Oprah Winfrey revealed on Monday that she has a half sister and that she only discovered this late last year. She said the news left her speechless.
She welcomed Patricia, a single mother of two to an emotional reunion during her daytime talk show. Winfrey disclosed that her mother Vernita secretly gave birth in 1963 and handed the baby up for adoption.
Now 56-years old, Winfrey said she was only nine years old when her mother got pregnant. She said she was really shocked when she found out at the end of October that she has another sister living just 90 minutes away.
Winfrey believed that nothing more could surprise her, but she told her viewers she was wrong.
Patricia’s last name was not revealed. She said that she had grown up in foster homes since the age of 7. She found out in 2007 that Winfrey is her half sister, but she concealed the truth since it would cause big talk in the media.
Winfrey explained Patricia never thought to go to the press or sell her story.
Winfrey’s life has been thoroughly documented. She was born to an unmarried parent in Mississippi and was cared for by her grandmother during early childhood. She was swapped between parents during her teenage years and was a victim of abuse. She got pregnant at the age of 14, but her son died after birth.
Even so, Winfrey became the most influential woman on U.S television. She is hosting a talk show now in its 25th year.
She asked her mother why she had given Patricia up for adoption. Her mother said she had felt unable to take care of her. However, Vernita thought it was a terrible thing for her to do.