Oprah Winfrey has revealed how she celebrated her ill father, Vernon Winfrey, on Fourth of July, as she organised an appreciation day and barbecue just for him.
The 68-year-old television host discussed her holiday celebrations in a recent Instagram post, where she acknowledged how she spent the day honouring her father with a barbeque.
“So we’ve been planning a backyard barbecue that’s actually more than a backyard barbecue,” she said. “It’s for Vernon Winfrey Appreciation Day.”
She went on to note how her father has been sick, which is why all of his loved ones came together to give him some “joy” while they can.
“My father is ill and so we wanted to be able to have all of his friends come and celebrate him while he’s able to receive the joy,” she explained. “So that’s what we’re doing.”
Her close friend, Gayle King, who was filming the video, then asked: “How’s he feeling today? Do you think he’s excited about today?”
In response, Winfrey noted that her father “didn’t even know” that the barbecue was for him, as he thought it was “a fourth of July thing”.
“He’s going to walk out and see everything,” she added, before documenting some of the food, including hamburgers, brisket, and fried chicken, at the event.
The clip then showed Winfrey’s father, who has worked as a barber, sitting in “a barber chair” and surrounded by his close friends.
In the caption of her Instagram post, she emphasised how she wanted to give her father an appreciation day while he was “still well enough” to enjoy it.
“Giving my father his ‘flowers’ while he’s still well enough to smell them,” she wrote. “Happy 4th of July as you gather with your family and friends. Remember to celebrate each other.”
Fans and friends in the comments applauded Winfrey, as she’s been in Nashville, Tennessee caring for her father.
“What a beautiful idea to honour him while he is still here, Oprah,” author Amanda Haas wrote, while another fan added: “May we all remember to use the days and time we have available now to celebrate the people we appreciate.”
Although Winfrey didn’t specify what her father’s medical condition is, she recently shared posts with her family while in Nashville.
In one post, she shared a video with her family, as they were sitting around the table and “shelling crowder peas” for their Fourth of July plans.
She had also uploaded another post that featured an image of her and her cousin, Burnice, where she noted that they had been “raking the yard” and “mopping the patio” for their family’s barbeque.
Winfrey’s father, 88, worked as a barber for over 50 years in Tennessee. However, the television host’s mother, Vernita Lee, passed away at age 83 in Milwaukee during 2018.
