You Started Denying Me After 49 Years! | KARAMO

I believe that my brother Ishmael is my dad's son, but my father insists on denying him.

I don't believe that Ishmael is my son because of the fact that Ishmael's mother, you know, she started dating guys that I hung out with. And so when we got back together, within a week she's talking about she's pregnant. Just seemed very quick, you know, that all of a sudden you're pregnant.

He has stated over and over and over again that Ishmael is not my brother.

But when he was born, the spirit that came from me was like, "This is not your son." He didn't look like me. And as he grew, he started looking like the guy who I seen her with. I'm like, "Wow." Really, me and Ishmael really never bonded. He doesn't even call me dad.

And what really pissed me off is that my father went talking about my brother behind his back. Ishmael had no clue that my dad was running around here not claiming him.

I told one family member about my doubts, and from there, I guess that family member told everyone, and now everyone know it.

My brother has been so upset that I want to get to the bottom of this.

I still don't believe it because I don't see myself in Ishmael.

I believe in my heart that Ishmael is actually my father's son. And when these tests come back today, we will prove that Ishmael is my brother.

I just need to know the truth.

Everyone, please welcome Rashonda's potential brother Ishmael so we can hear his side of the story. So Ishmael, from your perspective, why are you here?

I'm here because I definitely wanna know why this man is continuously denying me.

Yeah.

I've been, in the family continuously forever.

Yeah.

You know, since birth, you know. His sisters and brothers, my aunts and uncles, lived with my cousins, you know, forever. You know, we've been together and done everything together. You know, for him to wait 49 years to deny me makes no sense to me.

Yeah.

Like, you could've done this at birth. You could've done this when you said you felt that in your spirit that I didn't look like you. That's the reason why he denies me because I don't look like him. I look like my mother. I'm a spitting image of my mother.

Yeah. But during that time, you always believed he was your father?

Always. I've tried to build a bond with this man. I've tried to just be present in his life. Being a father is just being present. I have 6 children myself.

Yeah.

I am present in my children's life continuously.

Yeah.

Like always.

Yeah. How did you find out he was denying you?

My other sister called me and told me, telling all our family members.

And this is all recent?

This is all recent. He's caused drama upon drama within my family.

Did you confront him?

I did. And I asked him, I said, "Why are you denying me?" Yeah. And he told me some story about how when him and my mother broke up, my mother had went on a date with one man. She didn't like the way he was dealing with her. She went over to his house and he had a whole 'nother girl over there. And she left. From what I was told, there was no relationship, physical relationship done.

Yeah.

So that's when my mother and him got back together again and then I was conceived.

Got it. And he's saying he has doubts because of that one moment.

Yes.

Got it. Is there any possibility that someone else could be your father?

None.

And was Larry in your life when you were younger?

No, not, I'm not gonna say no, I'm gonna say I was in his life. I tried to be with him, but we never connected. And the reason why I feel we never connected was because his mentality is streetwise. He was always in the streets, always in the drugs. Me, I took a completely different route.

Yeah. Is it true that you don't call him dad? I heard him say that.

No, I don't. I don't.

When did you last, have you ever called him dad?

Honestly?

Probably once or twice in my life. I can't call you dad or father and you haven't built anything with me. Like it's something where it's inside of me. It feels foreign when I say dad to you because I know what a father should be doing.

Yeah.

You know, the man that I am today is because you weren't the man you were supposed to be then.

Mm.

Well, I think it's time to meet Larry and hear his side of the story. So everyone please welcome Larry to the show. How you doing, Larry?

Yeah.

Nice to meet you. Thanks for being here.

Yeah.

So how long have you had doubts about Ishmael?

Ever since I was 20.

Whole life.

Since you were 20.

Whole life.

I mean, I was like, let me say like this. Well, at 20 years old, at my time in the '70s, it was a lot of that pimp and hoe type atmosphere, if I may say that.

Yeah, yeah. Okay. You can.

All right. So my attitude was like, you know, you don't be around my woman and I'll be around yours at that time. So, but we never argue about, if she choose you, she choose you, boom, you know? So next thing I know, she was with this guy who like I grew up with. And she was with him for a minute, you know, so.

What's a minute? How long?

I figured about a month, month and a half or so. Okay.

So that ain't nothing.

I'm just saying now. So when we got back together, within, I'd say a couple weeks, she's telling me she's pregnant.

