In this KARAMO episode, host Karamo facilitates a live reunion between Michelle, an adoptee who has been searching for her birth family since age 16, and Harriet Johnson, who believes she may have a younger sister. The conversation explores Michelle’s motivations for taking a genealogy test, the discovery of a potential sibling, and the emotional turbulence of learning she was adopted at 12. Both women recount family secrecy, their mother’s addiction, and the large birth family that included 11 children, many of whom were placed for adoption. Harriet shares her own fragmented memories of a hidden sister and the circumstances surrounding Michelle’s birth, including their father's incarceration and the mother’s relationships. Karamo presents DNA test results, confirming that Michelle and Harriet share the same biological mother, making them full sisters despite different fathers. The episode concludes with heartfelt reactions, the introduction of another sibling, Cynthia, who explains her past addiction and inability to locate Michelle, and an affirmation that Michelle now belongs to two families. The host offers support for further discovery of Michelle’s biological father.
Chapters
Hold on, let me go back.
52 where? Where? Where? 52. Where? Trust me, I feel it right here in the knees.
Okay, the knees, okay. In the knees, in the knees you feel it. Okay, so tell me what led you to take that genealogy test.
Health reasons and just wanted to know who I am.
I hear that. So you received a message from a potential relative. It said, Michelle, my third cousin, your sister, her name is Harriet Johnson. And her twin brother is blank. She's asking for any contact info. What did it feel like to get that message?
Overwhelming. Very overwhelming. I thought it was a scam. It's very overwhelming.
How long ago did you get this message?
About 4 months ago.
4 months ago?
Yes. 4 months. Wow.
So this is all unraveling right now.
This is new.
All of this is new.
So what happened when you spoke with Harriet?
Everything. We talked and we talked and it's like I've been knowing her forever.
Yeah.
Beautiful. A little weight has been lifted, but it's still that little inkling of, you know, is this real? Is this a dream? Is this real? Are these really, is this really my sister? Did they really find me?
So my producers told me that your mother kept 11 other kids but gave you up. Does that make you doubt if you're related? I'm so sorry, love. There you go.
No. It hurts, but— Here you go, love.
Tissue, thank you.
I was trying to give you one. He was trying to give you one, but you had your eyes closed. I said, oh.
It hurts a little bit, but when I think about why, from what I was told, it's a good thing. And I don't take anything away from my adoptive parents. They raised me very— I had an awesome, awesome childhood. But you know, it's just that you have 11 brothers and sisters that you didn't get a chance to grow up with. You know, I didn't get that opportunity to bake cookies with my mom. I never got a chance to know her. I don't even know if she even got a chance to see me. It was in the '70s when you're adopted. I don't even think they get to look at the child. I don't know. So I'm okay, I'm okay.
So when did you learn that you were adopted?
At the age of 12.
12 years old.
12 years old.
Did knowing you were adopted bring up any insecurities for you?
Yes, it did. It brought up a lot of insecurities. I became rebellious because I felt like they were not my parents and I felt like they've been lying to me. It has affected me a lot in my adulthood as far as relationship goes. I can't have a complete relationship because I don't have trust. I can't trust too well. So yeah, it does. It affects you. It affects you.
So did your adoptive family know your birth family?
They didn't know them.
And how far did you grow up away from your birth family?
I don't know. I grew up in North St. Louis County and they were in St. Louis, but I had a sister, my oldest sister, I found out only lived like about 10 minutes away from where I grew up at.
Wow. Okay.
Never knew it. Wow. Never knew it.
So when did you start searching for your family?
Oh, I was 16.
'Cause I know you got this message 4 months ago, but when did you start searching?
Yeah, I started searching when I was 16.
16.
Yeah, but I didn't want to hurt my mom and dad Dad, you know, we filled out paperwork and I would have to have my mom sign it, but she would never do it. And I felt some kind of way, so I just left it alone until I got grown and was able to do it, you know, without having to have to involve them.
Okay. And what do you wish you could have asked your birth mother before she passed?
Why?
Why?
What was it about me? What was it about me that you had to get rid of me and you kept everybody else? You know, what was the big secret about me? Yeah. Am I angry? A little bit, but I would get over that.
Yeah, got it.
Yeah.
Why do you think she gave you away? Was there any addiction or anything that your mother had?
Yes.
So there was addiction.
Yes. So I look at that as she was giving me a better life, you know, and which my parents did. They gave me an awesome life. They saved me from a lot, you know, from what my sisters, from my siblings were telling me. So, you know, she did the right thing. She did the right thing.
Yeah. Sometimes we want to hear that answer, but it sounds like you already know, especially hearing the stories from them of like, and knowing what you, how you were raised and what you had, that this decision was the best because your life could have been completely different.
Would've been totally different.
Yeah. Yeah. Do you think Harry is your father?
Yes, I want him to be.
You want him to be your father. So what will this mean to you if this is your sister?
Oh, it's gonna mean the world to me. You all don't understand, I only have one brother that my parents had. So for me to have 9 sisters, oh, we coming deep.
Oh, you coming deep, you coming deep, you coming deep. Yeah, we're coming deep. So I know this happened 4 months ago. Have you ever met Harriet in person?
No.
Never met Harriet in person? Well, Michelle, are you ready to meet your potential sister Harriet for the first time? All right, would everyone please welcome Harriet to the show?
Sister?
Yes, it's my sister.
Potential sister.
Yes.
She did see you. She saw you twice.
She saw me twice?
The day she had you and the day she gave you up.
Oh.
Wow.
How are you? Thank you for being here. So why was it important for you to let her know that?
