During the best-ever episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Oprah Winfrey revealed that she’d recently met her long-lost sibling. Winfrey’s father was raising her when Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, gave Patricia Lofton (née Lee) up for adoption. “I was 9 years old at the time, living with my father in Nashville, and didn’t even know my mother was pregnant,” Winfrey said. She continued, “Imagine my shock … I found out that I have another sister living just 90 minutes away in Milwaukee. What’s even more unbelievable is that she has the same name as my first sister, who passed away.”
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Years down the line, Lofton tried to find her biological mother and eventually realized that she and Winfrey were related. But instead of attempting to use the information to extort Winfrey, Lofton closely guarded this sensitive information. “I remember just still worrying about my older sister and just praying to God that nothing gets out,” said Lofton during the episode. Lofton’s discretion set a beautiful foundation for the half-siblings to bond. Unfortunately, it took time for Lofton to connect with their mother, who’d previously ignored her attempts to reconcile. At the time, Lofton said, “It’s okay because I have my nieces, I have my nephews and great-nieces, and I have you.”
