Update: Oprah‘s ’Family Secret’ Has Dad Baffled
- Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:15am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Oprah, you had us at “family secret.”
Oprah Winfrey‘s announcement that she will stage a surprise reunion on her talk show Monday has prompted speculation about the person’s identity. Could it be an unknown sibling? Perhaps even a birth parent who has been in the shadows?
Based on past “The Oprah Winfrey Show” reunions for stars as well as average folk, the episode could provide a tearful catharsis for Winfrey and her guest and — just maybe — boost program ratings as well as attention to her new cable channel.
“I don’t have the least idea of what she has in mind,” Vernon Winfrey, her father, said Sunday from Tennessee.
He may be alone. Winfrey biographer Kitty Kelley says the on-camera meeting may be with a sister Oprah’s never known. Perez Hilton cites the parent theory on his blog.
Harpo, Winfrey’s production company, declined to provide details of the show.
Winfrey has not commented publicly about Kelley’s 2010 biography, which includes the allegation that Vernon Winfrey isn’t her biological father. That claim prompted online speculation by Hilton that she may be reunited with a mystery birth dad.
Winfrey, 57, and various biographies says she was born to unmarried teenagers Vernon Winfrey and Vernita Lee, and raised at different times by a grandmother, her mother, and her father and stepmother in Mississippi, Wisconsin and Tennessee. Two Winfrey siblings, a brother and sister, both have died.
Whatever the answer Monday, Winfrey promised viewers in a promotional spot Thursday that it represents a “miracle.”
“I was given some news that literally shook me to my core. This time, I’m the one being reunited,” she said. “I was keeping a family secret for months, and on Monday you’re going to hear it straight from me.”
A clip in the promo, presumably taken from the taped episode, shows the back of a shadowy figure walking onstage.
Winfrey has shared painful and private elements of her life before, willingly or not. Her revelation that she had given birth as a teenager to a son who died shortly afterward came after a relative sold the story to a tabloid in 1990. Winfrey has also discussed her childhood molestation.
The Chicago-based syndicated “Oprah Winfrey Show” is in its 25th and final season. The Oprah Winfrey Network, OWN, launched in January.
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Comments (126)
Zcat
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:19amI agree..Who cares!
Report Post »doglady
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:18amWho cares!!!!!!!
Report Post »HITLER-HIDING-IN-SF
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:13amWhat is the matter with all of you God-Loving people?
Report Post »Nothing,but nasty remarks about a person you do not know.
Could it be jealousy???
jerry1945
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:38amHitler, why don’t you stay hidden.
Report Post »Untameable-kate
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:11amI didn’t even care enough to read the whole article. Oprah is undoubtedly one of the most popular women in the world and I am sure she has all kinds of fans chewing at the bit in anticipation. As for me, I respect what she has accomplished in her life and wish her well. I don’t, however, care what her family secret is.
Report Post »WBOB
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:09amratings ploy
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:08amonly reason why she is pulling this act now is because her OWN network is a flop even with her Chicago democrat white and mindless housewives.
Report Post »liriadavila
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:07amShe is pretty smart trying to increase ratings
Report Post »KEA
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:02amDoes anyone realy care? Stop giving this crap headlines.
Report Post »BobBlazeReader
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:00amUnfortunate that so many Blaze readers are haters.
Report Post »Untameable-kate
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:55amMostly not haters, just using this fluff story to goof around and make with the funny for a change. Most of us are not daytime talk show watchers and don’t give a fig about what Oprah is doing. Not praising someone does not equal hatred.
Report Post »spirited
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:56amOprah recently advsed to drinking tequilla at tax time…,
and
that all her money will be left to charities / organizations when she dies –because she hs no children.
Her family secret might be :
Report Post »-She has an adult child
or
-Barack Obama is her brother
BurntHills
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:12amwe laughing agree, we already thought maybe her “dead” child didn’t die after all. maybe he IS obama.
Report Post »redbone2011
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:55amBoth Colin, Obama and Oprah trying to rebirth their images before 2012 election. We do not care and will not listen,
Report Post »redbone2011
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:52amOprah has a special family union and not include her father in the union and secret..
