In this Karamou episode, host Karamo convenes a family mediation to address the fractured relationship between Leighton, a 51‑year‑old father who spent time incarcerated, and his three daughters—Ariana, a transgender woman; Makayla, who is pregnant; and Bree, Leighton’s estranged ex‑partner. The session opens with Leighton’s plea to “get his family back” after years of absence and emotional distance. Ariana recounts a history of trauma, physical and emotional abuse, and ongoing misgendering (being called “Isaiah” or “son”) despite her transition, expressing deep hurt and a desire for acknowledgment. Makayla describes a lack of paternal presence, sets boundaries, and demands respect for Ariana’s identity. Bree shares her perspective on the marriage’s collapse, accusing Leighton of emotional unavailability and shifting blame onto her. Throughout, Karamo probes each participant, highlighting inconsistencies, eliciting apologies, and urging concrete actions—acceptance of Ariana’s gender, respectful communication, and sustained effort from Leighton. The dialogue culminates in Leighton offering an apology and a promise to wait for the family’s forgiveness, while Karamo emphasizes that apologies must be backed by consistent behavior for genuine healing.
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Layton contacted me saying his two children treat him as if he's not living at all. I want y'all to take a look at this.
I need Karamo's help getting my family back together. I know I made mistakes in the past, but I love my kids. When they were young, we was happy, but when I got incarcerated, everything had changed. I blame myself 'cause I should have been there, but I also blame Bri. My kids don't call me, check on me. I didn't even know Makayla was even pregnant. I just feel hurt and I just want everything to come back together, period. I'm 51 years old and I want my family back.
Well, before I talk to Leighton, I'm going to talk to his daughter, Ariana. Please everyone, welcome Ariana to the show.
Oh!
Stunning!
Oh, she's stunning! How are you? Nice to meet you. Hold on. I didn't know we had a supermodel coming out today. You look gorgeous.
Thank you.
You really do. Okay, so I just saw that video for the first time of your father. How do you feel about what you just saw?
If we gonna come on here, let's be like, let's come correct. We're all grown, so to blame other people for like stuff that you did as a man, as a father, is just like.
So what did he do that's causing him to feel like he's lost his family? Or in your opinion, what did he do to lose his family?
Well, for one, I mean, he's never really been in my life. The only memories that I have of my father is like, traumatic experiences.
Got it.
And so I'm transgender and I don't really know how he feels about it, but it's like, it's wishy-washy. It's like, I want my family back, but at the same time, you need to acknowledge me as your daughter. I'm not your son.
Yes. So does he still interact with you as if you were his son? He doesn't respect your transition?
Well, to my mom, he still refers to me as his son.
How does that make you feel knowing that your father it's still not a space to respect you?
It hurts my feelings because it's like I fought so hard to be here and I've been through a lot. I feel hurt that I can't have my mother and my father.
When was the last time you saw Leighton?
I saw him at my sister's graduation.
Okay, what was that like?
Not my graduation, my sister's graduation. Guess he want his son back, but he's dead and gone, so.
Yes, yes. So what was it like when you saw Leighton at your sister's graduation?
I felt like he was just another person off the street. So why would I?
So did you ever have that bond like at all?
No.
So why do you think in his mind does it feel he thinks that you all had that relationship? Because I'm watching the video the same way you did and it sounds like, hey, I'm a dad, I wanna be there and like all these things. But I'm hearing something different from you.
I mean, maybe when I was younger and he had his son, like, but I can't recall a time where it was like, yeah, my dad, like, I just remember the bad memories.
Yeah. So. Yeah, yeah. What were those bad memories?
Well, I could recall him coming home, being drunk and taking it out on me like physically and emotionally and stuff, so.
I'm sorry.
Thank you.
Very sorry. I'm sorry. And so at the graduation when you saw your father, did you two speak? What happened?
Well, he came up to me, his first words were, "You can't speak to nobody." And it's like, that's how you approach people? Like if you're so, "I want my family back and my child, my child." Hi, how are you? How you been? What's up with you? What's going on in life?
Does your sister Mikayla have the same relationship with your father?
I think he wants to be in her life. Like I think that's like his little girl. So I think for her it's just like, Dude, we don't.
Does she wanna be in his life?
I can't speak for her. I don't know.
