Inside Oprah’s emotional reflections on her mother

Oprah Winfrey has long been a towering figure in media, literature, and culture, but behind her success was a complicated bond with her late mother, Vernita Lee. Born in 1935 in Mississippi, Vernita became a mother at 18 and struggled to raise a child in the segregated South.

During Oprah’s early years, she primarily lived with her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee, while Vernita worked as a maid in Milwaukee. It was Hattie Mae who nurtured Oprah’s love for books and speaking — skills that would later define her career.

When Oprah was 6, she returned to live with her mother, but the years that followed were difficult. She moved between Vernita in Milwaukee and her father, Vernon Winfrey, in Nashville. Oprah endured abuse, became pregnant as a teen, and lost her newborn shortly after birth — a deeply private chapter she carried into her rise to fame.

Despite her painful past, Oprah drew strength from her grandmother, her father, and influential mentors like Maya Angelou. She chose not to have children but embraced motherhood in another form by mentoring young women at her Leadership Academy in South Africa.

In a conversation with trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry, Oprah reflected on how she lacked the warm childhood memories others shared about their mothers. Still, she expressed gratitude to Vernita for giving her life, saying her mother did the best she could under difficult circumstances.

Accepting her mother as she was brought Oprah a sense of peace and inspired others facing similar emotional challenges.

Vernita Lee died on Thanksgiving Day in 2018 at age 83. Though their relationship was complex, her perseverance helped shape the woman who would go on to transform television and inspire millions worldwide.