Family can be a great source of many things. They can bring us love and support as well as a sense of belonging. Our familias are often our first introduction to relationships and can be a mirror in which we reflect upon ourselves. They can also be a source of some telenovela sized drama.
Every family has their secrets but some are wilder than others. We asked our FIERCE readers to dig all the family skeletons out of their metaphorical closets and they were quick to spill the tea. Here are some of the most shocking and scandalous family secrets they shared with us.
1. The hidden family.
Instagram/ @mexicano._.memes
“Um, that my father fathered several more children [than what] we were told. I think we now have like 12 half-siblings now, only knew if half of them. He’s in his 80s but still, it’s for sure weird. 😣” — @misslopez_if_youre_vasty
2. *Queue the novela music.*
Instagram / @coolrulex
“That my sister almost married our half brother ( not 100% confirm ) and when he found out he went and married another girl with the same name as my sister but different last name he just change the last name at the church.” — @karo056186
3. Romantic entanglements.
Instagram / @daniarenas.usa
“My husband’s brother left his girlfriend for her sister… who happened to date my husband back in the day. They’re married with a baby now.” — @thahomieguera
4. A grandfather in all but blood.
Instagram / @divitha.institute
“That my grandfather (May he Rest In Peace ❤️) wasn’t my biological grandfather. I always wondered why my mom told the doctors that diabetes didn’t run in the family when it was the reason he passed away. 🤦🏻♀️” — @ivonlabombon
5. A secret straight out of the closet.
Instagram / @juixcebox.2
“My moms neighbors tea… the wife thought her husband was cheating so she asked my sister to give her a ride to follow him.. turns out he had a male lover ….now the lady blames my sister for giving her a ride like that’s the problem… and her closet gay husband stayed living there like nothing happened.” — @fitmomofdolls
6. Just plain scandalous.
Instagram / @mudrope
“That my tia stole my abuelita’s will from my moms room in mexico and that she claims she doesn’t have it cause she left more for my mom and wants my abuelito to write another one with more dinero for her!!!!!” — @mishygoldfishy
7. Definitely a premise for a Lifetime Movie of the Week.
Instagram / @reacttothat_
“My mom’s cousin had a boy when she was young while still in Central America. When she immigrated over to the states she had to leave him behind temporarily while she got her life together. My aunt met a man in the US and made a life here. They had 3 daughters. During that time her son grew up and I’m sure became super resentful toward my aunt. At some point my aunt put papers in for her son and brought him to the states. Him and the oldest daughter got SUPER close to the point where it got hella weird. She fell for her brother and they tried to run away with each other. I believe there plan was to go back to Central America. Mind you she was still a minor. He ended up ditching her at the border.” — @pessiyerez
8. Throw the whole dad away.
Instagram / @ohh.she.wyld.af
“So 7th grade. My dad looked me in the face on the way inside our apartment and said ‘Hey! Its time for me to go. I’m leaving your mom next week.’ 🤷♀️” — @kelly_a_stackhouse
9. This tia sounds cool af.
Instagram / @libragoggles
“That one of my mother’s older sister’s owned a brothel in Guatemala in the 70s. And would get her military boyfriend to beat the shit out of any of the men that mistreated her ladies. 🤷🏻♀️” — @pixelatedgum
10. Lost a tio and gained an hermano
Instagram/ @reacttothat_
“My uncle was actually my brother….he was raised by my grandma and my mom played along. My mom was young so my grandma didn’t want my mom’s reputation to be ruined. One xmas when I was 15 my step-dad told my brother my mom was his mom. We didn’t believe it but then our mom confirmed it. We talk about it all the time, how we use to call him Tio but now it’s bro.” — @arco___iris___
11. Say a rosario after reading this secret.
Instagram / @thatsfunnythat
“That my grandma thought my grandfather was cheating and so she cheated him with their church’s reverend.” — @grestmarie
12. The literal definition of “primo-hermanos.”
Instagram / @reacttothat_
“That someone’s prima’s daughter was pregnant by their son’s father🤷♀️ now they’re literally ‘primo-hermanos.’ — @_lilasthebest_
13. Fame doesn’t mean much when you’re a cheater.
Instagram / @me_as_a_millennial_mom
“My grandma dated Freddie Fender back in the 70s, she went to SPI to watch him play.. well she ended up finding him w/ another woman. She was so angry at him she threw his keys in the ocean and left his ass there…men ain’t shit 🙌🏼” — @taramdelagarza
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Sebastian is a young boy who was growing up in Colombia with no biological relatives. A program called Kidsave’s Summer Miracles connected Sebastian with the Barkey family for a summer. During that time, the family fell in love with Sebastian and they decided to secretly adopt him after the program ended and he flew back to Colombia.
The Barkey family fell in love with Sebastian after hosting him for a summer so they decided to adopt him.
The adoption was a true family affair. All of the Barkey children and their parents boarded a flight to Colombia to collect the newest member of their family. The reunion was caught on camera and it is a sweet and honest representation of modern families.
The moment Sebastian sees the Barkey family is an emotional experience for everyone in the room.
Credit: UNILAD / Facebook
Sebastian is walked through the hallways of the adoption agency and led into a room with the family he has grown to love. He is immediately surrounded by the Barkey family who smothers him in hugs. The feeling of excitement and love is palpable from the video.
Sebastian even signed the adoption papers using his new last name: Barkey.
Credit: UNILAD / Facebook
Congratulations, Sebastian. And well done, Barkey family. What a touching and sweet moment captured on camera.
“Gretel and Hansel” is now in theater telling a new version of a timeless Grimm’s fairy tale. We all grew up knowing the story of “Hansel and Gretel” and the lesson of being careful where you go and who you befriend in the world. Mexican cinematographer Galo Olivares helped director Osgood Perkins create a universe as creepy and tantalizing as one would expect from the classic tale.
Galo Olivares is the man behind the haunting and unsettling imagery of “Gretel and Hansel.”
For Olivares, the first thing he had to do was to make sure he found the right place to create the perfect ambiance for the film.
“The first thing that I did after I got out the plane was start scouting, and we realized Dublin, Ireland was the perfect canvas for this story,” Olivares says. “All the team did a great job. We had a great production designer and a marvelous costume designer. Sophia Lillis and Alice Krige were just wonderful so it was pretty easy to come together with all the pieces for this film.”
Olivares grew up with the creepy tales of La Llorona and the story was one that inspires his work on this film.
“I grew up hearing the legend of La Llorona. My grandmother’s house was somehow close to a cemetery and I remember we could see it from the top floor,” Olivares recalls. “We have several legends here in Mexico where we actually celebrate death. We have the day of the dead, which is a beautiful celebration that reminds us that death is part of life. So, I have always been inspired by this universe and I loved being able to bring a small part to this film.”
The biggest thing Olivares wanted to do was give the story a modern upgrade while keeping the spirit of the story intact.
“I remember one of the first things we talked about with Osgood was what he didn’t want this movie to be. Suddenly, we started to talk about Star Wars and how this tale could be timeless,” Olivares says. “That’s why there are many modern details but you cannot tell when is this happening, whether it’s the past or future or another dimension maybe. I always thought of the witch’s house as a kind of mothership.”
You can watch “Gretel and Hansel” now in theaters.
