After A DNA Test, This Woman Learned Her Dad Was A Reality TV Star
In recent years more and more companies are catering to people curious about their family history. For 45-year-old Phyllis, uncovering the truth about her biological father has always been the biggest mystery.
Now, a few decades and one DNA test later, Phyllis uncovered the truth about her father -- he's a famous reality television star. Who is the mystery celebrity? Well, keep reading to find out!
DNA Testing Can Uncover A Few Mysteries
DNA testing has come a long way in the past few years. So much so that people can't wait to buy the kit, spit into a vial, and ship it off, eagerly awaiting the results that will no doubt astound them.
From personality traits to regions of the world they had no clue their ancestors were from, DNA tests uncover more than one fascinating mystery about a person and their background.
It All Started With Phyllis' Son
While no one thought there were secrets in the family, Phyllis' son couldn't resist the knowledge they'd learn as a result of one of the DNA tests. So, he decided to take one, not thinking much of it.
The thing is, the one little test was about to change the family forever. Soon, they were going to have to look for a lot of answers to questions that were long since hidden.
He Was Very Eager To Do The Swab Test
It was actually Phyllis' soon-to-be daughter-in-law who brought up wanting to take the test and wanting to learn more about the family she was about to marry into. More specifically, she wanted to learn more about Phyllis.
Phyllis' soon-to-be daughter-in-law decided to gift a DNA swab test to her fiancé, hoping to learn more about his family history. He was all too eager to swab the inside of his mouth and ship it off for results!
Something Was Wrong With The Results
Finally, the day had come when Phyllis' son's results came in. It should have been a fun time for the family, reading through the history. In truth, he wasn't sure what new information was going to come out of the test.
He knew a lot of a family history solely from asking his parents throughout the years. But when he opened the test results, he immediately knew something was wrong.
There Was A Lot Of Missing Information
When Phyllis' son opened the test results, he immediately knew something was off. It was almost as if the company sent the wrong test results to him. Instead of getting some things clarified, he was left with more questions.
He needed to go to his mom, Phyllis, to clear some things up. Well, at least he hoped she could. After all, there was a whole lot of missing information that should have been there.
Numbers Were Missing From A Pie Chart
After realizing there was a lot of information missing from his test results, information regarding his family's ethnicity he knew thanks to his parents, he went straight to the source -- Phyllis, his mom.
There was a missing percentage in the test result's pie chart, which didn't make much sense. Now, it was time to find some answers. Hopefully, his mom would be able to fill in the missing numbers.
They Were Scratching Their Heads
Once he got in contact with his mom, Phyllis was just as confused as her son. During an interview, she said, "[My son] told us, 'It doesn't make sense. There’s some stuff missing here that we were told were part of our ethnicity.’ And I looked at it and said, ‘You’re right! This isn’t matching up with what we’ve been told."
That made them scratch their heads. What on earth was going on?
It Was Phyllis' Paternal Side That Wasn't Matching Up
After looking over her son's rest results, Phyllis noticed that everything on her maternal side was correct. It was the other side, her paternal side, that seemed to be all over the place. There was literally information missing!
Of course, Phyllis decided another pair of eyes were in order. She called up her brother to share the results. He agreed, something was definitely wrong with the results. But he had no idea what.
Maybe She Wasn't Fully Related To Her Siblings?
Phyllis' bother thought maybe their family had been lied to in the past? Or, on the other side of the coin, maybe their dad's side of the family just never truly knew their ethnicity.
All of which would explain the missing percentages from the pie chart. That's when a crazy thought popped into Phyllis' mind. What if she had a different father than the rest of her siblings and was never told?
Phyllis Wanted To Get To The Bottom Of This
What was going on with her family? Was Phyllis truly only a half-sibling to her brother and sister? Two people, who she believed she was 100% biologically related to her entire life?
She had to get to the bottom of this mystery and learn the truth. And to do that, Phyllis was going to have to make another phone call. And, this time, she hoped the person on the other end of the line had some answers.
It Was Time For Another Test
So much for a simple DNA test! Instead of discussing the cool findings of the test, Phyllis and her family were on a wild goose chase to figure out the strange mystery surrounding her background.
It was actually Phyllis' sister who decided the only way to know their relationship for sure would be for her and Phyllis to take a test. It was the only way they could rule out Phyllis having a different father.
This Wasn't The First Time A Different Dad Was Brought Up
It wasn't the first time the concept of Phyllis having a different father than her brother and sister came up. Over the years, family members would make fleeting comments about "the other father." But Phyllis never took it to heart, even though she always felt a bit disconnected from the rest of her family.
Not to say she didn't love them, she absolutely did. It's just that Phyllis always thought she was different from her brother and sister. She just didn't know just how different.
Phyllis And Her Family Were Beyond Curious
Even though she felt a bit disconnected from her brother and sister over the years, Phyllis loved them. They were her siblings to matter what the test results said. But that didn't mean she didn't want to get to the bottom of this weird family mystery.
It took some convincing, but at the end of the day, Phyllis agreed to take a DNA test. She was just as curious as everyone else, after all.
