Oprah Winfrey is sharing a shocking family secret. On Monday's edition of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the media mogul announced her revelation of the half-sister she never knew she had. The woman, named Patricia, is the biological child of Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee. Raised in the foster care system, Patricia was legally adopted by a family at age seven. For this reason, Winfrey had no knowledge of her half-sibling. In a taped segment, Lee admitted that she gave Patricia up for adoption because she didn't feel she had the means to take care of her. Back in the studio, Winfrey said she feels her mother is still in the mindset "of 1963" and feels shame about giving her daughter up for adoption.
Winfrey has spoken publicly about her early upbringing with Lee in harsh and impoverished conditions. As a teen, she moved to Tennessee to live with her father, a barber. During a recent interview for CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," Winfrey credits that move with putting her on a positive track of scholastic achievement, public speaking, and an interest in a broadcasting career.
