Did My Dad Live Around the Corner All My Life ? 🕵🧬️ | KARAMO

Friends, my guest Kyla says she's here to unlock a 32-year-old DNA mystery. When Kyla had doubts about the man that raised her, she learned that her possible biological father could be his childhood best friend. Tyrell claims he's always known he could be her father, but when Kyla asked him to take a DNA test last year, she says he ghosted her. Everyone, please welcome Kyla to the show. So we gotta get to this while you're here. So when you were a child, did you know who your father was?

I always grew up with one dad all the way up until I was 3. And it was questions. He left, he disappeared. And I was told that his friend was my dad. And that story has always stuck.

Yeah, so who was that person that said that to you that caused those doubts?

Family. They sent this pretty baby and they was like, sir, Ain't yours. Yeah, you need a DNA test.

I don't mean to laugh, it's 'cause of the way you said it, so yeah.

And they was so serious.

Yeah.

And as soon as they said it, he was gone.

Wow. Did you have a father figure and how did that affect you?

I didn't, so I grew up with just my mom.

Yes.

My siblings and she did her best and I can't blame her. I always longed for that because my other siblings had it and I didn't and I'm the oldest. So growing up without that father figure made me this tough. Always had to fight, always had to prove where I belong. And I get tired of having to prove that I belong somewhere.

Yeah, I hear you.

I'm still having to fight because I feel like only certain family, oh, you're his when he's around. But if he's not around, then I get this pushback. I get this, oh, I see you at the grocery store and you won't speak to me.

Yeah.

So I'm only your niece, I'm only your cousin when he's around.

Yeah, yeah.

But I belong. So if we gonna be cousins when he's around, I just wanna be cousins and your niece when he's not around.

Yeah.

So when did you eventually get in touch with Tyrell?

It was in 2010.

Okay.

I was about to graduate high school, Mother's Day.

Yes.

I was becoming a mother for the first time. And I met my brother. I wound up getting the phone number, calling him, and no communication for 4 months. And when I had my baby, I think my mom might've got in contact with him.

Yeah.

And he came 2 weeks after me and the baby got out the hospital.

So describe what it was like meeting Terrell for the first time.

Awkward.

Yeah.

And it's still awkward.

Yeah.

I still feel like a question mark.

Even from 2010 to now, it's still awkward with him?

It's still awkward. I feel like it has to be like a situation in order for us to, it's never, I'm gonna meet you on my own terms. It's always, it has to be a situation, it has to be a party, it has to be a gathering. And that's when we kind of meet. It's never, I'm gonna just pull up on you and let's go to dinner.

You tried to take a DNA test with him before, right? What happened?

I wasted my money, my time, and my gas. Now, no matter if anybody else is for sure, I want to be for sure. And I called him and he was like, "Well, I'm finna go meet up with a friend and I'll call you back." And Karamo, we here.

Nothing.

We here. He wouldn't answer his phone.

All right, so we're gonna meet Tyrell in a bit, but first I'm interested to learn more about this family mystery from Tracy, one of Tyrell's sisters. Everyone, please welcome Tracy to the show. Hi Tracy. How are you doing?

I'm doing good.

Good. Let me get up and give you a hug. You look beautiful as well.

She a baby doll.

So what is your thoughts on this DNA mystery?

Well, I'm just in the middle as, Like I'm about to be. I'm always in the middle. I've been around since the thought of her, you know, from him. He came home one day like, "I think that little girl around the corner is mine." So Tracy, if you knew, why didn't you try to do something?

Try to come see me? I wish I would've took that responsibility.

Yeah, you didn't know how to get involved.

No.

Yeah.

As a youngster, I did not know the first step, the first thing, but he did say it, you know?

So why hasn't your family embraced the possibility that Kyla could be Tyrell's daughter?

It comes from generations. Our race, we go through this a lot.

Yes, we do.

That's my child. That could be my niece right there. I don't even know her. So we can't base it off of a look. Yeah. So I guess accountability and really wanting to know the truth plays a role in all of it.

Yeah, yeah.

And Karamo, I really feel like they try to nitpick. This look like this person and your eyes and you got the nose and— Yeah, I think they try to build it to believe it.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. So when you look at Kyla, do you see the family traits?

