# Oprah discovers she has a half-sister she didn't know about **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923 "2011-01-25T15:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/1 "2011-01-25T15:39:34Z")
This was on Monday’s show. It seems Oprah’s mother gave birth to and gave up a daughter for adoption. Oprah was living with her father at the time and never knew about it until the woman tracked down her birth records and finally confronted Oprah’s niece in the restaurant she owns. DNA has confirmed it. [NU Post article here](http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/oprah_winfrey_finds_sister_she_didn_qBZZfTkFeqLoJWhV6ujWsO) Talk about being luckier than winning the lottery! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/2 "2011-01-25T15:46:52Z")
If I was in that situation, I’m not sure it would affect me much. The half sister has no ties to the family except dna. I guess it matters more that Oprah’s mom carried the baby for 9 months. I guess I’m not sentimental. I’d be somewhat neutral. The half sister has her own family that raised and loved her. Given some time maybe a bond will develop between Oprah and her new sis. It’ll take awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/3 "2011-01-25T15:48:34Z")
She did spend the first seven years of her life in foster care. When her mother tried to track her down, she was tolfd it was too late, her daughter was already adopted! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/4 "2011-01-25T15:54:10Z")
To her credit, the half sister has avoided the press. She could have cashed in and didn’t. That’s a big plus. I read Oprah brought her on the show so that the tabloids couldn’t break the story first. I recall years ago, that other relatives did cash in with press stories. That must have really hurt Oprah. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/5 "2011-01-25T18:22:20Z")
I caught some of last night’s show at my mom’s while she was watching it. I felt bad for Oprah and her whole family…because this is _Oprah_ and instead of just dealing with it however a “regular” family might deal with it, they had to have meetings and make plans about how everything would happen with regards to the revelation. And the plans had to include the press and national TV. I think Oprah executed the whole thing very nicely, and all of her family did a good job. I’m sure they were reluctant to be put in this situation but it turned out well. Major kudos to the “new sister” as well. Is this woman older or younger than Oprah? She is pretty and looks a lot younger. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/6 "2011-01-25T20:28:51Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I > Is this woman older or younger than Oprah? She is pretty and looks a lot younger. Younger. I think they said Pat is 47. Oprah was born in 1954, so she’s (doing math) 56 or thereabouts. I agree – Patricia is very pretty and very sweet, and appears genuine. I think she was uncomfortable with all the attention but she handled it well. She definitely doesn’t strike me as someone who sees Oprah as a potential cash cow. But I gotta wonder about Vernita’s story. She went back to the hospital a **month** later to get her baby? Even in 1963, babies didn’t stay in hospital for a month. It’s a weird coincidence that Vernita gave birth to two daughters, both named Patricia. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/7 "2011-01-25T20:36:19Z")
I think what makes this woman three times as lucky as any random stranger who learned they were Oprah-sib is having the name Pat. Oprah is superstitious (pardon me, _spiritual_) anyway and will see it as a sign. Oprah’s other sister Pat betrayed her big time by selling the story of Oprah’s teen pregnancy and stillbirth to tabloids. She’s said that in ways it worked out well for her because she no longer had to hide or feel ashamed of the story. That Pat is now dead. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/8 "2011-01-25T21:37:24Z")
I think Oprah discovered low ratings on her cable channel. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/9 "2011-01-25T21:51:54Z")
I’ve read that she’s starting her own continent, O!LAND, in the Pacific. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/10 "2011-01-26T00:17:59Z")
I heard she knew about this since 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/11 "2011-01-26T00:25:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > I think what makes this woman three times as lucky as any random stranger who learned they were Oprah-sib is having the name Pat. Oprah is superstitious (pardon me, _spiritual_) anyway and will see it as a sign. What’s weird about Pat? ETA: Wiki says Oprah had another sister called Pat who died. But why is this a coincidence–doesn’t it just mean her mother liked the name Patricia? Or did someone else name this adopted child that? ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/12 "2011-01-26T00:28:15Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > What’s weird about Pat? > > ETA: Wiki says Oprah had another sister called Pat who died. But why is this a coincidence–doesn’t it just mean her mother liked the name Patricia? Or did someone else name this adopted child that? Because apparently her mother didn’t name the girl she put up for adoption. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/13 "2011-01-26T00:33:39Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > That Pat is now dead. Wow. Don’t fuck with Oprah. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/14 "2011-01-26T01:26:33Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Wow. Don’t fuck with Oprah. Dramatic recreation of Oprah’s reaction at the time starring Al Pacino as Oprah and as Jeffrey Jones as Pat ([NSFW due to language](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juozvWJsrGg&feature=related)). ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/15 "2011-01-26T01:56:36Z")
In other words… Oprah tries to rescue her dismal ratings ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/16 "2011-01-26T02:24:10Z")
To me, it’s awfully convenient that Oprah decided to reveal this in the opening week of her new masturbatory network. StG ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/17 "2011-01-26T02:39:48Z")
Can’t you just feel the love for Oprah? Refreshing! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/18 "2011-01-26T03:56:35Z")
Oprah bringing her on the show so that the tabloids couldn’t break the story first is ludicrous. Why did she feel that sensationalizing it on her show was an appropriate response to a private family matter? She could have made an announcement and left it at that if she really thought the tabloids would get ahold of it anyway. The woman has been on daytime television for so long that she thinks TV confessionals are a real way of life. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/19 "2011-01-26T05:05:05Z")
**needscoffee** , I’m not an Oprah fan, but in her defense, she talked about other shows she’s done where long-lost family members were reunited, so why not share her own story. Even though Oprah’s not popular here, she has a gazillion fans, and she knew they’d be interested. Oprah wanted to control how the story came out, put the right spin on it. Also, now Patricia can tell People and the other media to go away, because the story’s been told. That might have been more difficult for her if Oprah hadn’t done the show. (But I’d like to know what Oprah would have done if Patricia had turned out to be a lowlife.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923/20 "2011-01-26T14:17:50Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > What’s weird about Pat? > > ETA: Wiki says Oprah had another sister called Pat who died. But why is this a coincidence–doesn’t it just mean her mother liked the name Patricia? Or did someone else name this adopted child that? Yes, Oprah’s first half-sister was named Patricia by her mother, and the second was named Patricia by someone else. The current Patricia has a daughternamed Aquarius and a son named Andre. Oprah was born January 29th, zodiac sign of Aquarius, and her longtime hairdresser is Andre Harrell. Go figure. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-discovers-she-has-a-half-sister-she-didnt-know-about/568923.md?page=2)