So is it true that your mother told you that I wasn't yours?

No, no, no, no, no. You sure? No, no, I know that.

Because, because—

My mother had nothing to do with that.

You sure?

Yeah, I'm sure, stop. Listen, when she told me she was pregnant, it wasn't nothing to me because see, like I said again, we ran the street at 70. Mm-hmm. Okay, so.

So at 70, there wasn't father figures in the '70s?

No, there wasn't no father figures in the '70s.

You sure?

No.

You sure?

No, I know, I walked it. I walked that. I knew there wasn't no father figures.

Just because you didn't have a father figure.

No, man, but I didn't have one then.

You didn't have one.

I didn't have one then.

I didn't have one either, but I came out a great father.

Venetia, Venetia.

I came out an amazing father.

I came out a great father.

I take care of children that I ain't even biologically mine, and they love me like their father.

I came out a great father.

Did you?

Yes, I did.

How?

With a heart of charity.

When is my birthday?

Ishmael, you talking about yourself.

When is my birth— I'm your son!

But Ishmael—

What you talking about yourself?

Listen, I don't know that.

When is my birthday?

I don't know that, Ishmael. Listen, I could say something, but I can't say nothing, okay? It was in the spring that you was born. I could say that much, all right? So for what? 'Cause I don't even know my oldest son's birthday.

Okay.

And I love him in my heart, okay? You gotta understand what I'm saying. I don't even know his birthday. So I don't even know my girl's birthday. I don't even know my oldest daughter's birthday.

So that contradicts everything you just said about being, I'm a great father.

Father. That ain't got to be none of father's children, does it?

Let me, let me say this for you. You listening?

I'm listening.

August 30th, that's your birthday. March 11th. See, July 25th.

I'm not you.

February 7th. June 6th. That's all 6 of my kids' birthdays.

But you grew up with them. You grew up with him.

And you had the opportunity to grow up with him.

Did you grow up with your children?

You damn right I did.

Alright then, I didn't.

And that's your choice.

You chose that. No, I did not choose that. You don't know the '70s, man, you wasn't in the '70s. No. So don't talk about the '70s like you know me.

Then tell me about the '70s, .

I'm an old man.

So did you tell people that you were not his father recently?

I told one person, I said, "That don't fit Ishmael here." I told her, "Act right, man." Told my younger, my little brother.

So you told your little brother?

He told everyone.

Got it. And did you realize that information could get back to him?

I really didn't care.

No.

No. Because I ain't gonna see me hiding anything. I'm not hiding anything.

So I know he has another sibling, a brother that shares the same mother. Did you deny that other son?

Never have.

Never have, never have.

I was with him all my life.

No, you wasn't. If you was with him, you was with me.

I disappeared then.

Exactly, so you wasn't with him.

Hold up, I went to jail then. All right, I went to jail then.

You was in jail most of your adult life, James.

That's what I'm trying to say to you, Steve.

But you can't tell me you was a father.

But that got to fuck with who?

Excuse me.

All right, sorry.

But that got to do with the father shit if I was in jail. You ain't making sense now, man.

I wanna do this. I wanna meet Rashonda, who is your daughter, your potential sister, and hear what she has to say about all this. Rashonda, please come on out. So my producers told me that you're actually the one that wrote the show.

Yes, I did.

Okay, here you go, love.

Thank you.

So what make you write the show?

Why?

Okay, first let me start off 'cause I was watching it from the back, and in my father defense, my father has been on drugs all of our life.

Okay.

So for me, I feel that you have to meet people where they are. I have learned to meet him where he was, you know, because I have dealt with the same thing, family members saying that I wasn't his daughter. There's plenty people that say that I'm not his daughter. So, but my father never denied me. But with my brother's situation and my father, it kind of hurted me that my father was saying that this wasn't my brother because I've known him all my life as my brother. So I begged my dad not to repeat that. And my thought process was, if this is not your son, then that is his mother place to tell him. And you should've had a conversation with his mother and then let her speak to him about whatever took place back then. Me and him wasn't back, we weren't born then. Or well, we were just born, but we don't know what took place back then. So I begged my dad not to say nothing. I don't know who he told, but he told somebody, okay?

But sis, just to backtrack on what you said, meeting them at where they at, I tried to do that. You have.

My brother.

I tried to do that.

You have, you have, you have.

At a young age.