Get into it.

Yes.

Yeah?

Yes. But that's a scary thing too, because blood don't lie.

What do you want to address with Kyla today?

I want you to be prepared, because this could go any way.

Well, I think it's time that we meet the man that Kyla believes is her father. Everyone please welcome Tyrell to the show. What's making you emotional?

She looks like my mother. We know how looks go. You can look like somebody and it still come out that you're not. And so that's why I say they take bits and pieces of me and try to form this, you are, yeah, except.

Yeah, you accepting bits of me, but you gotta take all of you.

You look like my momma.

Yeah, got it.

But it's against the will of everybody else in the family. When I say this, I get pulled pushed back.

Tyrell, be quiet. And I feel like this has been a pattern for all these years 'cause—

No, I knew where my baby was at.

Okay.

But as a man, I had to step away because—

But what?

Her mom was dealing with somebody else. And the worst thing I could do is to force myself to be around or demand to be around her mom. Her mom didn't want me around.

I'd rather you have forced—

But what about speaking up? What about telling the world what you came and told me that one time?

You said, "I think—" So, I told you, I didn't have to tell nobody else.

But you told me and I was this little. Okay. You said, "I think that little girl is mine." But that's it.

That's all I had.

But then you went on to live your life. I never lived my life. But we left her.

I knew my baby was around the corner.

We stopped life for her. We didn't pour into her. She missed out because we have a beautiful family. Yeah, we do. We have a huge, beautiful family that you know in your heart, Terrell, she missed a lot. She missed those aunties.

I missed a lot too. I missed a lot too.

You missed those cousins.

But Terrell, you missed a lot because you made that choice. Yeah, I did. 'Cause from your own words, you said, you said, as a man, I felt like this is what I had to do. I could understand the logic and the framework in your mind of thinking, I don't wanna get involved in this drama, especially being younger. But let's make sure that I'm your pops.

I was yours.

Yeah, but let's pick up. I was yours. So it don't matter who was in the picture, I was yours.

She right. And you left me.

I never left you.

You left, you wouldn't come. I had family members say, I went to your dad and I told your dad to go to the house. And he knew exactly where you at and never showed up.

And then you had us believing [MASKED] was the guy.

I didn't have nobody believe this.

When you knew the relationship you had with her mom.

No, her mom told me she wasn't mine.

You knew more of the relationship more of the relationship than anybody.

Well, that's different information. So did her mother tell you that she wasn't your child? Yes.

And my thing as a man, I wasn't finna come around to say, "Let me see my baby, that's my baby." And that's why—

But in the same breath you said, "My baby was around the corner." And you never came.

Because when I saw you, you were 2 years old.

And you knew I was around the corner too and you never came. What was I to do when your mom said no? The same thing I do when people tell me no and I still have to get up and be a mother every day.

That's why you call the police.

Brother, listen to that. That's why he called the police.

It's different for you, but for me it's not that different.

If they had to call the police on me every day to be around mine.

There is a mixed message that has to be acknowledged. But with that information of her telling you, your mother telling him, this is not yours. Can you see, and I'm not trying to justify his actions at all. I understand the mixed message. But if someone said to me, this is not yours, it does play play a part in your decision making. Can you acknowledge that though?

I just felt like I was never nobody's.

There's a lot of questions here. I think for me it's time to unlock the DNA truth that you all have been waiting for because I do see, I see the trauma and I see the miscommunication, I see the things, but we're going in a circle right now. And until we know this answer, until we know if, In actuality, if Tyrell is your biological father, I cannot help to decipher the other feelings and emotions that are keeping y'all in this space. Okay. And so this is what needs to happen. Tyrell, are you ready for this? Yeah, I'm ready. What do you hope this outcome is? I already know what's in there. What do you hope this outcome is? That she's my daughter. What do you hope?

I hope that I can heal the 8-year-old girl so 32 me can be better. But if it's not, the 8-year-old me have to keep looking. Got it.

Are you ready to open the DNA truth?

Oh, goodness gracious.

Please open it and read out loud for us.

Oh, y'all.

You are my dad. I knew it, Karamo. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. I knew it.

