Latest news with #MyMomJayne
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘My Mom Jayne': Mariska Hargitay is reclaiming her family story in HBO doc about her iconic mother
Mariska Hargitay was just 3 years old when her mother, Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield, died in a car accident at the age of 34. Nearly six decades later, the Emmy-winning actress makes her feature directorial debut with the documentary My Mom Jayne, which explores her personal journey to understand, honor, and embrace her mother's legacy. Through intimate interviews and an extensive collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, Hargitay grapples with her mother's complicated public and private legacy, uncovering the surprising layers and depth of who Mansfield was, not only to her fans, but also to those closest to her. The HBO documentary premieres June 27 (8 p.m. ET/PT) and will be available to stream on Max. More from GoldDerby Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell take 'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' in today's top stories Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez on how the 'Agatha All Along' cast 'became a coven' when recording 'The Ballad of the Witches' Road' 'Difficult times,' 'screaming matches,' and 'abandonment': David Duchovny and Chris Carter rehash their drama on 'The X-Files' Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings — who each has their own memories of their mother — and an excavation of the photographs, letters, and cherished belongings Mansfield left behind, Hargitay assembles a new picture of the extraordinary, complex woman whose image and legacy she resisted for so many years. With courage and vulnerability, the Law & Order: SVU star engages in the process of opening herself to a new, hard-won collection of memories — and a deeper level of truth. "I've spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother," Hargitay says in the trailer. "Her career made me want to do it differently, but I want to understand her now." Hargitay also delves into family secrets — including the discovery that her own biological father wasn't who she believed him to be. For most of her life, Hargitay thought her father was Mickey Hargitay, a Hungarian-born actor who was married to Mansfield from 1958 to 1964. In the documentary, the actress confirms her real father is singer Nelson Sardelli, whom she first met when she was 30 years old. Featuring film clips from Mansfield's work in the 1950s and '60s, archival footage from her many talk show appearances and interviews, as well as striking personal footage, the film contextualizes the dazzling star power of the most photographed Hollywood celebrity of her day. A story of loss and longing, healing and transformation, My Mom Jayne is a testament to the rewards of an unflinching search for truth, unveiling Hargitay's journey to reclaim her mother's story — and her own. Featured participants in the documentary include Hargitay's siblings Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay, Jr., Zoltan Hargitay, and Tony Cimber; stepmother Ellen Hargitay; and Jayne Mansfield's press secretary Raymond 'Rusty' Strait. Best of GoldDerby Jacob Elordi reveals personal reason for joining 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North': 'It was something important to me' Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez on how the 'Agatha All Along' cast 'became a coven' when recording 'The Ballad of the Witches' Road' Jason Schwartzman on the breakneck 'Mountainhead' production: 'I've never done anything like it in my life' Click here to read the full article.
UPI
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Watch: Mariska Hargitay tries to understand late mom in 'My Mom Jayne'
1 of 3 | Mariska Hargitay learns about her late mom, Jayne Mansfield, in the new documentary "My Mom Jayne." File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 3 (UPI) -- HBO is previewing My Mom Jayne, a documentary about Jayne Mansfield, as told through the eyes of her daughter Mariska Hargitay. Hargitay, 61, an actress best known for playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, is the younger daughter of Mansfield, a Hollywood star who died at age 34 in 1967. "I've spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother, Jayne Mansfield, the sex symbol," Hargitay says in the trailer, out Tuesday. "Her career made me want to do it differently. But I want to understand her now." "I was three years old when my mom died, and I don't have any memories of her," she added. The documentary sees Hargitay interview her half-siblings to learn more about their mother. She also sifts through letters, photos and other things that had belonged to Mansfield for insight. In addition, Hargitay addresses her parentage -- the actress learned in her 20s that Italian singer Nelson Sardelli, not Hungarian bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay, is her biological father. Hargitay was raised by Mickey Hargitay. "She grapples with her mother's complicated public and private legacy, uncovering the surprising layers and depth of who Jayne was, not only to her fans, but also to those closest to her," an official synopsis reads. My Mom Jayne will air on HBO and stream on Max June 27. Photos: 'Law and Order' icon Mariska Hargitay turns 60 Mariska Hargitay and her godchildren attend the premiere of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" in New York City on December 5, 2002. Hargitay has called "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" a "platform to effect change." Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo
NBC News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Mariska Hargitay is on a quest to reclaim her family story in 'My Mom Jayne' trailer
