Oprah Winfrey Shares Family Photo with Her Nieces in Milwaukee as They Make Thanksgiving Dinner

Oprah Winfrey is already in the Thanksgiving spirit, and she’s ditching any extravagant celebrations to be with family. The media mogul recently showed how well she’s getting on with her nieces in a family kitchen.

For most people, Thanksgiving is about family and gratitude, and Oprah is no different. She’s already in Milwaukee, and preparations for the holiday are underway.

A few days ago, the 65-year-old took to Instagram with a group picture featuring herself and her nieces making a toast in the kitchen.

"I thought it was a terrible thing that I had done. I did think about the baby. I went back looking for her."

Each of the four ladies present in the snapshot held a glass and dressed in casual clothes as they posed next to an oven. We’re not sure if the turkey’s in yet, but Oprah and her nieces look like they were having a good time.

"In Milwaukee making Thanksgiving dinner with nieces," the OWN founder explained before offering some good advice. "When there’s too many cooks in the [kitchen]... mimosas help! Cheers everyone."

Despite being one of the busiest media executives in the country, Oprah makes sure to prioritize family time. Her late mother, Vernita Lee, lived in Milwaukee, and the talk show legend spent some time in the city while growing up.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, one of Oprah's nieces even owns a restaurant called Pat's Ribs Place in another Wisconsin city, Waukesha.

SECRET SISTER

While Oprah may not have mentioned it in her post, she most likely will also be spending thanksgiving with another family member – her half-sister Patricia – in Milwaukee.

Vernita gave birth to Patricia in 1963, but shortly after, gave up the infant for adoption. At the time, no one was aware that she even had a baby.

According to Daily Mail, Oprah's mom put Patricia up for adoption because she wanted to get off welfare and knew that having another child would jeopardize her chances.

LONG JOURNEY HOME

Patricia lived in foster homes until she was adopted at age 7. Now a single mother, Patricia gave birth to her first child, daughter Aquarius at age 17 and son Andre six years later.

The long-lost sister reportedly tried for many years to contact Vernita, but she had no luck until she met one of Oprah’s nieces, who eventually informed the media mogul. Oprah confronted her mother with the news and got the truth out of her.

According to PEOPLE, before her death on Thanksgiving in 2018, Vernita expressed regret about giving up her child:

"I thought it was a terrible thing that I had done. I did think about the baby. I went back looking for her and they told me she had left."

TOGETHER AT LAST

Patricia finally met their mother in October 2010 and met Oprah a month later. Since then, the TV icon has been quite the doting big sister making up for the lost time.

In 2017, Oprah and her partner Stedman Graham attended Patricia’s graduation ceremony at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

BIG SISTER DUTIES

After the event, Oprah took to social media to admit how proud she was of her sister:

"My sister Pat who discovered she was a part of our family 6 years ago, had 1 big dream when I met her. To go to college and finish strong! Today that dream came true. Congratulations lil Sis."

Besides Patricia, Oprah’s mother also had two other children: Pat, who died in 2003 from addiction-related causes, and a son named Jeffrey who died of AIDS-related causes in 1989.