In this Karamo talk‑show episode, sisters Trinelle (18) and Chanel (19) recount the violent loss of their mother in 2010 and the subsequent abuse they endured while living with a family member (referred to as Sanelle). Trinelle describes severe physical and emotional neglect—being locked out of the kitchen, beaten, and forced to sleep on a porch in winter. Two years ago she reported the abuse, but Chanel, fearing retaliation, lied to investigators and claimed nothing was wrong. This betrayal fuels Trinelle’s deep mistrust. The sisters also clash over a recent financial dispute involving rent money sent to Chanel’s bank account, which she delayed returning, leading to accusations of lying and threats. Throughout the conversation, both express a desire to repair their relationship, apologize, and seek security from each other. Karamo provides empathetic commentary, framing their mutual trauma as a shared source of both division and connection, and offers a concrete tool: each sister pledging to be the other’s “security.” The episode highlights themes of childhood trauma, sibling betrayal, the impact of lying for self‑preservation, and pathways toward reconciliation.
Chapters
In 2010, my mother was murdered. My sister Chanel and I then went to live with another family member. That family member was extremely abusive to me. She would beat me. She would lock up the kitchen and not let me eat. One time she made me sleep on the porch in the middle of winter. There was a foot of snow on the ground. 2 years ago, I finally had enough and I reported everything. I thought I would finally be safe, and Chanel lied to the investigator. She said nothing was going on in the house. She knew what I've been going through, and she did nothing to help me. I had to run away from home. I was bouncing around to different people's houses. I was sleeping on the street sometimes. When I needed my sister the most, she wasn't there for me. I don't know if I can ever trust her again.
Everyone, we'll hear from Trinelle later, but first welcome Chanel to the show. Thank you for being here. I saw you getting emotional when your sister was talking. What was going through your mind?
She's never told me that she doesn't trust me. So just hearing her say that, it's like kind of hurtful because we've had conversations about everything that's going on and everything that happened. And why couldn't you tell me that? Why would you say that now? You could have told me that you could never trust me again.
[Speaker] I understand. So what's going on with you and Trinelle?
[Speaker] We argue so much. Every month there's something new.
[Speaker] Yeah.
[Speaker] And then we don't talk. It's just, you know, It's the same thing over. It's the same cycle and I'm sick of it. I'm trying to better us. I want us to actually have a good relationship and I wanna be able to trust her.
Yeah, of course. Of course. Let's go back to the beginning. So what do you know about the circumstances surrounding your mother's murder?
I watched my mom be murdered.
Oh, I did not know. So sorry.
I was 5 years old and at the time we were living in Chicago on the South Side. We had a house. And it was broken off into apartments and we stayed in the top floor apartment. So one of her male friends that she was dealing with had set her up and we met the guy the night that it happened and I think we had went to bed but we were in the room next to her and I heard some commotion. So when I got up, I watched around the corner and you know, I seen everything that happened.
Very sorry to hear that, seriously. And so you moved in with a family member after that?
Yes.
What was it like to live in that home?
So with the family member we were staying with, we were living in Chicago at first. Everything was, you know, everything was pretty okay. And then we moved outta town to a different town, like 2 hours from Chicago. It's like she changed. She changed. She was very verbally, physically abusive.
So why did you lie to the investigators about what was happening?
I was scared. You know, I didn't know what to do.
Yeah.
I was very, very scared of what would've happened when I got home because everything that happened, I found out I was in school when everything happened.
Yeah, got it.
The school called me down to the office and I seen Trinelle in the office and I'm like, why am I here? And she didn't tell me. But when I got in the office, they laid it on me and I didn't know anything.
And how did that affect your relationship with Trinelle?
We didn't talk.
After that?
No.
At all?
No, we didn't talk.
Wow. Did you ever try to explain to Trinelle why you lied?
Yes, I've apologized.
Yeah. Do you and Trinelle still live with this family member?
No.
Okay, good. Just wanna make sure. And you're 19 now?
Mm-hmm.
And she's 18?
Yes.
So you're still young. Okay. And what happened when you asked Trinelle to help with some money for rent?
So I have this like friend or whatever and he needed to pay his rent, but he didn't have like a bank account. So when the money was sent to her bank account, she didn't send the money to him right away. And I'm like, why are you lying? She basically said that she didn't have a debit card, but I asked her if she had a debit card before everything started. But when it came time to send this man his money for his rent, she don't have a debit card all of a sudden.
Got it. Yeah, okay. And do you want a better relationship with your sister?
Yes, I do. I really do.
Yeah.
I called the show, you know, 'cause I watch you every day.
Yeah.
Every day.
Thank you, appreciate that.
I really love you and I know you gonna keep it real with her.
You ain't gonna sugarcoat it.
I'm gonna try to, I'm gonna try to.
You not gonna sugarcoat it with her.
So I want somebody other than me because I don't feel like she listens to me.
Okay, well I think it's time to hear from your sister. So everyone please welcome Trinelle to the show. Thank you for being here.
Thank you.
So how do you feel about what your sister just said?
To be honest, I don't know. I just, I feel I'm hurt, you know?
Yeah.
I feel like some of it wasn't the truth. I feel like I don't trust her. Like, I don't trust, there's no trust. Like, I just feel ultimate betrayal. At certain times it's so hard that I can't even look and talk to my own sister. And you know, for her to live in the same household as this family member and watch me go through everything that I was going through and then when it came time to tell the investigators what was going on with us, she lied and told them that nothing happened and she was there with us.