Mariska Hargitay has helped people share their stories for years on TV and through her foundation, and now, she wants to share hers. The trailer for 'My Mom Jayne,' the 'Law & Order: SVU' star's documentary about her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, aired exclusively June 3 on "TODAY." The HBO film, which premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival, is also the first project under Hargitay's newly launched production company, Mighty Entertainment. Hargitay narrates the trailer, which opens with black-and-white footage of Mansfield before jumping to video of Hargitay opening boxes and sorting through memorabilia about her mom. 'I've spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother, Jayne Mansfield, the sex symbol,' she says, as racy images of Mansfield pop up on screen. Old news clips and photos document the Hollywood bombshell's rise to fame. 'I use my pinup-type publicity to get my foot in the door,' Mansfield says in one of the videos. As an image of Olivia Benson — Hargitay's famous 'SVU' character — appears, the Emmy winner explains that her mother's path to stardom made her want to carve a much different career for herself in the entertainment industry. 'But I want to understand her now, ' Hargitay says. She then reflects on losing her parents, saying she has no memories of her mom, who died in a car accident in 1967 when Hargitay was 3 years old. Hargitay and two of her brothers, Zoltan and Mickey Jr., were in the car at the time of the accident. Their father, Hungarian bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, raised them and died in 2006. Hargitay says she's never talked to her siblings, including the oldest — Jayne Marie, whom Mansfield had with her high school boyfriend turned husband at 17 — about their experiences with their mom. The trailer shows Hargitay, who also serves as director of the film, respectively settling her brothers and sister in for interviews. 'Anything you ask, you know I'm there for you,' Mickey Jr. says. 'You have all these memories, and I'm envious of that,' Hargitay expresses in another scene to Jayne Marie, who was 16 when Mansfield died. 'In the beginning, I had her to myself,' Jayne Marie says over archival video footage of her with her mom. 'She'd take me everywhere.' Mansfield, who spoke to the press often and especially loved her fans, took her kids almost everywhere she went on the road. 'When you're a kid, you don't know anything else,' Mickey Jr. says. 'This is life.' Zoltan says in the trailer that their mother's playful on-camera persona, which included a put-on, breathy voice, was 'actually a character.' 'The public pays to see me a certain way,' Mansfield says in an old clip. 'I looked the other way because I knew she was really smart,' Mickey Jr. says of his mom, who was fluent in multiple languages and played violin and piano. 'At home, she was just Jayne,' Jayne Marie says. 'I've heard things that are really ugly,' Hargitay says. 'I don't know that I want to know those ugly things,' says Tony Cimber, Hargitay's half brother, whom Mansfield had with ex-husband and director Matt Cimber. Hargitay revealed publicly for the first time in a May 2025 interview with Vanity Fair that her biological father isn't Mickey Hargitay, but Italian singer Nelson Sardelli. The topic also appears to be touched upon near the end of the trailer. 'I pulled out this picture, couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was like the floor fell out from underneath me,' Hargitay says. 'Why didn't he tell me?' Hargitay asks brother Zoltan. She told Vanity Fair she once confronted their father about Sardelli but said he denied the claim, and she never mentioned Sardelli to him again. That's just one layer to the documentary's narrative, which has a singular, larger focus for Hargitay. 'Reclaiming our family story — that is what this is about for me,' Hargitay says over clips of her siblings coming together in a garage full of their mother's memories, 'because she's a part of me.' 'I want to know her as Jayne — my mom, Jayne,' she says, as the video fades to black showing footage of Mansfield smiling and playing the piano.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mariska Hargitay Confronts Her Late Mother's 'Sex Symbol' Legacy in Emotional 'My Mom Jayne 'Trailer
HBO released the official trailer for Mariska Hargitay's feature film directorial debut My Mom Jayne The documentary will debut on HBO and Max on June 27 In the trailer, Hargitay says that her mother's "career made me want to do it differently, but I want to understand her now"Mariska Hargitay is reclaiming her mother's story — and her own. HBO released the official trailer for Hargitay's directorial film debut My Mom Jayne, which will premiere on HBO and Max on June 27. "I've spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother, Jayne Mansfield, the sex symbol," Hargitay, 61, begins in the trailer. "Her career made me want to do it differently, but I want to understand her now." When Hargitay was just three years old, she, along with her two older brothers, survived the car wreck that killed Mansfield, then just 34, in 1967. The film will hit Max just two days before the 58th anniversary of Mansfield's death. "I don't have any memories of her," Hargitay says in the trailer. "And then my dad died in 2006. I've never talked to my siblings about their experiences," she says of her sister, Jayne Marie Mansfield, brothers Mickey Hargitay Jr. and Zoltan Hargitay, and youngest brother, Tony Cimber, all of whom are featured in the documentary. "I don't know how the hell you got me to do this," Mickey Jr. says in the trailer with a good-natured laugh. And while speaking to her sister, Hargitay admits that she's "envious" of Jayne Marie's memories of their mother. "In the beginning, I had her to myself," Jayne Marie shares. "She'd take me everywhere." Hargitay also discusses what she calls her mother's "persona" with her