Oprah Winfrey made the rare move of speaking about her late brother Jeffrey on Tuesday as she shared a Pride month message with fans online.
The 70-year-old media mogul — who hosted best friend Gayle King’s son’s wedding recently — appeared in a video clip shared on her Oprah Daily Instagram account.
The caption stated a quote from the former talk show host: ‘I wish for you the continued freedom to rise to your truest, highest expression of yourself as a human being.’
Winfrey aptly wore a white sweater with a rainbow knitted across it as she spoke into the camera.
‘It was 35 years ago that my younger brother, Jeffrey Lee, died from AIDS,’ she said at the start of the recording.
Oprah Winfrey made the rare move of speaking about her late brother Jeffrey on Tuesday as she shared a Pride month message with fans online
‘It was 35 years ago that my younger brother, Jeffrey Lee, died from AIDS,’ she said at the start of the recording
She continued to the page’s 3.3 million followers, ‘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.’
Winfrey said about her beloved sibling, ‘I often think if he’d lived, he’d be so amazed at how much the world has changed, that there actually is gay marriage and a Pride month.
‘How different his life might have been had he lived times, in a world that saw and appreciated him for who he was rather than attempting to shame him for his sexuality.’
Oprah stated, ‘I believe that every single person has the right to love who they want to love and be the person they most want to be.’
Speaking directly to her audience, she added, ‘My hope for you is that you are living a life that feels authentic to you and that you have the support around you to do so, no matter your sexuality.’
The billionaire entrepreneur said firmly, ‘Whether or not you’re 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.’
The uplifting words have so far collected over 20,000 likes.
The post comes after Oprah honored her brother in her GLAAD Awards acceptance speech in March.
The post comes after Oprah honored her brother in her GLAAD Awards acceptance speech in March
Winfrey championed the LGBTQ community in her electrifying speech
The Color Purple actress and producer received the Vanguard Award at the annual ceremony, which was held in Beverly Hills.
In tribute to her brother, she shared with the audience: ‘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.
‘And at the time, I didn’t know how deeply my brother internalized the shame that he felt about being gay. I wish he could have lived to witness these liberated times and to be here with me tonight.’
She added, ‘All the years of the Oprah Show, for me, were about sharing stories that helped people be their authentic selves… and I know that is the truest form of what it means to be free, to have personal freedom, to be able to fully be who you are.’