Got it. Okay, everyone please welcome Leighton to my show. How you doing, Leighton? Good. All right, please take a seat for me.
What's going on?
All right, Leighton, so you want your family back. What do you mean by that?
What I mean by that is, I mean, talk to them and everything. I don't talk to them.
So what's your response to what you heard Ariana say?
I mean, it hurts.
Why does it hurt?
'Cause they my kid. That's my blood. I mean, I watched them grow up. I mean, I wasn't there all the time. No, I wasn't. I blame myself for that.
So tell me, how did you feel when you saw Aryana at Makayla's graduation?
I mean, it hurt because it's like, looked at me like I wasn't daddy. Like didn't talk to me or nothing like that.
Mm-hmm.
But what did you expect me to say? Like the way your approach is everything. It's not what you say, it's how you say it. We haven't seen each other in how long? We don't talk to each other, we don't call each other. So what were you expecting?
But I mean, But that's not my, I'm not blamed for all that though. Us not talking to each other. I try to call.
The phone go both ways.
I try to call. Every time I try to call, I don't get no answer or nothing like that. So that made me to just stop calling.
Lane, I got a question for you. Ariana said that when you saw her prom picture, you deleted it off of Facebook. Can you tell me about that and why?
Deleted it?
Yeah.
I ain't delete no pictures.
You didn't delete the photo. So I wanna ask you point blank, Do you accept Aryana as your daughter?
Yeah, I do. She could be a dinosaur, whatever. I still, that's my child. That's mines.
The fact that you said, "Aryana, I do accept you as my daughter," and she says she doesn't know if she can believe you, which that's her experience. But she also just said that your ex-wife has also shared with her that you still refer to her as a boy. How do you respond to that?
That's not true. I mean, if that's the case, I would call him Isaiah. I call Ariana, that's what I call her.
Ariana. Ariana.
You taking everything as a joke right now. That's what's making me mad. That's my name, that's my legal name. That's what's making me mad right now. You got everybody laughing, that's what's pissing me off.
Because I'm funny?
The hell, man.
Layton, what do you wanna say to her?
Right now, I don't even know what I wanna say.
But what are you frustrated about? I'm confused. I didn't sit here and call you a liar. I didn't say nothing derogatory to you. I'm respecting you. Like, I'm confused.
What is frustrating you? Because I'm giving you, I don't know if you noticed, I wanna make sure you're having an opportunity to share your point.
It's just, I mean, like I said, I just don't feel like I'm getting respected as as a father?
I just remember you coming home drunk and I don't know what will be going on with you, but you would take it out on me.
Ariana's little sister, Mikayla, is also here and she sees things very different than her father. Mikayla, please come on out.
Hi.
You need a hug?
Nice to meet you.
You too.
Yes.
All right, so I see you just walked past your father. So I'm assuming that you don't have a good relationship.
There's not really much of a relationship there. I mean, I don't really feel like I have a father. Yeah.
Why?
He was never around.
So did you want a relationship with your father?
I would be open to it, but there's boundaries and things that I want from you. I want you to respect my sister as Ariana. I want you to respect my mother. You don't do that.
How I don't do that though?
So you don't be calling her Isaiah still?
He claims that he never did that and he never deleted the prom picture. He never called me Isaiah. He doesn't recall that, so.
I mean, at the beginning I probably, I mean, I called you Isaiah. Because I wasn't used to calling you Ariana.
Ariana?
I can't do this, man. On my life, I can't do this.
I'm done.
Okay, well, you haven't been doing it for how many long, so continue.
Oh, well.
Keep it up. Now it's oh, well.
Oh, well, go on.
You're doing it like that. Look at me, I'm doing fine.
Because the way you talking to me.
I'm good.
I've been doing it to you all life.
I've been good. Do you see me?
I'm gonna ask you, Makayla, you were just pregnant. You had a child, right?
Yes.
Did you tell your father about your child?
No.
Why?
What would I be telling you for? I just don't feel like that was something that you needed to know. I mean, if you were present, if you were around, yeah, you would've known about it, but who needed to know knew.
How do you feel that you have never met your grandchild?
I mean, it hurts. I mean, it just hurts.
Leighton, when did you find out that Makayla had a child?
My brother told me.
Is this your first grandchild?