siblings as they examine Mansfield's "pin-up" public image. The mother they knew widely differed from the bombshell presented to Hollywood. Says Mickey Jr., "I looked the other way because I knew she was really smart." Later in the clip, this time speaking to her youngest brother Tony, Hargitay says that she's "heard things that are really ugly." "I don't know that I want to know those ugly things," says Tony in response. Mansfield was married to Tony's father, Matt Cimber, for roughly a year, during which time they welcomed Tony. Hargitay also address the keeping of family secrets that she's done for years, and how she's gained a newfound understanding that the secrecy doesn't honor anyone. With the initial premiere of My Mom Jayne at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, Hargitay revealed in the documentary that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her, but rather a former Las Vegas entertainer named Nelson Sardelli. The actress opened up further about the shocking revelation in an interview with Vanity Fair, telling the outlet that she went to see Sardelli perform in Atlantic City, N.J., when she was 30 years old. Moved to tears when Hargitay introduced herself, Sardelli said, 'I've been waiting 30 years for this moment.' But Hargitay said she found herself giving him a tough time and going "full Olivia Benson on him," referring to her SVU character. 'I was like, 'I don't want anything, I don't need anything from you.… I have a dad, '' she recalled telling him. 'There was something about loyalty. I wanted to be loyal to Mickey.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As the trailer comes to a close, Hargitay says that she set out on this journey to "[reclaim] our family story. That is what this is about for me. Because she's a part of me. I want to know her as Jayne. My mom Jayne." The North American premiere of My Mom Jayne will take place during the Tribeca Film Festival on June 13 in New York City before the documentary debuts on HBO and Max on June 27. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebs Who Discovered Biological Parents Later in Life: Mariska Hargitay, Orlando Bloom and More
Mariska Hargitay, Jack Nicholson, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler are among the most notable stars who discovered major revelations about their parents later in life. In the case of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Hargitay, she learned as an adult that her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, had a secret fling that resulted in her birth. In another astounding story, Jackie Chan was abandoned by his parents as a young boy when they fled persecution from the Chinese government. Some of these celebrities and their biological parents were able to find catharsis when they finally reunited, though there are notable instances where families have been torn apart entirely. Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy conceded on The Drew Barrymore Show that a startling discovery about her biological dad damaged her relationship with the man who raised her. 'That was a relationship I sort of let dissolve [and] disintegrate,' McCurdy said in 2022. 'There wasn't really much there to begin with.' Looking Back at Mariska Hargitay's Mom Jayne Mansfield's Untimely Death in 1967 Keep scrolling for a look back at the compelling stories of stars with shocking parental revelations: In the 2025 documentary My Mom Jayne, Mariska revealed for the first time that the man who'd raised her — bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay — wasn't her biological dad. Her mother, Hollywood icon Mansfield, split from husband Mickey — with whom she had two other children — and engaged in a brief affair with Italian singer Nelson Sardelli. The fling was short-lived, and Mansfield soon returned to Mickey once she learned she was pregnant. They raised the child together until Mansfield was tragically killed in a car accident that also severely injured 3-year-old Mariska in 1967. Mariska found out Sardelli was her biological father in her 20s, though Mickey denied it all in his one and only conversation about the topic with the Law & Order star. Nonetheless, Mariska forged a relationship with Sardelli and his family that continues to this day. 'I do know that everyone made the best choice for me,' she told Vanity Fair. 'I'm Mickey Hargitay's daughter — that is not a lie.' The Pirates of the Caribbean star grew up believing that his mother Sonia Bloom's husband, the novelist Harry Bloom, was his biological dad. Harry died at age 68 in 1981 when Orlando was just 4 years old. At age 13, Orlando's mother told him that his biological father was actually family friend Colin Stone. Colin had taken an active role in helping Sonia raise Orlando even before the future Lord of the Rings star learned the truth. 'We would always spend weekends with [Colin],' Orlando told The Times in 2020. 'He was trying to be there for me in his own way, but he was busy. When I first found out, I was like, 'Great, when can I move in with you?' But that didn't happen. He was married. And that was quite hard for me.' His mother, Sonia, insisted to Hello! Magazine in 2003 that her son grew up with 'a very happy background' despite the family secret. 'Orlando is not sad,' she insisted. 'It was marvelous when he learned that Colin was his father. He was brought up surrounded by a loving family.' The Lord of the Rings actress grew up with mother Bebe Buell and her on-off rocker boyfriend Todd Rundgren. While Todd signed Liv's birth certificate as her father, Buell kept hidden that Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler was actually Liv's biological dad. Steven wrote in his memoir, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir, that he first learned about Liv's existence in 1980. Liv noticed her own physical similarities to Steven as she grew up and finally put the pieces together when she spotted her half-sister Mia Tyler at one of Rundgren's concerts. 