New York, August 18 (ANI): It seems that Oprah Winfrey is either a boss from hell, or a stalwart of preferential treatment.

The talk show queen gave one dedicated staff member a whopping 65,000 dollars as overtime bonus in just 16 weeks.

According to reports, Winfrey paid Harpo Inc. employee Carla Bird for 800 hours of overtime, carried out from January to April.

But this generosity has stunned other employees at Harpo Inc, who are now accusing the TV mogul of showing special treatment to a well-connected co-worker.

"Several weeks ago, it was discovered by accounting and human resources. Most employees would have been walked right out the door. Well, that's just not the case for good ol' 'Birdie,'" the New York Post quoted an insider, as saying.

However, Lisa Halliday, chief of communications at Harpo, insisted the story was ridiculous, adding that Bird's claims were totally legitimate.

"Many of our employees contribute significant hours of overtime during our production season. This is quite common within the television industry," Halliday said.

"From January to April 2007, this employee legitimately accumulated approximately 800 hours of overtime," she added. (ANI)