In this episode of KARAMO, host Karamo facilitates a live DNA‑family‑reunion for Sean Waiters, a man who spent decades searching for his biological father after his mother told him his dad died in 1990 with only a first name. Sean’s journey began with a 2022 genealogy test, which led him to connect with potential half‑sisters Annie and Linda from North Carolina and his mother Dina, who attended the show. Annie, the youngest of 12 children from a father who had 16 offspring, is skeptical of Sean’s claim, citing physical differences and feeling that Sean would take her “baby” spot. Dina confirms she was Sean’s mother and knew of a New York family but not the North Carolina branch. Throughout the conversation, Karamo explores themes of abandonment, identity, and the emotional weight of discovering one’s lineage. On Sean’s 36th birthday, the DNA results are revealed on‑stage, confirming that Sean, Annie, and Linda are biological siblings. The revelation triggers an emotional celebration, healing for Sean’s long‑standing identity void and prompting Annie to reconcile her feelings of loss and jealousy. The episode ends with the family embracing each other, highlighting the power of truth, belonging, and the closure that DNA evidence can provide.
Chapters
Every birthday I remember asking my mom, who was my dad? What'd he look like? Where my dad was from? I just, just wanted to know. And every birthday I felt she would give me the answer, but I never got it. Around the age of 10, my mother told me who my dad was. She let me know that my father was killed in 1990. And she only had his first name. That was the only information that she had. In 2022, I finally bought a genealogy test. And at first, I was scared because I thought I was gonna be opening up Pandora's box. So it took me a while to take the test. To be honest, I was very, very scared because I didn't know what I would find. But then, maybe a week later, I took the test. After I got the results, I saw the name, I got on the phone immediately. I said to myself, I finally found my family. I finally found them.
Well, listen, one of the people Sean connected with was a potential sister named Annie. Everyone, please welcome Annie to the show. Hi, Karamo.
How you doing?
I'm doing fine. How about you?
I'm good. You look great.
Thank you.
You're welcome. So what was the first thing you said when you heard about Sean?
When I first heard about Sean, my family said that we had another brother. And when all of a sudden, when they first said that, I said, "He is not my brother." Okay. He is not my brother.
Okay. Why do you think that Sean is not your brother?
Well, Sean, I think Sean ain't my brother because he doesn't have any features like ours.
Okay.
Our teeth are straight and our mouths are wide. And to me, he just don't have enough features for me.
Are there any other reasons you have doubts?
Yeah, another thing about Sean, about his mom, what his mama told him. She told us that when she first met my dad, that she was a young girl and she was friends with his girlfriend that was living in Brooklyn, New York, and that her daughter played with his kids.
Okay.
Which were my brothers, which originated out of New York. Mm-hmm. But, and then he was winking and blinking at her, and that's all it took for him to wink and blink at her and she fell in love with him. Yeah. No, that's another reason I think that Sean is not my brother.
You gotta be from—
'Cause what his mama said, yes.
Hold on, you gotta be from one of the Carolinas, aren't you?
Yes, yes.
I knew it, I knew it!
Yes.
I know that accent.
Yes, I am from North Carolina. You from North Carolina?
North Carolina, yes.
I love that, thank you. I love people from North Carolina. How long has Sean been in your life now?
Sean been in my life now for like 2 years.
Tell me about your father then.
My father, he, My dad moved to New York when I was very, very young. I was only about 3 or 4 years old. He wind up getting another family up there and he used to come home every Labor Day. And out of all the times that he came home, I never heard him mention nothing about another child.
So how did growing up without him affect you?
It made me angry because I felt like he had left me. All my other brothers and sisters, they knew my dad, they knew him. But me, I was so young when he left. It made me really feel bad, feel like I was left out. Like he just picked up and left me and never looked back.
That makes sense. How many kids does your father have?
My father has 16 kids.
16?
16 kids.
So Sean would potentially be number 17?
Yeah, he would potentially be number 17.
Number 17.
Yes, he has 16 kids. He has 12 kids by my mother. All 12 of us are whole sisters and brothers.
Okay then.
Same mama, same daddy.
And then you said he went to New York and he had another family, but Sean is not part of the New York family that you know?