Report Post »Gunonesis
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:46amShe was born from a beast?
Report Post »blanco
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:46amWow, what people will do for ratings!
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:35amWell I for one can wait on her breathtaking news. I couldn’t care less about what Ophra is thinking or saying. She holds about as much weight as Obama with me.
Report Post »Nervous Investor
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:46amI’ll second that point of view.
Report Post »jackkemo
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:51amI’ll third that sir…..
Report Post »Sugabee
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:54amI don’t know; she probably holds more weight. He looks a tad thinner. Tee hee!
Report Post »Cabo King
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:33amshe was a man!!!!! oh the humanity
Report Post »Oh, God!
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:33amHer ratings started going downhill ever since she had Obama on her show, then came out and endorsed him. People did not like the way she constantly praised him, actually worshipped him.
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:32amits either:
A. She ate her family with a chianti and some fava beans.
B. The govener of Hawaii cant find her birth certificate either.
or C. She is really a MAN !!!!
Report Post »justanamerican
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:38amMaybe she will say she is Barack’s twin sister and was born next to him in Kenya???????
Report Post »jackkemo
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:49amlmao….. to funny!
Report Post »GrannyATL
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:31amLet’s place bets……
I say that the baby she had as a teenager didn’t really die. Her family just told her that ’cause they didn’t want to help her raise it. That child has suddenly appeared in her life.
Report Post »BEERMEINPA
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 12:58pmThat’s hysterical….
Report Post »Leslie_Benedict
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:31amIs this HuffPo?
Report Post »teddyc73
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:29amWow, you seem like a really nice person.
Report Post »love the kids
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:27amI bet it is Reverend Wright. That is probably her father, she does belong to his church.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:05amI thought she left his church after disagreeing with his philosophy.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:10amoprah and obama only “left” wright and his rantings about evil White America because they got BAD publicity off being there. even after so many years worshipping socialism and black liberation at his feet, they couldn’t afford to stay.
Report Post »john w. gault
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:26amShe’s NOT gay? She IS gay? Who cares???
Report Post »justanamerican
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:25am“I’m a fat, unhappy, money hungry, self loathing person………. in need of a boost in my ratings”
There, now you know the announcement
Report Post »what4
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:35amyou left out her birth name is OPIE!!
Report Post »MichaelMs
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:24amzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Report Post »8jrts
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:18amYawn……just another narcissistic tax dodging hypocrite looking for attention. During her “show” would be a great time for a nap.
Report Post »RobertCA
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 1:54pmexactly who gives a damn .
Report Post »Republic
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 2:18pmMichael……Michael…….MICHAEL!!!!!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »Kimberli
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:21amWHO CARES!!! She walks hand in hand with evil.
teddyc73
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:28amShe walks hand in hand with evil? Where did you come up with that? You may not agree with her on certain issues but I highly doubt she’s evil. Give me a break.
Report Post »CYCLONE
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:38amORCAH… was breeded by a whale ???????
Report Post »blanco
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:47amShe supported prez islama, so, yes, she’s evil!
Report Post »SHASTADIANE1
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:50amI agree TeddyC, that kind of talk is just stupid “evil”. Who died and left them GOD? I have my problems with Oprah, but I can’t imagine my judging her to be “evil”.
Report Post »Snowleopard-the artist {cat folk artist}
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 9:55amThe only reason I see this ‘suprise’ coming out is that her own cable channel ratings are already on the way down (according to a news show I heard). Yet, we shall see just what it is; maybe it really is a true miracle in her life – so I wish her the best.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:19amRatings = $$$ = taxes … for the “greater good” ? Oprah is all about the $$$ …. she also attended Wrights church .. just got out before “it” hit the fan. She believes what Wright and Obama do .. wake up people.
Report Post »Spaceboy
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:34amI can think of many others in media/entertainment that supported Obama that deserve that description…not Oprah…
Report Post »5kidsnadog
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:35amI don’t know about evil, but I am done with Oprah for a variety of reasons. I was a pretty big discovery health watcher but now will not even let my tv hesitate on that channel for fear of boosting her ratings. I hope she will get off her soapbox and go away soon.
