Warren Buffett has spent decades building a reputation around disciplined investing, careful decisions and an almost legendary appetite for reading. But when the workday ends, the 96-year-old billionaire has a surprisingly different way of unwinding — and it involves spending hours down YouTube rabbit holes from his home in Omaha.

His viewing choices are anything but predictable. Instead of filling his evenings with financial analysis, Buffett reportedly watches everything from vintage commercials and classic performances to documentaries, amateur videos and an Uzbekistani talent show. The habit offers an unusually personal glimpse into what interests him when Berkshire Hathaway and investing are no longer the focus.

Warren Buffett watches YouTube almost every evening

Buffett’s YouTube routine has reportedly become a regular part of his evenings. He typically watches from a recliner in front of a large television at his Omaha home, following whatever happens to capture his attention.

The surprising part is how little his viewing appears to have to do with his professional life.

Friends say Buffett’s videos are rarely about investing or finance. His interests instead stretch across Nebraska history, railroads, show tunes, classic movies, early Frank Sinatra performances and a huge variety of unusual online clips.

Sharon Osberg, a close friend and frequent viewing companion, summed up his taste in one sentence:

“Warren’s range is broad. It can be the silliest things.”

That range reportedly includes Glenn Close clips, 1950s commercials, Paul Anka performances and speeches by people Buffett has never heard of. He also enjoys Berkshire Hathaway’s own YouTube videos and takes pride in how well the company’s content performs on the platform.

Sometimes, one video can send Buffett into a much deeper rabbit hole. The next day, he may return to his office and enthusiastically discuss something that particularly caught his attention.

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An evening of Roy Cohn and an Uzbek talent show

That unpredictability was on full display when Osberg visited Buffett at his Omaha home in August.

The pair spent hours watching YouTube, with their selections including a documentary about attorney Roy Cohn and O’zbekiston Got Talent, the Uzbekistani version of America’s Got Talent.

The Wall Street Journal report noted that it was unclear whether Buffett himself is among the show’s roughly 34,500 YouTube subscribers.

When asked about his YouTube habits, Buffett declined to comment.

Why Buffett’s YouTube habit is surprising

Buffett’s enthusiasm for YouTube is particularly notable because he has historically been slow to embrace consumer technology.

It took him years to get an iPhone, and he still has other people send and receive emails for him. Yet YouTube appears to have become a notable exception.

Rather than watching primarily on a phone or computer, Buffett reportedly uses an enormous television at home. His daily rhythm also appears to divide neatly between information and entertainment.

Part of Buffett’s routine	What he watches or does
Mornings	CNBC
Evenings	YouTube and other entertainment
At the office	Annual reports and information that could lead to investment opportunities
Leisure	Television, movies, music, YouTube and bridge

During working hours, Buffett remains closely associated with the intensive reading and research that defined his career. At home, however, the material can be dramatically less serious.

That contrast may be the most revealing part of the story: one of the world’s most famous investors can spend his professional time examining businesses and annual reports, then spend his evening watching something as random as a 1950s commercial or an amateur performance.

Buffett’s YouTube viewing is not about Berkshire’s Alphabet investment

There is also an obvious business connection that could make Buffett’s YouTube habit seem more strategic than it actually is.

YouTube is owned by Alphabet, while Berkshire Hathaway accumulated an Alphabet stake worth about $38 billion over roughly the previous year or so, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But friends say there is no connection between the investment and Buffett’s enthusiasm for YouTube.

He watches the platform because he genuinely enjoys the videos, rather than because of Alphabet’s investment prospects.

His interests also appear to have deep roots in the subjects he has enjoyed for much of his life. Railroads, Nebraska, show tunes, the big-band era and early Frank Sinatra performances from the 1930s all remain part of his wide-ranging interests.

Friends have even joked that Buffett has become so good at navigating YouTube that the platform’s management could learn something from him.

Turner Classic Movies gives Buffett another way to revisit the past

YouTube is only one part of Buffett’s entertainment routine.

He is also a longtime fan of Turner Classic Movies, including 12 Angry Men, the classic film starring Henry Fonda.

The choice has an Omaha connection of its own because Fonda was another Omaha native.

Buffett’s approach to television can even become an exercise in mental arithmetic. At one point, he forgot which channel carried TCM on his cable box. He eventually figured it out by saying:

“2 to the 8th.”

He meant channel 256.

It is a tiny moment, but it captures the unusual way Buffett’s mind can turn even a basic television problem into a calculation.

Bill Murray movies also have a Berkshire Hathaway connection

Buffett also enjoys Bill Murray films, including Lost in Translation.

Murray is a longtime Berkshire Hathaway shareholder and has attended the company’s annual meetings, creating another unexpected connection between Buffett’s entertainment choices and his business world.

Murray has previously explained why Buffett’s sense of humour appeals to him:

“He really makes me laugh.”