She Wasn't Exactly Surprised
The thing is, Phyllis wasn't overly shocked at her son's test results. She always felt different. The test just proved that her feelings weren't misplaced. Even so, she decided to go ahead with a personal test.
During an interview, Phyllis said, "I wasn't shocked. I really wasn’t. It just kind of was like, 'Hmm. I’m thinking this might kind of be a moment where I learn that what I’ve suspected all along might be true."
DNA Test: Take 2
While Phyllis wasn't keen on taking the test at first, the more she thought about it, the more she realized this might be the only chance she had to learn the truth about her background.
So, she and her sister both did a DNA swab test. Now, it was just a matter of waiting around for the results. What were they going to say? Were Phyllis and her two younger siblings really not related?
The Results Came Back, Proving They're Half-Siblings
During an interview, Phyllis explained the results of her and her sister's DNA tests. She said, "[My sister] wanted to find out, and she did a DNA test. And so, I finally did one. And when I did, it came back that they were my half-siblings. So, I knew for a fact at that point [our father was different]."
How remarkable! For over four decades, Phyllis and her younger half-siblings were led to believe they were 100% biologically related.
Up Next: Who Was Her Father?
Phyllis always thought she was a bit disconnected from the rest of the family, and now she knew why. She had some mystery father she never met, let alone knew about! Now, it was time to figure out who the man was.
While Phyllis and her family figured out the missing percentage from her son's DNA pie chart, they stumbled upon a new mystery -- who on earth was her biological father?
It Was Time To Investigate
The good news is that the DNA test doesn't just show a person's ethnicity and ancestral roots. It also has this neat feature that allows a person to see who they're actually related to around the world.
Would this be the key to finding Phyllis' long-lost biological father? During an interview, Phyllis said, "[Receiving the results] allows you to then investigate – you can find out who your DNA matches are, who are you related to."
Phyllis Always Felt As Though She Was Missing Something
She might have been a bit skeptical about taking the DNA test at first, but now that she had the results and proof in her hands, Phyllis was all too ready to find out the name of her biological father.
It was time to find the missing piece of the puzzle, the piece that made Phyllis feel like an outsider in her own family. But it wasn't going to be easy.
Her Family Tree Needed A Facelift
Phyllis started by redesigning her family tree, something she did with the help of her husband, Tony. With a bit of help from the DNA test company's website and doing a bit of independent research on the internet, they were able to find the missing pieces of Phyllis' mysterious family history.
By the end of their extensive research, Phyllis had a solid list of men who could potentially be her biological father. Interestingly, one name stood out in particular.
Phyllis Thought She Knew Who Her Dad Was
After extensive research, Phyllis and her husband had her family tree pretty much set. There were only a few blanks left that needed to be filled in. During an interview, Phyllis said, "We could fill in a lot of blanks, and had it, kind of, down to just a few blanks, and had it narrowed down."
While narrowing it down, one particular name jumped off the page. A name that had Phyllis saying, "I think I know who this might be."
He Was A Reality TV Star
Now when she said "I think I know who this might be," she meant in the general sense. She didn't know this man personally. In fact, she's never seen him anywhere but on the cover of magazines and on television.
He was a huge American reality television star! Could this man potentially be her biological father? After a huge family mystery and multiple DNA tests, how crazy would it be to find out she was related to a famous person?
Her Potential Father: Phil Robertson From Duck Dynasty
As it turned out, the name on the list Phyllis was familiar with was none other than Phil Robertson, the patriarch on the A&E hit series Duck Dynasty. How crazy is that?
Meeting a parent for the first time must be stressful enough, but throwing a celebrity into the mix must bring a whole new level of anxiety into the equation. The thing is, she wasn't 100% certain he was her father.
Phyllis Decided To Write A Letter
A million questions were going through Phyllis' head. One of which was if Robertson even wanted to meet her. But she'd come this far and wasn't about to turn away without at least trying to find out if he was her biological father or not.
So, she wrote to him, explaining everything she and her family went through to eventually wind up with his name. Now, the ball was in his court.
She Had So Many Questions
During an interview, Phyllis explained how she went about the letter since the last thing she wanted was to disrupt Robertson's life. She said, "We prayed about this a lot. We got counsel from people that were close to us, godly people."
"And we thought, you know, how do you write a letter like this? No matter who it is. We didn't want to disrupt someone’s life; I knew he was married, I did not want to hurt her."
Phyllis Was Going To Fly To Louisiana
Phyllis needed to do this for herself, though. And being people of faith, she believed that Robertson and his family, also people of faith, would accept her letter. The thing is, she didn't have the utmost faith in the postal service, at least not with something as important as that letter.
So, Phyllis and her husband came up with a plan B. They were going to visit the Robertson family in Louisiana.
Phil Was Preaching At A Sunday Service
After a bit more research, Phyllis and her husband stumbled across the perfect place to meet Robertson -- at his church. As it turned out, he was scheduled to preach during a Sunday service in December. It was perfect!
It was planned. Phyllis and her husband were going to make their way to Louisiana and sit in and listen to Robertson's Sunday Christmas service. To say she was a bundle of nerves would be an understatement.