He has, he has.

I'm walking the streets and I'm trying to find you where you living at. I done came and sat down on the porch and sat down with this man.

Well, I think we shouldn't waste any other time. Ishmael, are you ready for the DNA truth?

Definitely.

Come on, walk with me. Ishmael, in this envelope is the truth of who you are. For 49 years, you have known this man as your father. You have thought he was your dad, even though he wasn't around for you, you have still tried to make a connection. And as of recently, he has now started to publicly deny you. And he wants answers. You want answers and you deserve those answers. In this envelope is your truth. It's your truth to open, not mine. So good luck.

Thank you. I need you to look at me, man. Please.

Baby.

This right here is nothing but conviction of the drama that you caused. This right here is nothing but solidifying you not being in my life. It's just regret. You missed out on an awesome person that I am. Also, when this shows what I'm telling you what it's gonna show you, cameraman, I want you to look directly in his face and you are going to apologize to my mother.

Woo!

Sis! You my sis, right?

I love you, Larry.

I love you.

You know I love you.

You know I love you.

Larry is your biological father. Hand to me.

Come on.

Oh, you can read it all day. You can read it all day. 'Cause I'm gonna take this to your peoples too. And I'm gonna show them as well. I'm gonna put it right in they face. But please, the camera's all yours, my man.

Apologize, Daddy.

I apologize then for what I have spoke on, which shouldn't have never got out anyway. And I will talk to you.

You should have did that before when I told you to do it in September.

I couldn't get to her. I got injured. You don't know everything. It's running, it's running. It's vroom, vroom, vroom.

I'm speaking truth, my man.

Truth or not, you're not giving away understanding of what's really going on. 'Cause it's parts of everything.

Truth. Yeah.

You know, you're not seeing how it's really been chopped up.

Larry, let me talk. I'm happy that you got your answers.

Yeah.

I'm happy that you got your answers. I'm happy to answer myself.

I understand your anger, but there's something that you might not expect me to do, but I need to do this. You were right for asking him to give an apology to your mother, but my heart has been breaking this entire time I've been on this stage. Because I'm sorry to you. I'm not your son. And this is not to take away your feelings because what you've been through, I understand the pain and the hurt. But in my profession, I can also hear what he was going through. And all I'm hearing was a young boy who did not have guidance, who said he didn't have his father, who didn't understand, who was hurting. And the pain you're feeling, I just see it all in you.

Yes.

And even at 71, I still see all that pain in you. And I'm so sorry. I'm sorry to— No, no, you deserve it too. I'm sorry to the young man that didn't get that guidance, that didn't get that love, that didn't get that support. This is where we forget, like, this is why the cycles happen in our families and the trauma continues on because we don't realize that the same trauma you experiencing he experienced. And if I went back a little bit further, I'm almost positive his father experienced the same thing. And it has never been broken until now.

Until now. Yeah.

That's true.

So what I'm asking you is not to put your guns aside, but to remember he's trying. So when he says, "I'm sorry," what could you give a response?

I mean, right now is, "I understand." Yeah, and that's all I need to hear.

That's it.

You know, that's all I need to hear.

You understand? That's a huge step, which means now if you can trust that, you can have conversation with him and say, "Hey, the work is I need you just to call me on Sunday. The work is I need you to just at least once tell me you love me." Yeah. The work is, and then you can start to set the boundaries, but you have to trust first that he'll do the work.

Yes.

So are you willing to try to trust?

I'm honestly willing to say I'm willing to try. I am.

Tell him, tell him.

Tell him.

I know it's hard. I know it's hard. I know it's hard.

It's so hard.

I know.

Mm-hmm.

I am willing to try.

Mm-hmm.

Karamo.

Let me tell you something, you both, have taken a big step on this stage of not only finding your truth, but have taken a step towards a healthy relationship. And what I know, because I've done this for a long time, is that there's people who don't take these steps, that there is love in your heart, there's love in your heart, and that this can be healed. So I thank you for knowing that you could trust this place. Thank you.

I'm glad.

Listen, okay, I wish y'all both the best of luck. I wish all y'all the best of Good luck. If y'all need something, y'all need somebody to talk to, y'all got my producer number. They'll get you in contact with me. We will definitely talk. I wanna be here for y'all, okay?

Thank you. I truly appreciate that.

Yeah, you're welcome. Thank you for trusting me with y'all's story.