I'm so happy. I'm so glad this is over. Oh goodness, I'm glad this is over.

Before I even get to this, before I get to this, Tyrell, something just happened there that I just witnessed has been a pattern in the way this relationship has worked. Help. You heard the pain. We heard her crying. We heard what she's saying. And when the information was presented that you actually are the father, we have the proof, you did not get up to run to your daughter. And this has been a pat— No, I gotta say this because this has been a pattern and this is what's hurting her. Can you switch positions? No, I wanna step out. Oh yeah, no worries. Because the focus. Yes.

I was always pushed away, pushed away, pushed away. I always come to see you. When you was a baby, I was always there.

But it was other people like, "No, you know, don't do this, don't do that." But Tyrell, in this moment right here, nobody was here that was blocking you and stopping you. I watched your actions. And so the thing is that I can acknowledge the past, but we also have to be aware of the present. And I get how past behaviors can affect us, but this moment right here when you had the proof that this was your girl, I need you to acknowledge that I should have jumped on it up and came to you.

I've been jumping ever since I knew she was conceived.

But she, you haven't. You haven't. I gotta tell you, I gotta tell you, you gotta break that narrative in your mind because your daughter has just told you that she needs to heal that little 8-year-old girl inside of her. You were not there for her the way she needed you to. Yeah.

Can you apologize to her for that? I'm so sorry, baby. I should've tried harder.

I love you. Did you hear what he said? 'Cause I need you to receive that. I'm here. I'm gonna accept that.

I'm here. 'Cause I'm gonna be on him like white on rice.

You better answer the phone.

No, but I'm glad you said that. I'm glad you said that because before we understood if you were her biological father, there was a reason I asked you a specific question, which you said, "I want to connect with him if he is my father." And I asked you specifically, "What does that look like?" You said to me, "I need him to call me. I need him to know 'the details of my life,' which means playing an active role in listening. And I also want him to know that I need to trust that I can fall on him. Those are your words. You know you can. Talk to your father about those things. You know you can. She doesn't know.

I want you to get to know the 8-year-old that you missed, the 9-year-old that you missed, the 20-year-old that you missed, because she is 32 now. Well, I won't miss no more. And everything that you missed built me to who I am now.

Yeah, you strong.

But she wants somebody to fall on. She wants to know that she could depend on you.

I wanna be able to say, "I'm gonna call my daddy and he gonna beat you up." Huh?

I'm gonna call my daddy and he gonna beat you up.

Tyrell, can you make, and I'm gonna go one by one, and I want, after I say it, I need for you to tell your daughter, and I especially tell the 8-year-old in her, Repeat after me, if you only believe it. I will call you consistently.

I'm gonna call you so much you ain't gonna answer the phone.

Yeah, I'm gonna call, I'm gonna answer, you better answer.

I'm gonna call you that much. I'm gonna call you every day and I want an answer.

Kyla, I will ask for details about your life.

I'm gonna call you every day.

Hold on, keep going with me. I'm gonna ask you details about your life.

I'm gonna ask you details about your life.

And I'm gonna give it to you.

And when you feel weak, You can fall on me.

You can fall on me. And you know I mean that. I do, I love you.

Love you too, babe. This was me making sure that 8-year-old girl in you was heard. He's made that commitment here publicly and he clearly said the things back to you. So there's no way later he can be like, "Well, I don't know. I don't know how you need me to show up." We've given him the blueprint. We've given you the blueprint of how to show up. So now it's up to you to not do what you did here of saying, "Well, I'm around the corner." It's for you. You gotta be the first one every single time to jump. I will. Okay.

And I expect that. Good. You should.

I won't miss no more. I promise you. Yeah.

I think y'all gonna be all right. It'll be all right. Do you have a message for the women in your family though?

Because— They already know. Just stop hating.

Stop hating. Listen, this nigga on your camera right there, let 'em know. Stop hating.

I'ma call my daddy.

All right, did you get what you need to show you got it? I do love you.

Thank you.

I love you, I love you.

This— listen, I'm part of the family too because apparently we— this my, my new TV wife. Daddy know you, so you about to see me at a family reunion. So I guess Dad as well. Dad, I'm— I'm— thank you, thank you.

You're welcome.

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