Excitement And A Whole Lot Of Nerves
Sitting in church, Phyllis couldn't believe this was happening. She was beyond excited. During an interview, she said, "I thought, how cool is it that the first time I'm seeing my dad, he's preaching the gospel…I mean, that to me was like, that's a cool dad."
Even though she thought it was super cool that her potential father was preaching during a Sunday service, she was nervous to speak to the man.
Phyllis Knew Nothing About Phil Robertson
Honestly, what did she know about Phil Robertson, aside from the fact that he and his family were popular reality television stars? Answer: absolutely nothing. But Phyllis had her husband in her corner.
During an interview, she said, "I was nervous. I sat out in the parking lot thinking 'Am I gonna really do this go in here?' And my husband was a cheerleader, he was like ‘You can do this! You’ve come this far; you can do this.’"
He Was Surrounded By Bodyguards
So, they went into the church to listen to the service. But when they got there, Robertson wasn't yet in the building. That's when he arrived, escorted by more than a few bodyguards. "So, we made it into the building, you know, we're sitting in the pew… And [Robertson] walk[s] in with like an entourage of bodyguards," Phyills shared during an interview.
"And I can’t just hand him a letter, you know?"
Phyllis Didn't Know What To Do So She Sat In Church
Not only was she scared to give the reality star the letter, but now she had to consider the fact that armed bodyguards surrounded him. How in the world was she going to get past them?
She sat and listened to the man who could potentially be her biological father preach, thinking the entire time that she would only have one chance to give him the letter. But that chance came and went without her going up to Robertson.
She Couldn't Give Phil The Letter
"At one point, I cried," Phyllis admitted during an interview. "And then [Phil] bugged out pretty quickly. Like right away." With Phil gone, had she missed her opportunity? No, she had come way too far to give up now.
It was on to plan B (perhaps C). She was going to hand the letter to someone else in hopes that they'd be able to give it to Robinson. The question was, who?
She Gave The Letter To Jase Robertson
That's when she noticed that one of Phil's sons was still in the church. Phyllis recognized him from her research, his name was Jase, and he was potentially her half-brother! Without thinking about it too much, Phyllis walked right up to Jase and asked him to deliver the letter.
Phyllis explained the situation during an interview, saying, "I walked right up to [Jase and told him], 'Here you go, here’s this letter. Will you please give this to your dad? This is really important to me.'"
Everything Changed A Few Weeks Later
Thankfully, Jase was all too accommodating. He greeted Phyllis and was very friendly, telling her that he would make sure the letter found its way to his father. Now, it was a waiting game.
Phyllis wasn't going to be surprised if she didn't hear back from the Robertson family. They probably had more to worry about than some random woman claiming to be Phil's long-lost daughter. A few weeks later, everything changed.
There Were Two Letters!
But first, what actually happened to the letter Phyllis handed Jase? Not only that but what about the second letter? The one she actually sent via snail mail to the Robertson's store, Duck Commande?
During an interview on the podcast Unashamed with Phil Robertson, Jase explains what happened with the letters. He said, "So I had that letter, but I didn't read it… A week later, I stopped at Duck Commander, where she also had sent a letter." It turns out, Phil didn't know about the letter yet.
Jase And Al Had To Get To The Bottom Of Things
Jase continued on during the interview, saying, "They handed me [Phil's] mail. It’s the same letter, that I had in my bag – it’s another version of it because she was smart enough [to write two]. So I came down, and then when Al and I go through the letter, I go back and look at the original, and I’m like 'Oh, I already had this!"
Now, curiosity got the better of Jase and Al. They just had to see what this random woman penned two letters for.
Should They Tell Their Parents?
After reading the two letters, the brothers realized they said the exact same thing. This woman, Phyllis believed their father, Phil might be her biological dad! That would mean they have a half-sister.
But how could they prove if it was true? Were they going to have to take one of these DNA tests themselves? And, most importantly, how in the world were they going to break the news to their parents?
Phil Wanted The Paternity Test
During an interview on his father's podcast Unashamed with Phil Robertson, Al explained his feelings towards the news. He said, "It was hard for me to sleep during this time because my mind was just spinning with the possibilities."
"And part of me was excited, cause if it was true, you know, I mean I have a sister out there. So that's kind of the way we had the conversation." Ultimately, it was Phil who wanted to get the paternity test.
Phyllis Is 100% Phil Robertson's Long-Lost Daughter
What they thought was going to be immediate results turned into a few days of nerves and anxious thoughts. Did they have a sister? What were the test results going to conclude? Then, after 2-3 days of waiting, the results finally came in.
After a boatload of mysteries and questions surrounding her biological father, Phyllis finally had the answer she was looking for -- she was, in fact, the daughter of Phil Robertson!
They Reached Out To One Another With Open Arms
What started off as a mystery resulted in Phyllis finding out the truth; her father was Phil Robertson, the star of a reality television series. After the results came in, it took no time at all for Phil to ask Phyllis to fly down to Louisiana to meet the family.
She did, and it was an emotional meeting, to say the least. In the end, she found exactly what she was looking for -- the truth about her biological father.