Karamo, I was a child just like she was a child. I was going through the same thing and we both were scared. So you can't really sit here and expect me to, you know, You didn't tell me anything. You and—
You made the plan. I just don't feel like I had to tell you anything when you were there watching it. They asked you what was going on. They asked you what was going on. And you had the opportunity to tell them that, "Yes, this is what was going on," to get us out of that situation, and you didn't. And that's why I'm hurt. That's why I'm hurt. I feel like you was there. You could have told them what happened and you didn't. That's why I don't trust you. I don't trust you at all. And it's hard to even look at you at times because you was there when it was going on.
What was it like when you were living there?
It was, to be honest, it was nothing. Like, it was bad. Like, it was all bad. Like, I couldn't eat at times, weeks and weeks at a time. I was put outside in the winter. I slept outside on the porch in freezing cold weather. I mean, it was bad. It was bad.
Was Sanelle supportive of you during that time?
I mean, no, not really, but I wasn't really there. I started working when I was 14, so I wasn't always in the house. Karamo, I'm not gonna sit here and say she's lying. She's telling the truth. Everything she just said, it happened. But at the same time, I was young and I didn't know anything.
Sanelle, I just want an apology. I just wanna start over. I apologize over and over. I don't know what you want from me.
I feel like there's excuses.
I feel like the—
I apologize to you.
I just want a sincere apology. I just want you to say you sorry. I'm sorry for everything, Chanel. Don't get me wrong, I want a better relationship with my sister, but the first thing to bettering a relationship is admitting that you wrong. I admit it, I admit it, I'm saying I apologize. I told your business, I did all the trivia stuff, but I'm hurt, Chanel.
I'm hurt. I must not apologize to you, Chanel.
I want an apology.
I must not apologize.
Apology, but we have to feel like you mean it. I wanna feel that you mean it.
Can I ask you a question? Why did you run away from home?
Because I couldn't deal with it.
Yeah. And so the relationship has been hard for you to have one.
Yeah.
Because once you left, you just feel like—
Yeah. And she's never, I'm just now hearing this. That's why I'm kind of shocked because we talk and I've apologized. I apologize and I even cried about the situation and I feel like she just making it seem like it's really just her that was affected by the situation when it was me too.
Yeah.
Because you know what I went through after y'all left. I was the only one up in there. You know what I went through working every, I was in school and I was working every day. Every day, every single day, you know? And I was coming home and I didn't have nobody. And when they left, I was by myself and I felt bad for lying.
I just feel like it was hard. It was hard to come out and tell how I feel all at once because at the end of the day, I'm still dealing with it myself.
Yeah, of course you're both dealing with it still. What happened with the rent money?
I feel like I was going to send it. I just didn't have a car at the time. I was getting threats saying what they were going to do.
What threats did you get from me?
What they were gonna do to me.
When did I threaten you, Tranelle?
You threatened me.
I did not threaten you.
Don't you sit here.
And she lied. That's why I can't do it with her 'cause she lies about everything.
She kept saying that, oh, if the man comes to get you, he's gonna do whatever he gonna do. By you being my sister, what type of stuff is that to tell me? Why would you tell me that? Like, why are you more on his side than mine? And you my sister.
Because you had his money in your account.
Do you wanna be closer to your sister?
I do.
And do you wanna be closer to your sister?
I don't think she do.
Do you wanna be closer to your sister?
Yes.
You do? You do?
I do.
Yeah. You know, the trauma that divides you two is the same trauma that connects you two. You do know that, right?
I feel like that's the only thing we have in common is what our feelings for the person we were living with at the time. That's the only thing I feel like we have in common.
I mean, none of us here can really imagine what you've been through except for each other. And you have to work through this. And there's something that you all both kept saying to each other. She lies, she lies. I can't trust her. She lies, she lies. I wanna make sure everyone understands this, and especially for you two, When people have been in situations where you've been through, where you've dealt with trauma and death at a young age, but then also dealing with abuse, abandonment, all these things, you're looking for security. And when individuals in your experience are looking for security, they lie because they don't know if they say something, if it's going to affect their security. And so I understand that in that moment you were trying to find your security because you didn't feel secure in this house. So you called, looking for somebody for protection. But your sister on the opposite side was looking for security too. And she doesn't know if I tell the truth, what's gonna happen to all of us. Could we separate? So you have to also understand that every time you call each other a liar, there's a reason that you all have had to experience these lies or say these things or do these things. Even when I'm hearing about this money and this rent, like I don't think you're lying, but I understand that when people have trauma, they see things their own way. They see it through their lens of how they experienced it because trauma informs us to say, this is what I'm experiencing. I can't see what you're going through. This is what I'm going through. And both of y'all are looking for the other person to say, do you see what I'm going through? And then you're saying, can you see what I'm going through? But that's blocked right now. That's blocked right now. So instead of calling each other liars and calling each other these names, say, I understand that sometimes, next time you wanna call your sister a liar, say, I understand you're looking for support. You're looking for security. Next time you wanna call your sister a liar, say, "I understand you're looking for security 'cause we didn't have it as little girls, and I'm sorry for everything you went through. I'm so sorry." But neither of you could control what you went through, and you're blaming each other for those things. You're both young, you didn't know. And so now you're 18 and 19 trying to find that security, and you're gonna find it. You're gonna find it. You hear me? But make sure you say to your sister, listen, if you don't have security, I'll be your security. No more fighting. Can you turn to your sister and say, I'll be your security?
I'll be your security.
Can you say it? I'll be your security. You'll be her security.
Give your sister.
You both know how hard and how fast life can be. Hold onto each other. What I'm trying to give you is just a small tool. I'm not trying to minimize your experience. I'm giving you just a small tool, a word that you haven't used before. I heard all these other words. Security. That's the word, okay? Be there. And if there's any supportive things that I can give you, know that I'm here for you, okay? All right, you're welcome. Listen, I love you all.