Yep.
But can I ask why you felt like you needed to know?
'Cause you my daughter.
But if I'm your daughter, then why aren't you around?
I'm in a different state and I try to be around, I try to call.
I'll give you that. You call and we don't answer. I don't answer. I mean, because the times I have picked up the phone, you, Blame everyone else but yourself.
How do I blame anybody else?
You blame my mom, you blame me, you blame Mariana.
All right, joining us now is Bree. She met Leighton when she was a teenager and they got married. She's telling her side of the story with hopes that Leighton will finally listen to her and their daughters. Welcome everyone, Bree, to the show. How you doing today?
I'm nice, how are you?
Thank you so much for coming. Please take a seat. So I'm hearing a lot of confusion on Layton's part. What was your experience?
Layton just was not there. Whether he was physically in our home, he was not mentally, emotionally available for me, for them. But he puts a lot of the blame on me. And I'm not the one to blame. Like, I was there. I stepped up to the plate to fill your shoes and my shoes.
How was y'all's marriage when y'all were together?
Non-existent. It's a piece of paper.
So why are y'all still legally married?
Why?
Why?
Layton has made it perfectly clear on several occasions that I'll always be his wife. He's, "Oh, I'll never divorce you." And I've tried. It's not for lack of effort. I have tried. Right.
He just don't remember. All right, Layton. So I wanna hear your perspective because I'm hearing a constant from 3 people and I'm not trying to say that you're lying, but there's an inconsistency with what you're experiencing and what 3 different people are experiencing. They're all saying they experienced the same thing. You were not there, you were emotionally unavailable, you were physically unavailable, you just were not there. So they don't know you, they don't have a relationship with you.
Listen here, I got it perfectly clear now. I know for sure now, trust me.
So what do you wanna do to rectify that? Because you said you want your family back. Can you look at your family and say, "I'm sorry"?
I'm sorry and I apologize.
If we're gonna do anything today on this stage, please be for real.
He just said, "I'm sorry and I apologize." What do you want? Tell him.
Me personally, I want you to understand how you made me feel.
If you are going to be in our lives and try to make a relationship, You need to prove your acceptance of Ariana and not be calling her Isaiah and referring to her as your son and just stop blaming everybody else.
And Bree, what do you need?
To piggyback off of Makayla, I just need you to accept that or just respect the fact that you have two beautiful daughters. Like, you know, for me as a mother, like I adore her, I have the utmost respect for her and I just wish I wish everybody would, and I get that it's not for everybody, but that's your child.
That's your daughter. And I know that. And I accept it. And I accept it.
She's living her truth, and I respect it.
I respect your answer.
'Cause you don't show me you respect it. Leighton, I do believe honestly from today, and I will say this, I didn't know anything about you beforehand. I didn't know who you were. I didn't know how you were gonna react out here. I truly do believe in my heart of hearts and in my professional opinion that you wanna do better and wanna be here for your children.
I do.
I truly do believe that. But I believe that it's also very hard for you to hear all of these things and the pain you've caused.
Yes, yes it is, it is.
And it can feel like this is a never-ending cycle where you're always the bad guy. But the truth of the matter is, is that you won't always be the bad guy if you do one thing. And that's just own anything they say. The thing of the matter is you've already started doing that right now. You've already said, "I accept you as my daughter. I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you. I'm sorry that I did this." But what they're telling you is that it's not enough. So what you have to do right now is you have to tell your family that I'm willing to go on the journey of taking however long you all need to heal.
I could be here, I could wait for y'all to gimme time. I mean, just forgive me. I apologize. It hurts me and everything, and I know it hurts y'all, and I'm sorry.
I think that's a big step. He clearly is letting y'all know he's not perfect. So if he's saying, "I'm sorry," you gotta give him a chance to believe him. If he says, "I accept you," you gotta give him a chance to believe you. And if he does something different, call him out. And that's the way y'all gonna heal. I actually wanna see y'all be one.
I truly do.
Because I'm gonna tell you right now, you got a beautiful family. So I believe y'all can heal. I believe y'all can be a family together. You've taken a very big step today and I honor you for that. Now's the time for y'all to do the work as a family. Hold on, where you going? I'll tell you where you're going. Right here to subscribe and right here to watch more. Period.