He added:

“Big, body laughs.”

Even here, Buffett’s personal interests sometimes overlap with people connected to Berkshire, although the entertainment itself remains separate from his investing work.

Reading and bridge remain important parts of Buffett’s life

The YouTube habit does not mean Buffett has abandoned the other activities that have long filled his free time.

Reading remains one of his most famous habits. Buffett has repeatedly encouraged people to read extensively and has described knowledge as something that accumulates over time.

His advice has been direct:

“Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will.”

Buffett has also been an enthusiastic bridge player.

At one point, he said:

“I play a lot,”

while describing multiple bridge sessions each week. He has played with longtime friend Bill Gates and was known to spend as much as eight hours a week playing the game.

Together, these hobbies reflect a broader philosophy Buffett has expressed repeatedly: work matters, but life should not become entirely centred on business.

Charlie Munger’s old videos carry a different meaning

Some of Buffett’s YouTube viewing is more than simple entertainment.

His longtime friend and business partner Charlie Munger died in 2023. Buffett has recently returned to recordings of Munger’s speeches, including a 2018 appearance at the University of Michigan.

Munger had his own preferred way of relaxing. He was known to end his day with an episode of Seinfeld and a good book.

Talking about the sitcom, Munger once said:

“I do like a bunch of self-centered people making the wrong decisions.”

He also rejected the idea that Seinfeld was simply a show about nothing, saying:

“It’s not really about nothing.”

For Buffett, revisiting old recordings of Munger now appears to have a more personal dimension than ordinary entertainment.

Osberg described the experience:

“You feel the bond between the two of them as he watches Charlie. It’s really quite something.”

The recordings allow Buffett to return to Munger’s humour, intelligence and personality after his friend’s death.

Warren Buffett stepped back from Berkshire leadership in 2026

The timing of this glimpse into Buffett’s evenings is significant because his professional role has changed dramatically in 2026.

On January 1, 2026, Buffett handed over Berkshire Hathaway’s chief executive role to Greg Abel. Buffett remained involved in investment decisions after the transition.

Then, on September 18, Berkshire announced that Buffett had become Chairman Emeritus.

He remains a member of Berkshire’s board of directors and is expected to continue providing his judgment and perspective. His son, Howard G. Buffett, became chairman of the board, while Greg Abel remains CEO.

The distinction is important: Buffett has stepped away from Berkshire’s top operating and chairman roles, but he has not completely severed his connection with the company or investing.

Abel described Buffett’s continuing importance to Berkshire:

“Warren’s impact on Berkshire and its owners is without parallel in the history of American business. The culture Warren built and the values he championed will remain at the heart of Berkshire, and Howard will be their guardian.”

Warren Buffett’s evening routine reveals a different side of the billionaire

There is something striking about the contrast.

During the day, Buffett’s name remains inseparable from Berkshire Hathaway, investment decisions and decades of studying companies. But once the evening arrives, his interests can become wonderfully ordinary and completely unpredictable.

A 1950s commercial. A Paul Anka performance. A classic film. An amateur rendition of “My Way.” A talent show from Uzbekistan. A Bill Murray movie. An old speech by Charlie Munger.

The 96-year-old investor may have stepped away from Berkshire’s top leadership, but his evenings show that his curiosity has not disappeared.

When YouTube Becomes the Story
Buffett’s relationship with YouTube is ultimately about curiosity and entertainment rather than controversy. For another story examining how unusual content on the platform can become a major news story, see our YouTuber Horses human skull listing report.

Conclusion

Warren Buffett’s YouTube habit is revealing precisely because it is so different from the image of the billionaire investor. His evenings are not dominated by financial analysis. Instead, he follows curiosity wherever it leads, often watching videos that have nothing to do with money or markets.

From YouTube rabbit holes and Turner Classic Movies to bridge, reading, Bill Murray films and recordings of Charlie Munger, Buffett’s leisure time shows a side of his life that is far removed from the boardroom. Even after becoming Chairman Emeritus, he remains connected to Berkshire while continuing to make room for the simple things he finds interesting.

Source/Research Disclaimer: This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided with the original material, including reporting from The Wall Street Journal, Berkshire Hathaway, Fortune and Mint. The article reflects the information available from those sources and does not imply independent verification beyond the material provided.

Sources

• The Wall Street Journal — A Viewer’s Guide to Warren Buffett’s Nightly Trips Down the YouTube Rabbit Hole
• Berkshire Hathaway — Warren E. Buffett Becomes Chairman Emeritus, Remains Director; Howard G. Buffett Elected Chairman
• Fortune — Warren Buffett’s YouTube viewing habits and hobbies
• Mint — A Viewer’s Guide to Warren Buffett’s Nightly Trips Down the YouTube Rabbit Hole

Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Mark Hirschey (CC BY-SA 2.0)