Report Post »fourfreedom
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 10:43amShe related to her most favorite person–Obama
Report Post »Hill Country Patriot
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:05amI agree. The woman is evil incarnate, and I could care less about her deadbeat upbringing. How anyone can watch that piece of crap is beyond me.
And she‘s a friggin’ closet lesbian but doesn’t have the guts to admit it. Personally, I always thought she was actually trans-genedered.
Creestof
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:14amWhatever happened do dealing with your personal “problems” with QUIET dignity? Oh, right…the rest of us don’t get paid millions to drag our lives out before a camera in a festival of attention-whorism.
Report Post »GrannyATL
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:27amKimberli, Oprah represents the void that is legion here in America. She’s been searching and searching for happiness and leads millions of people down the yellow-brick road. She’s on a journey, ya know? Until she finds God — and submits her life to Him alone — she will continue looking for happiness in all the wrong places. I feel sorry for her, but at least she is trying. I wouldn’t clump her into the “evil” category. There but for the Grace of God…..
Report Post »JayCee
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 11:43amShe is one of BO’s long lost half-siblings?
Report Post »Ookspay
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 12:30pmWhat a frickin’ crock to hear all of you Blazers saying “evil”… Jesus-is Lord even said that God now hates America and loves China, Huh?. Come on people let‘s stick to the facts and leave your end of the world evil BS on Pat Robertson’s site, we don’t like it here. I don’t like Oprah either, but to judge her and others as “evil” is unChristian and intellectually lazy.
Report Post »MR.CONSERVATIVENEGRO
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 12:33pmKimberli, There is no love lost between Oprah and I, I can assure you that! But why do you think she is..Evil? I think she is pathetic, bloody-rich, but a pathetic schmuck after rooting for Obama.
Report Post »AmazingGrace
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 12:42pmI agree….who cares…really! America needs to get over their obsession with Ms. Winfrey. Especially when it comes to her physco babble about religion. She without a doubt preaches a false doctrine.
Report Post »HITLER-HIDING-IN-SF
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 1:02pmTo JESUS-IS-LORD
God, is cinsidered as a projection of the child’s fantasy of the father who loves him,when he is good
Report Post »and strikes him dead when he is bad.
grandmaof5
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 2:17pmIf Obama was her half brother, that is what should shake her to the core, a half sister hopefully will be a good thing. Hope she had a DNA test done.
Report Post »AmeriWoman
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 2:32pmDad…. it’s called “My ratings have plunged I am DESPERATE!!!”
hahaha.
Sorry for laughing at all of these home fried nutcases… but I knew 2011 would be a hard year, but I also know there are those out there that are gonna make me chuckle and laugh out loud!
Lately, –> LOL a lot with all of these liberals having to eat so much crow.
Bet 2012 will be a toughie on a few :))
AW
Report Post »101
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 2:37pmThe Secret is out….
Oprah Winfrey recently learned she has a half-sister — a Milwaukee woman who was put up for adoption by Winfrey’s mother nearly 50 years ago.
On “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that aired Monday, a sometimes-emotional Winfrey introduced a woman she identified only as Patricia, explaining how the woman’s years-long search for her family culminated in a meeting with Winfrey on Thanksgiving Day of last year.
Winfrey said she was stunned to learn about the sibling, telling her audience that when Patricia was born in 1963, Winfrey was 8 years old and living with her father. She did not even know her mother was pregnant.
Oh, and Oprah sucks as a human!
Report Post »UPSETVET
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 3:50pmKIMBERLI, I agree with your assessment of Oprah “ walk on water ” Winfry. She’s evil, a wolf dressed in a sheep’s skin.
Report Post »ProdigalChild
Posted on January 24, 2011 at 7:29pmI too agree with you Kimberli – she follows false doctrines, is affailiated with BO – he is evil, so is she
Report Post »and the Wookie.