Now one of the richest women in America, Oprah Winfrey came from a dirt-poor background. Born to unwed teenager Vernita Lee and a soldier, Vernon Winfrey, Oprah spent her babyhood in the care of her grandmother. From ages six to 13, Oprah stayed with her mother and younger siblings. Her mother often worked and paid little attention to her daughter. Oprah claims she was molested by a cousin who was babysitting her when she was nine, again by a male friend of her mother’s, and yet again by an uncle. When Oprah began acting out, her mother sent her to live with her strict father and stepmother. Oprah got pregnant at 14 and gave birth to a stillborn boy. According to celebrity biographer Kitty Kelley, Oprah’s stories of her dirt-poor upbringing are falsehoods. Kelley also claims that Vernon is not Oprah’s real father. Vernon’s own plans to write a book about his daughter were nipped in the bud when Oprah found out through a reporter. Luckily for him, Vernon found an outlet for his opinions on Oprah’s life in Ms. Kelley’s book, where he expressed his disgust with Oprah’s relationship to girlfriend Gayle King and boyfriend Steadman Graham, and lamented that Oprah doesn’t give her family much money.
