*As we lounge on our sofas and watch popular talk shows, it’s easy to think that the people on the screens have it all together – that their life is perfect. However, the reality is quite the opposite. These celebs also deal with the challenges life throws at them, and just like us, the constant support of their friends, parents, and siblings keeps them pushing through. The popular American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, is an ideal example of this scenario, and here is how the unwavering support of her siblings got her where she is today.
Childhood and Achievements
Oprah Gail Winfrey, regarded as the “Queen of All Media,” was born on January 29, 1954, to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. Vernita Lee was a single teen mother living in rural Mississippi who struggled to provide for her daughter.
As a result, Oprah grew up in poverty, wearing dresses made out of potato sacks, for which her peers frequently bullied her. She was neglected by her mother, who worked long hours as a maid and left her in the care of her relatives.
And if that wasn’t enough, Oprah suffered years of sexual abuse by her cousin, uncle, mother’s boyfriend, and other family friends. The strong soul continued suffering for approximately thirteen years, after which she ran away from her home to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee.
There, promising to leave her past behind, she earned a full-ride scholarship to Tennessee State University and brought her life on the right track with unwavering hard work and dedication. She took the role of actress, writer, philanthropist, and producer as the years passed by.
However, her role as the host of the Oprah Winfrey Show overshadowed everything, making her one of the most loved people in the world. The show aired 25 seasons between 1986 and 2011.
Oprah has achieved huge milestones with an Emmy award to her name and a nomination for the Academy Awards and Oscars. In 2003, she became the first female Black billionaire in the United States and the richest African American of the 20th century.
Losing Her Half Siblings
For several decades, Oprah was known to have only two other biological siblings, Jeffrey Lee and Patricia Lee Lloyd. All three share the same mother but have different fathers and were never very close while growing up.
Oprah’s only brother, Jeffrey, tragically passed away in 1989 at the young age of 29. He was diagnosed with AIDS and died in his birthplace, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the presence of his partner and mother.
While Jeffrey and Oprah had a difficult relationship, he only had kind things to say about his sister near his death. According to reports from Sun Sentinel, he said, “Now that I’m moving closer to the end, I want Oprah to know that throughout our problems, I always loved her and was proud of her.”
On the other hand, Oprah’s half-sister, Patricia, was also a TV discussion show host and a mother of two, Alisha Hayes and Chrishaunda Lee Perez. She died in 2003, at 43, due to drug abuse, leaving Oprah alone with no shoulder to lean on.
Discovering Her Secret Sister
While Oprah Winfrey suffered from the tragic loss of both her siblings, life found another person to become her support system in the future: her secret half-sister, Patricia Lofton.
Patricia Lofton was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 26, 1963. She was put up for adoption at birth and switched between various foster homes for seven years until finally being adopted.
For all her early life, the little girl wished to learn more about her biological family and reconnect with them. And as soon as she turned twenty, Patricia contacted the State of Wisconsin to locate her birth mother. Her children encouraged her to follow up on the search, and she soon had her birth records in her hands.
The documents withheld the names of Patricia’s family but revealed that she had three half-siblings, of whom only her older sister was alive. But her joy was cut short when Patricia received a heart-wrenching call from the adoption agency.
She recalled the caller saying, “[her mother] had made the decision at that particular time that she did not want to see her.”
However, fate had other plans. On the same day of her rejection, Patricia stumbled upon an interview with Vernita Lee, the mother of Oprah Winfrey, and found an uncanny resemblance with her – the family details also matched.
A quick online search and DNA test with Oprah’s niece, Alisha, helped her piece together her past, and she soon realized that Vernita Lee was her biological mother and that she and Oprah were connected.
Finding Support in Her Lost Sister
From then onwards, it was only a matter of time until Oprah received an update from her nieces about the shocking news. She soon arranged a meeting with her half-sister and visited Patricia and her family on Thanksgiving. The two spent the evening talking and getting to know each other.
Oprah was in awe of Patricia sharing her deceased sister’s mannerisms and looks. She, remembering the meeting, said, “It was so uncanny to us and everybody in the family how much this Patricia talked like, moved like, and looked like Pat. It was a beloved moment.”
In only a short span of time, Patricia became a significant part of Oprah’s life. Oprah grew close to her sister and admired her for safeguarding her privacy even before she knew her personally.
Remembering Patricia’s constant attempts to connect with their mother, Oprah said, “She never once thought to go to the press. She never once thought to sell this story.”
Having faced many betrayals by her close family and friends who exposed her private life to the media, Oprah felt drawn towards Patricia’s loyalty and genuine care for her wellbeing. Patricia instantly became a major support system for Oprah and continuously reminded her of her former sister, Pat, on one of her better days.
Looking Ahead
Oprah knew it was only a matter of time before the news about her secret half-sister was publicized. So, in 2011, during a special segment of the Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah introduced Patricia to the world as her half-sister, and the two discussed Patricia’s foster life and her search for her biological family.
While there was much to sort out and talk about between the two half-sisters, they and their families rejoiced to find each other and prepared to start a fresh chapter in their lives.
Moving forward, Oprah gifted her sister a $500,000 house in Wisconsin with a monthly allowance to thank her for her relentless support. This enabled Patricia to quit her job and resume her college education – something she’d always dreamt of.
About entering this new stage in her life with Patricia, Oprah said, “To be in a relationship with somebody who didn’t want anything but was there to be supportive of me has been great. Really great.”
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