>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
SO TODAY WE ARE EXAMINING DNA
SHOCKERS, SOMETHING OUR NEST
GUEST EXPERIENCED FIRSTHAND,
WHEN IN ONE MOMENT HIS IDENTITY
CHANGED.
WATCH.
GROWING UP IN FLORIDA STEPHEN
KING PROUD OF HIS FAMILY LINEAGE
ESPECIALLY HIS GRANDPARENTS
CLEVELAND AND LOUISE KING.
>> MY GRANDPARENTS WERE SO
HIGHLY REGARDED IN THE
COMMUNITY.
MY GRANDMOTHER WORKED AT THE
LOCAL SCHOOL.
MY GRANDFATHER START ADD
CARPENTER SCHOOL.
>> STEVEN'S LIFE, HOWEVER, WAS
MET WITH TRAGEDY AT 2 YEARS OLD
WHEN HIS FATHER DIED.
>> I ALWAYS MISSED HIM AT SCHOOL
FUNCTIONS, BIRTHDAYS, HOLIDAYS,
THE BIRTH OF MY CHILDREN.
>> WHEN STEVEN WAS 7 YEARS OLD
DURING HIS GRANDMOTHER'S
FUNERAL, HE OVERHEARD SOME NEWS
ABOUT HIS FATHER.
>> I OVERHEARD MY MOTHER TELLING
ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER THAT MY
FATHER WAS ADOPTED.
>> BUT YEARS LATER, HE HEARD
CONFLICTING INFORMATION.
STEVEN WANTED ANSWERS.
>> DUSTY OLD COURTROOMS, LUGGING
OUT GREAT BIG BOOKS AND RECORDS.
>> FINALLY IN THE SUMMER OF
2016, STEVEN TOOK A DNA TEST ON
ANCESTRY.COM.
THE RESULTS SHOOK HIS WORLD.
>> I WAS NOT BY LOGICALLY A
KING, DESPITE ANYTHING THAT HAD
BEEN TOLD ME.
THAT'S PRETTY DEVASTATING.
>> KING DISCOVERED HIS FATHER
HAD ADOPTED AND HE HAD NO
BIOLOGICAL CONNECTION TO HIS
BELOVED GRANDPARENTS.
>> YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE
LITERALLY DETACHED FROM THE
UNIVERSE, LIKE YOUR IDENTITY IS
GONE.
I WAS LEFT TO SORT OUT 62 YEARS
OF SECRETS AND LIES TO DETERMINE
WHO MY FATHER'S TRUE FATHER WAS.
>> WOW, STEPHEN KING IS WITH US
NOW ALONG WITH CATHERINE ST.
CLAIR.
YOU TWO MET THROUGH CATHERINE'S
SUPPORT GROUP.
>> CORRECT.
>> YOU'RE LIVING PROOF
CONNECTING WITH OTHERS CAN BE
HELPFUL.
>> INDEED.
>> FIRST CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT
FEELING OF LIKE WHY IT WAS SO
DEVASTATING TO FIND IT OUT.
SHOCKING, OF COURSE, BUT WHY
UPSETTING AND DEVASTATING TO
YOU.
>> IT'S SUCH BASIC INFORMATION
ABOUT YOUR INDIVIDUALITY THAT
SHOULD NOT BE REVEALED VIA A DNA
TEST OR AN E-MAIL.
>> YEAH.
>> SUCH PERSONAL DETAILS SHOULD
BE REVEALED BY YOUR FAMILY.
>> SO YOUR DAD WAS ADOPTED?
>> CORRECT.
>> YOU DEBATE KNOW THAT.
>> -- YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT.
>> I KNEW THAT.
>> THERE WERE SECRETS AND LIES
AROUND HIS FATHER.
>> HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT WHEN HE
GREW UP, HE KNEW HE WAS ADOPTED?
>> HE KNEW HE WAS ADOPTED.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HE WAS TOLD
ABOUT HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER.
>> SO WHY WOULDN'T HE JUST TELL
YOU AND EVERYBODY FROM AN EARLY
AGE IN YOUR LIFE THAT HE WAS
ADOPTED?