Because when she was born, I was only 2, but my older sister told me.
Got it, got it. How old were you when you heard you might have a younger sister?
How old was your sister?
I was 8 years old.
8 years old.
And my older sister told me that I was not the baby, that I was next to the baby. I was like, we got another sister then, where's she at?
Yeah.
She didn't really go into it. So I asked my mother and my mother said, I said, do I got another sister named Michelle? She was like, no, where you get that from? And I said, well, my sister told me. She said, no, you know your sister. She grows through her means, her means of survival.
Oh, so like her mean streaks. Yeah, and she said, "Don't pay no attention to her." So your mother just tried to like, whoosh it off like it was like gossip and it wasn't real.
Yeah, and then I asked my father about it. I said, "I got another sister named Michelle." He was like, "What you talking about?" He was like, "You the last one." He was like, "Oh, your mother didn't have no more children." Oh. He said she had, You and your brother, you number 11 and your brother's 10. You the last of the bunch.
Wow.
So he didn't know about Michelle.
Oh, he did not. Got it. Why do you think Michelle was put up for adoption?
Well, I heard that when my father got incarcerated, my mother started dating another man and that's who they say Michelle's father is. Mm. Got it. So, and I think that my mother, Didn't want my father to find out. But what I don't understand is she put Michelle in my father's name, which is Johnson, you know? And so it's gotta be a mystery. And during the time that my father went to jail, he was supposed to go home and get the house in order. And then he was supposed to turn himself in, but he never went back. He went to New York. And we lived there and we were born in New York and then we were 9 months, we came back to St. Louis, the police got him.
Got him, arrested him, arrested the guy.
And so I still think that Michelle might be my father's child.
So this was a lot of secrecy around all of this.
Yeah, it was a big secret. It was a big secret and nobody talked about it.
How was it for you growing up with a big family?
It was great, we had big Thanksgiving, big Christmas and everybody was at the house 'cause my mother was the grandmother.
Got it. Was it true that your mother had some addiction issues?
Yes, she did.
She did?
Yeah, my father did too. They both did.
They both did?
Yeah.
Did that affect you all growing up?
No, actually it didn't. It's kind of different from when it is now. Most of the time they was functional people. My mother and father were both—
So they were functional addicts?
Yeah, we lived good. We wore the best.
Yeah.
Yeah, we had everything.
So why did it take so long to start looking for Michelle?
Michelle? Well, I never knew the last name. From the first day I heard her name, I never forgot the name Michelle. I never forgot it.
It was always on your mind.
Yeah.
If your mom lied to you about Michelle, how does that make you feel?
It hurts me because I miss her. I know me and Michelle would've been like best friends. We like 2 years apart. We'd have did everything together.
Yeah.
And so, But I forgive her 'cause my mother, she never would admit that she had another kid. She took it to the grave.
Wow. So why are you so sure she's your sister if your mother never said it and she never admitted it?
Because when I first talked to Michelle, Michelle's, I had asked my cousin, I said, "Is her name Michelle?" And she said, "Yeah." So then I called my sister and then I told her, I said, "Yeah, she found us." And then when I talked, I asked her to give Michelle my number and everything and she did. And Michelle called me like an hour later. I think I asked you how old you were. And you said that I'm 52. And then you said, "All I know is I got a brother and a sister that's twins and I'm 2 years behind them." And I said, "That's me." Okay.
What would it mean to you if Michelle is your sister?
I love it. I love her already. We talk every day. I love her like she never been gone.
Well, I have to tell you, I don't think there's any more time for waiting. I think it's time for the DNA truth. Michelle, you want to know if you were full siblings or half siblings. So I have two DNA outcomes. The first result confirms if you are full siblings. So DNA outcome is to you, Michelle.
I'm sorry, this is really hard.
No, take your time. Take your time. We understand. This has been many years since you said—
50 years, you all, 50 years. Yeah. Okay, here we go. Sorry. We don't share the same father.
I see. It's a possibility.
You don't share the same father?
Mm-hmm.
Okay. So, so then the second result confirms whether you are half siblings. Here you go.
You're the same dad. Yeah, this is important. This is really important, y'all, okay? Doesn't matter, you still my sister.
She look exactly like my mother.
She look good. So it says, Michelle, you and Harriette have the same biological mother. OK, got it. Yeah.
We got a lot of people we got to go beat up.
So you are sisters. You've waited 52 years for that hug.
She looking at me.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my goodness. My sister. Do y'all know how many nieces and nephews I have?
Well, we have a— I'm hearing we have a message from Cynthia. Is that one of your other sisters?
That's my oldest sister.
Oh, what does she have to say?
My name is Cynthia. I'm Michelle's eldest sister. I just want Michelle to know I wish you on this journey all that you owed for the time that you have missed being with your family. I was around when Mama carried you, and I was there during the time that she gave you up for adoption. I might know one of your questions is why didn't I We tried to find you, Michelle. I was addicted to drugs, as I told you, most of my life, and I was incapable of taking care of myself or my own kids, so I couldn't find you. That's no excuse, but that's the story. But from here on out, whatever you need me to do, we're willing to do it as a family, and I wish you well on this journey. God bless you, and I thank him for allowing us to find each other now. Love you, Michelle and Eric.
What she's saying is the same thing I'm hearing from you, is that you have a family now that wants to embrace you and be there for you.
I have two families.
You have two families, you have two families. Now I will say this, I don't know what support we can give you, but if you want any other support in finding out who your biological father is, just know we will give you all the resources we have.
Thank you, I want it, yes.
We will support you, we'll support you. But I wish you all the best of luck. Congratulations.
