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On Tuesday, June 4, Oprah Winfrey shared a message in honor of the ongoing Pride Month on her Oprah Daily Instagram account and also paid a tribute to her late brother Jeffrey Lee.
"It was 35 years ago that my younger brother Jeffrey Lee died from AIDS. He was 29 years old. The year was 1989 and the world was an extremely cruel place, not just for people suffering from AIDS, but also for LGBTQ people in general,” she began in her video.
Oprah Winfrey further mentioned in her heartfelt post that if her brother was alive, he would be “amazed at how much the world has changed” where there is Pride Month and gay marriages to celebrate.
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The 70-year-old talk show host had two half-sisters, one of whom died, and a half-brother named Jeffrey Lee.
Oprah Winfrey’s half-sisters are both named Patricia
Oprah Winfrey had three half-siblings from her mother Vernita Lee’s side, who all share different fathers. Her eldest sibling was Patricia Lee Lloyd, born in June 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and five years younger than the billionaire.
While not much is known about her life, it was reported that she passed away in February 2003 at the young age of 43 from an accidental cocaine overdose. She was survived by her husband, Kenny Lloyd Sr., and their two daughters, Alisha and Chrishaunda.
Oprah Winfrey’s second half-sister is Patricia Lofton, who was born in April 1963 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is nine years younger than the billionaire. Lofton was given up for adoption due to poverty and later reunited with Oprah in 2011 on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
In her show, Oprah revealed how she had no idea that she had a half-sister as she was living with her father, Vernon Winfrey, in Nashville, Tennessee, when her mother was pregnant with Patricia and later gave her up for adoption.
Following their reunion, the media mogul reportedly built a $500,000 home in Wisconsin for her half-sister and took care of her financially, including sending her back to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to finish her graduation in 2017.
As for Jeffrey Lee, Oprah’s half-brother, he died in 1989 from AIDS at the age of 29. He was six years younger than her, and the duo shared a strained relationship. However, on his deathbed, Jeffrey Lee revealed that he “loved” Oprah and was “proud of her” despite their mutual differences over the years.
Winfrey, too, stood by her half-brother at the time of his demise and stated at the time:
"For the last two years, my brother, Jeffrey Lee, had been living with AIDS. My family, like thousands of others throughout the world, grieves not just for the death of one young man, but for the many unfulfilled dreams and accomplishments that society has been denied because of AIDS."
Oprah Winfrey honored her half-brother during the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards
On Tuesday, Oprah Winfrey shared an emotional message for her late brother on social media and commemorated Pride Month. She began by saying that when Jeffrey Lee died 35 years ago, the world was “cruel” to him and many others who were diagnosed with AIDS or were part of the LGBTQ community.
“How different his life might have been had he lived in these times. In a world that saw and appreciated him for who he was rather than attempting to shame him for his sexuality. I believe every single person has the right to love who they wanna love and be the person they most want to be,” the billionaire noted.
She continued by saying that if his brother was alive, he would be “amazed” to see that society has evolved with the times, had a respectable place for people like him, and celebrated events like gay nuptials and Pride Month.
Oprah Winfrey wrapped up by saying how she hoped that people are living a life that feels “authentic” to them and had the “support” around to be the best versions of themselves, “no matter your sexuality.”
“Whether or not you are celebrating Pride this month, or always, I wish for you the continued freedom to rise to your truest highest expression of yourself as a human being,” she concluded her video and used the same as the caption of her post.
This is not the first time Oprah has spoken about her brother. Earlier in March, at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards, she talked about Jeffrey Lee and promoted the “acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues,” ahead of the show, where she earned the Vanguard Award. During her speech, she doubled down on her previous statement and added:
“Growing up at the time we did, in the community we did, we didn’t have the language to understand or speak about sexuality and gender in the way we do now. At the time, I didn't know how deeply my brother internalized the shame he felt about being gay. I wish he could have lived to witness these liberated times and be here with me tonight.”
The Butler star also honored Lee, revealing him as the inspiration behind her eponymous show, which ran from September 1986 to May 2011. Oprah observed how all those years, it was her brother’s untimely demise that encouraged her to share stories to help people “be more of their authentic selves,” celebrate a life of “personal freedom,” and truly express themselves as human beings.