>> SO I LOST MY DAD THREE MONTHS
AFTER MY SECOND BIRTHDAY.
SO I WENT THROUGH MY WHOLE
CHILDHOOD GRASPING FOR EVERY
DETAIL, TIDBIT OF INFORMATION
ABOUT HIM.
AS IT WAS TOLD FIRST GETTING THE
INFORMATION AT 7 YEARS OLD THAT
HE WAS ADOPTED.
THEN A FEW YEARS LATER SOMEONE
SAYING THIS MAN WAS YOUR FATHER.
THEN LATER ON TO FIND OUT 20
SOMETHING YEARS LATER THAT THAT
WAS NOT TRUE.
>> SO THE BOTTOM LINE YOU WALKED
AWAY WITH WAS YOUR DAD WAS
ADOPTED.
YOUR PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS, WHO
YOU ADMIRED SO MUCH WERE NOT BY
LONDGE -- BIOLOGICALLY RELATED O
YOU BUT THEY ARE STILL YOUR
GRANDPARENTS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU A KING.
DO YOU FEEL THAT?
>> I DO FEEL THAT NOW.
AT THE TIME 2 1/2 YEARS AGO, IT
WAS DEVASTATING.
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE COMPLETELY
A STRANGER TO YOUR SELF.
NO PERSON SHOULD NEED TO GET
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT
THEMSELVES THROUGH THAT METHOD.
>> HOW DID YOU FIGURE IT OUT
ULTIMATELY, THE WHOLE STORY AND
WHO YOUR DAD'S PARENTS -- WHAT
DID YOU DO ONCE YOU GOT THE
ANCESTRY TEST BACK TO GET MORE?
>> I WAS CONNECTED WITH AN
ONLINE GROUP SEPARATE FROM THE
FRIENDS GROUP.
I WAS BLESSED TO GET IN TOUCH
WITH A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS.
THEY HELD MY HAND THROUGH THE
PROCESS.
THEY WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE
ULTIMATELY WHO MY TRUE PATERNAL
GRANDFATHER WAS.
>> THEN WHAT DID YOU DO?
>> THANKFULLY I HAD A FAMILY
WELCOMING ME ON THE OTHER SIDE.
MY FAMILY HAS GROWN IMMENSELY
SINCE THEN.
I'M VERY PROUD.
THAT'S BEEN A BLESSING.
UNFORTUNATELY SO MANY IN THIS
SITUATION, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT
WELCOMING FROM THEIR FAMILY.
THEY HAVE DOORS SHUT IN THEIR
FACE.
THEY ARE TALKED ABOUT.
THEY HAVE HATEFUL THINGS THEY
SAID TO THEM.
WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME IN THE
GROUP.
>> IT'S ACTUALLY THE NORM.
>> TO PEOPLE OUT THERE THINKING
ABOUT TAKING A DNA TEST, AS TWO
PEOPLE WHO WENT THROUGH IT AND
GOT BACK RESULTS OTHER THAN YOU
EXPECTED, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND
DOING IT?
>> I THINK I WOULDN'T SAY I
RECOMMEND DOING IT.
BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT, BE
PREPARED BECAUSE YOU ARE OPENING
PANDORA'S BOX.
AND THE INFORMATION YOU WILL
DISCOVER VIA ONE E-MAIL, COULD
BE LIFE CHANGING.
>> RIGHT.
IT'S NOT EVEN LIKE WHEN SOMEONE
GINGERLY DELIVERS BAD OR
SURPRISING NEWS TO YOU, YOU GET
AN E-MAIL.
>> RIGHT.
>> THERE'S NO SETUP FOR THIS IS
A BIG MOMENT AND HAVE A SUPPORT
GROUP NEARBY.
>> EXACTLY.
>> LIKE YOU ON THE PHONE WITH A
WOMAN WHO SAID, I KNOW EXACTLY
WHEN I'M LOOKING AT.
WELL, LISTEN, IT'S GOOD YOU HAVE
EACH OTHER, RIGHT?
>> INDEED.
>> AND YOU'RE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT
IT.
THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE AND
TELLING US YOUR STORY, T