Her At-Home DNA Test Revealed a Huge Family Secret

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Published 2022-10-24
Lisa Swyer lived her entire life as a white woman until a DNA test shattered her sense of identity. In her early 40s, the kit revealed that she had African roots, which ultimately led to her mother to privately admitting that she had an affair with a Black man. Lisa joins our episode titled “My Family Secret” to talk about how her life has changed since discovering the truth.

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All Comments (21)
  • @CB-kg2po
    Okay, so as a Black person, I instantly knew this woman was mixed with Black because we have so many shades of colors. I'm in shock that she's in shock :)
  • I did ancestry DNA looking to match a cousin. I found ....a half sister. We're meeting this Friday. Her mom who's in her 70s said she prayed for this day. She just turned 53....and I'll be 52 in 10 days. We're both so excited
  • @MJ-ho1kt
    Mom’s nasty response you will never know who you are or where you come from, sickens me to my core. Making her daughter feel as if it’s your fault for the stolen waters she was conceived in.
  • I did the Ancestry DNA test a few years ago. I wanted to verify my parentage to disprove the lifelong rumor that I am not my father’s son due to my lighter skin tone and red hair. DNA confirmed both parents and found known cousins on both sides. No surprise relatives. No surprise lineage. Although both parents have passed, it is good to know that the family information I have believed all my life is correct.
  • When looking to meet a biological parent keep in mind it’s not always a fairy tale. At 13 I was told the man I thought was my dad was not my biological father. At 19 I reluctantly met my biological father. His wife preferred he did not have a relationship with me and I never heard from him again. That was 25 years ago. The rejection still hurts to this day.
  • @jdmmg4904
    As a therapist it's crazy for me to see how many parents still lie to their kids. How sad.
  • @galndixie
    Hard to believe that nobody in her family knew she was biracial, it's very obvious. They knew, they just kept their mouths shut about it. She's a beautiful young lady, and I'm so happy things turned out well for her.
  • @johneBGood
    At the age of 40, I found out why my father´s wife who I was told was my mother, hated me. I was shorter than my siblings, the only one with blue eyes and every time I asked questions I was beaten. My mother was Colombian I was told, they had no information on her name or anything else. My father came to Colombia and had a long affair with a Colombian woman who gave birth to premature twins. My sister lived only 3 days and my father a military doctor smuggled me back to Canada in a shoebox. I am well past 60 years old now and I still have dreams of hearing my sister and my biological mother singing to me in Spanish. I have been in Colombia now for a decade looking for someone who looks like me and nothing. There is a huge mental toll and I struggle to feel wanted, loved or able to love. I thank this young lady for being bold enough to share her story. I do not feel as alone as I did just 15 minutes ago. Thank you
  • My niece was given up for adoption and we finally found her and we are so thankful.
  • Her mom handled this so poorly. No matter how you feel, as a parent, you put your kids first. I'm so glad she did that in the end.
  • Great story. It's basically my story in a nutshell. I took a DNA test in 2019 and received my results in early 2020. It was a shocker. None of my immediate and extended family members were listed. Also, I saw reference to North Carolina and the Bahamas. So, I proceeded to reach out to some of the DNA relatives and received some responses. It's only when I received a call on New Year's Eve in 2021 from a lady revealing that she is my half-sister. After an lengthy conversation, it was revealed who my biological father was. Fast track to last month, I visited my mother in Miami and she confirmed who my biological father was. So far, I have just talked to a couple of my siblings on the phone. Hopefully, I will meet them in person.
  • @Allengo2
    I did my DNA test. Now I have 9 half siblings. What a blessing it’s been
  • @drawer982
    Thank you for having a diversification of guests. Not only are celebrities welcome, but every day people. We needed these moments.
  • @alicebas377
    i found out at age 50 that my dad is not my bio dad.....i was stunned at first but then, i thought about how much my dad loved my mother and me, my three younger siblings....he worked hard, we had a good home, always what we needed and lots of extras too...he has always been proud of me and never treated me any differently than the other kids....when my dad's mother died, i was given my grandmothers jewelery, out of 30 grandchildren....but then i took care of nona in her elderly years, i was the only one that cooked with her, she taught me all my needlework skills and she told me all the family secrets, except that one....he is my dad...it is not the squirt that makes you who you are, it is the love and trust ..i know who my dad is and i don't care who the squirt was....my dad is 90 and mom is 86...i will, along with my siblings care for them till the end.......
  • My mom was adopted at birth and found her bio mom when she was in her 40's. Also found two half sisters who that same bio mom birthed. Over 20 years later my mom and I both did DNA tests on a couple different sites and AMAZINGLY found a half sister from her bio father's side. And the kicker? She lived only 20 minutes away from us here in Washington my entire life (they were both born in California). They are the best of friends now, I am so thankful for this new technology bringing families together! <3
  • I have an adopted cousin who sought out his biological parents. The biological father slammed the phone down and said, "Don't ever contact me again." The biological mother was at first very loving -- then my cousin discovered that he'd used his name without his knowledge and entangled him in a legal issue that cost him thousands of dollars to unravel. So... not every story about biological parents being discovered by their offspring has a happy ending.
  • @chall5353
    I think everyone should get their DNA test done. I found a brother I didn't even know was missing. My father passed away years ago not knowing he had another son who is a pastor. It's been the greatest joy of my life. Best wishes to her!
  • My dad was adopted and didn't know his heritage so over the years we decided that because of his skin tone, tight curly black hair, etc.. that he was creole. He was born at the old charity hospital in New Orleans so it made sense. We looked nothing like our other cousins. I lived most of my adult life as a mixed race person. Got my DNA done a few years ago and found out my dad was French and Eastern European Jew. Total identity crisis!!
  • @SiriusMined
    Things to dna, we found the two children my grandmother gave up for adoption. My mother got to have two more siblings in the last few years of her life. Her older sisters had died and she was feeling lonely. So she got to know her long lost siblings. I feel it is the best gift I ever gave her.