No, he's not part of that New York family. Family, no. Because he used to bring those kids home, home to Goldsboro, North Carolina. He used to bring those kids down and we used to all play together and everything. And he never mentioned nothing about another child.
Are you the youngest?
Yes, I'm the youngest.
I got that sense.
The youngest of 12 that my mama had.
Okay, I got it, I got it, I got it. So would Sean be younger than you?
Yes, he would be.
So he would be the baby now?
Yes.
Oh. How do you feel about giving up that, I'm the baby in my family, how do you feel about giving up that position?
I'm not giving up that position.
Okay.
No, I'm not, I'm not giving up that position.
Okay, okay.
No.
How does the rest of your family feel about the situation?
The rest of my family, they crazy about Sean.
Yeah.
They take to him. They said that he's they brother. But me, I do not believe that Sean is my brother. That's why I'm here today, Karamo. I want the DNA test done. I need concrete proof that Sean is my brother.
In a moment, we will hear Sean's side of the story. But Sean's mother, Dina, is joining us in the audience.
How you doing, Karamo?
Hey, Dina.
Do you have anything to say in response to Annie's comments?
Well, me and they dad was friends. We started off as friends and then we started seeing each other for a couple of years. Then Sean was born and he didn't want me to get rid of the baby, so I had the baby.
Got it. What's your relationship with him now?
That is Sean's father.
Okay, so you're 100% sure?
100%.
Got it.
Did you know he had another family?
I didn't know about the family in North Carolina, but I knew about the family in New York.
Got it.
Okay then, so you didn't have all those details.
Right.
Well, I don't believe that Sean is my brother. I believe you was just after my daddy because he was an older man and you liked him. Word? Yes.
You have your opinion. He was after me.
I don't believe that. I don't believe that.
Yeah.
It was something.
Dena said word, okay.
She said word, okay, okay.
Did he know Sean was even born?
He seen Sean before he was killed.
Okay, he did. He did see Sean before he was killed.
So he did see Sean before he was killed.
Yes, he did.
Okay then. And when he saw Sean, did he acknowledge him and say, "This is my child"?
Yeah, he said, "Look, my son." Well, he never brought him home when he came home for Labor Day. He used to come home every Labor Day and he never brought Sean name up or anything.
Well, I had nothing to do with that part, but I had—
I don't believe you, my boy.
Did you want Sean and his father to be in each other's lives or were you—
Of course.
Okay then.
Of course, he used to always come and see him until—
He had passed.
Passed.
Okay then, got it, got it. Well, thank you for your side of the story.
Thank you.
I appreciate that, all right.
I don't believe it.
You don't believe it, you don't believe it.
Yeah, I don't.
You don't believe it. Well, let me tell you something, and this is, I don't know if Sean is your brother or not, but I do understand where your feelings come from 'cause I work with people who have been abandoned or have feelings of abandonment as a child. And so when you have feelings of abandonment as a child and you're thinking to yourself, well, there couldn't be somebody else because I already was left out and I should know.
Right, yes.
And so I understand where there's a blockage there. I get it, that. Well, listen, I wanna hear what Sean gotta say about all this. So everyone, please welcome Sean to the show. Thank you for being here, Sean. Hi, Sean.
How you doing?
All right.
Sean, you look smooth.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, you look good, man. Thank you. All right, how does it feel to hear that Annie say you're not her brother?
It's heartbreaking.
Yeah.
I didn't do this search to break up anybody's life or anything. Well, Sean, I never heard nothing about it. I grew up without a father for 35 years and I look in the mirror every day and don't know who I am, and so I apologize if this is ruffling your feathers. But that's why we're here.
Well, I grew up without a dad for 52 years, 'cause he left when I was 3 years old.
So we definitely understand each other then.
Well, I don't understand that because, I guess because I'm my mother's child, and my mother had 12 kids by this man. And I do know about the kids that was in New York, and I was bitter about them for a long, long time.
Makes sense.
Because I think they took my spot away from me.
And I understand that. I understand that.
And now you come along and you trying to take my spot. Yes.
This is what I was trying to express earlier about her feelings of abandonment. Sean, is she the only one that doesn't believe you are related?
Surprisingly, yes. Yeah. I will say when I went, when I first made the phone call and I spoke to a sister of mine and she said, if what you're saying is true, then you're our brother. Then they invited me to North Carolina and—
But did I come and see you?
