What We Know About Oprah's Secret Half-Sister Patricia Lofton

Oprah Winfrey's half-sister, Patricia Lofton, has accomplished a lot in her own right. Those who followed Oprah Winfrey's career originally believed she only had two siblings. So did she! But in a surprising twist, Winfrey had three. Well, it used to be a surprise, anyway. In 2011, Winfrey revealed her third sibling on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." But let's pause for a moment. Winfrey's fans have known about her previously-established siblings, Jeffrey Lee and Patricia Lloyd, and their toxic relationship — for decades.

According to the Sentinel Sun, Winfrey lost Lee, who was diagnosed with AIDS, when he was 29. After a lifetime of estrangement, Lee reached out to Winfrey before he passed away. "Now that the end is getting close, I want Oprah to know that throughout our troubles, I still loved her and was proud of her," he said. Meanwhile, Winfrey's end with her sister Patricia was just as unfortunate. According to Inside Edition, Lloyd betrayed Winfrey in 1990 when she told The National Enquirer that she got pregnant as a teenager. Unfortunately, the baby didn't survive, and Winfrey never reconciled with Lloyd before her 2003 death. 

Fortunately, Winfrey did manage to form a close bond with Patricia Lofton — the long-lost sibling — who she once didn't know existed.

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."

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."

Even the hardest worker may be tempted to mooch off of their billionaire sibling, but Patricia Lofton was cut from a different cloth. With that said, Winfrey has helped Lofton. According to E! News, Winfrey bought Lofton a house and started issuing her a monthly stipend in 2014. But it was for a good reason! "Patricia's greatest dream was to go to college and become a social worker," shared Winfrey's representative. "Oprah wants to support that dream."

Lofton graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2017. During an interview with TMJ4 News, Lofton shared her excitement about finally obtaining a B.A. in Sociology. "It was wonderful, I really enjoyed going to college. I really enjoyed just learning." She added, "The goal is to do something that will actually give back and help people." Despite her visibility, Lofton managed to complete her degree without her classmates realizing her true identity. Yeah, we'd trust her with all of our secrets.