from Oprah at all.

Pontiac donated the cars, paying a hefty price out of its advertising budget, because the company hoped the gift would generate hype for its new G-6 line.

The car company also paid state sales tax on each of the donated cars. However, this left new car recipients with a huge bill for their supposedly free cars: federal and state income tax was about $6,000 for most winners.

Some people paid their taxes by taking out a car loan; others traded in their new Pontiacs for cheaper, less sophisticated cars. “Not quite a free car”said the winner. “Of course it’s more of a 75% car, it’s still not bad.”

Two months later, Oprah pulled off another series of pranks, this time for teachers across the country. His gifts were worth about $13,000 and included a $2,249 TV, a $2,000 laptop, a $2,189 washer-dryer, $38 sets of champagne glasses, and a $495 leather gym bag.

At that time, show producers learned their lesson: They also gave each viewer a check for $2,500, which they hoped would cover the tax bill for all the loot.

Unfortunatelyit didn’t work at all: Most viewers owed the IRS between $4,500 and $6,000, but the PR stunt worked: Oprah’s gifts received some of the highest ratings in the show’s history.

The Oprah Winfrey Show it was on the air for 24 consecutive seasons; ended in May 2011.