So you did not come.
Right, yes.
But when they invited me to North Carolina and they had this big homecoming on my 36th birthday on September 11th, it—
Oh, today's your birthday? Today is.
What?
Happy birthday.
Thank you. Thank you.
Happy birthday.
Okay.
And so when I got there and they did this big homecoming, it felt so good to have all these people that's completely strangers, which I understand, but to welcome me. I've never felt that kind of love in my life besides just my mom giving me the love that she gives me. I just wanna have a family like everybody else.
After 39 years, what will the DNA truth do for you?
Wow.
It will heal the 5, 10-year-old self. It will set me free. After all these years, after searching and searching and searching, finally I can say I am Sean Waiters. I know my mother. I know my father existed. I have my siblings. I have nieces. I have nephews. Again, it's just never giving up on myself. So to know that I did the work, it would mean a lot to me.
Yeah.
It would mean a lot.
I know I seem cold. I know I seem cold, but I just really wanna know if you really my brother. That's all I wanna know.
You know, we're gonna unlock the DNA truth in a bit, but before that, I think it's time we all meet another one of Shonks' potential sisters, Linda. So everyone please welcome Linda to the show.
Hey, hey baby. Oh, still my baby.
Yes.
I'm gonna give you a hug too, Linda. You came out here crying. Let me give you a hug. How are you? I'm good. Good, good, good. So I have my assumptions as you know, and Annie shared why she feels it, but from your opinion as her big sister, why do you think it's hard for her to accept?
Annie's been our baby for, she was my personal baby even though she was my baby sister for 2 years before I had my first child. And she always been the baby of our family.
Yeah.
She, we took her in as a baby and she's spoiled her and got her rotten. And she's still rotten, but she's our baby sister and the baby of my mom, you know, my mom's baby. So, and nobody— she don't want nobody to take her place. Yeah.
Would Sean be the youngest of the kids?
Yes.
Of all of them?
Yes.
Even the other New York family? Yeah. You'd be the baby. Okay. And I'm told that Your friends and family from North Carolina are in the building? They're in the audience here? Who's who from North Carolina? Hey, Bronx crew right here, North Carolina crew right there? Okay, and y'all are all here because you wanna support Sean? Amazing, amazing. Well listen, Sean, are you ready to unlock the DNA truth?
Yeah, I am.
Okay, in this envelope is the DNA truth that you have waited 39 years for. You have shared with each of us that on your birthday, you have asked each year for a little detail to know who your father was. And today on your birthday, again, you will get the full truth. This is not my truth to open, this is yours. Here you go.
Thank you. Before I open this, I would like to tell y'all I love y'all so much. And I thank y'all for your continuous love and support.
Here we go, y'all.
Sean, Linda, and Annie, we are biological brothers.
Oh my God. That's your family. Oh my God. You moved me wrong.
You moved me wrong.
Sean, you got your ass—
hold on.
The rest of the family, y'all come on down here. I see the 10th nephew. Come on down here, family.
Your camera.
Y'all need to come on down here too.
I told you.
All right, come on, everybody. Sean, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dearsha. Happy birthday to you.
You've been wishing every year for answers and you got it. So now you get to wish for something new. Yes. I'm so happy for you.
He proved me wrong.
I knew it.
Y'all come sit down behind the couch.
Y'all family.
Love everybody here.
Sean, this is yours.
Thank you, Sean.
Happy birthday. Come on. You got your birthday wish. Mom, how you feeling? I knew it.
You said you knew it. She said I knew it, OK?
She said she knew.
Annie, that's your brother.
I know.
Are you there? I can't believe it. OK.
He took my spot.
He did.
I'm going to tell you this. He didn't take your spot. He took his spot. There's enough love, enough spots in the love in this family for everybody, okay?
Okay.
Yeah. And one of the things I know about when we feel abandonment, what helps abandonment is knowing that people are there for you that love you. And you've had that, which is why you were able to process and deal with things. And now Sean, you're gonna have that as well. I love it. So be there for each other.
Thank you so much.
Congratulations. Happy birthday. Thank you.
This is one of the best birthdays ever.
Listen, friends at home, make sure to come back next time so we can keep talking and growing. I love you all.