'I kind of figured it out [that Steven is my father] because he looks exactly like me and I have sister, named Mia, who is a year younger than me,' Liv recalled on The Jonathan Ross Show. 'I saw her, standing on the side of the stage at a concert, and literally, it was like looking at a twin. She looked exactly like me. I looked at my mom and she had tears in her eyes. I kind of put it all together.' A Guide to Liv and Steven Tyler's Family Controversy: Parental Revelation, Sex Advice and More Liv went on to star in Aerosmith's 'Crazy' and 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' music videos. However, she admitted on the 'Sibling Revelry' podcast in April 2025 that her relationship with Rundgren suffered once she reconnected with Steven. 'I think it's probably still very hard and painful,' Liv reflected. 'I don't speak to him enough, I love him and I have brothers from him and I had a whole family with them. But I was a kid, so it was really hard because he was mad at my mom, and then suddenly Steven was there and we did a paternity test and it was positive and so we moved to New York. I think I was 11 or 12.' Rundgren discussed the awkward situation with WXPN in April 2019, admitting that Steven's involvement impacted his own relationship with Liv for many years. 'Fortunately, there is a happy ending there,' he said. 'Just talking about the way everything came about, what happened during the relationship. It was always the one subject in my life that I was most sensitive about; my relationship with Bebe, and such. For years, I was very upset about the fact that [Liv] essentially forgot that I was her father. Things turned out to be a lot of fun for her. I got completely sidelined for a while, and I got bent out of shape about it.' The Batman actor learned in a truly shocking way that the woman who raised him was not his biological mother. A Time reporter broke the news to Nicholson in 1974 that the woman he'd always thought was his mother, Ethel May, was actually his grandmother, and his 'sister,' June Nicholson, was actually his biological mom. Because June got pregnant at age 17, her parents agreed to bring up Jack as their own child. Jack was informed by the magazine's researchers that his biological father was alive and living in New Jersey. This revelation was particularly difficult for Jack because he couldn't discuss it with his mother or grandmother — they died in 1963 and 1970, respectively. 'Both grandmother and mother were deceased before this particular group of facts came to my attention,' Jack told Rolling Stone in 1986. 'I was very impressed by their ability to keep the secret, if nothing else. It's done great things for me.' He went on, 'I mean, I don't have to question the abortion issue in my mind. It's an open-and-shut case where I'm concerned. As an illegitimate child born in 1937, during the Depression, to a broken lower-middle-class family, you are a candidate for — you're an automatic abortion with most people today. So it's very easy for me. I don't have to get into the debate of when does the thing come alive. And I'm very pleased to be out of it, 'cause it's not an easy issue.' Daisy discovered as a teenager that her mother, fashion designer Pearl Lowe, hid the truth about her father being Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale. Until she was 15, the model believed her mom Pearl's ex-lover Bronner Handwerger was her dad and that Rossdale was her godfather. The revelation had huge repercussions on the lives of everyone involved. Pearl wrote in her memoir All That Glitters that Rossdale — who was married to Gwen Stefani at the time — was furious when a DNA test confirmed he was indeed Daisy's dad. 'Daisy beamed when I told her the result. … Later that day I emailed Gavin,' Pearl wrote. 'There was no response. When Daisy eventually succeeded in speaking to him, Gavin appeared more concerned with venting his anger about my behavior than engaging with his daughter. All this was very hard on Daisy. She spent most days in tears but it is a testimony to her maturity and strength of character that after she overcame her initial hurt she got on with her life.' Father and daughter eventually mended fences, with Daisy telling The Guardian in 2015 that it was a long and difficult process to forge a relationship with the rocker. 'I was so happy the day I found out Gavin was my dad,' she said. 'I'd always looked up to him. But it was still a s***show trying to get over it. There's no handbook. As a 15-year-old you have to pull yourself together anyway.' Daisy confirmed on 'That Gaby Roslin Podcast' in 2022 that she'd become close to Gavin and Gwen's three children — Kingston, born in 2006, Zuma, born in 2008, and Apollo, born in 2014. (Rossdale and Stefani split in 2015.) Gavin Rossdale Gives Rare Insight Into His Former Home Life With Ex-Wife Gwen Stefani: 'Fantastic Times' 'I love them all so dearly," she said. "I FaceTime with my brothers over in L.A. at least once a week. Kingston is the same age as [my sister] Betty actually. Zuma and Apollo are a bit younger, a bit less into FaceTime understandably. Whenever I go to L.A. I always have the best time with those boys. They're such brilliant kids." Gavin made a rare public comment about his relationship with Daisy after she got engaged to real estate agent Jordan Saul in 2022. (Daisy and Jordan welcomed daughter Ivy Love in April 2023.) 'Daisy has just got engaged. I played some music to her fiancé, my future son-in-law, when they were with me in L.A. and he wrote to me that he loved the new tracks,' he revealed to Metro in 2022. 'He's a budding amateur fighter, so I think he just likes the strength. I don't know what else he likes but he's a really good person so I'm super excited about him.' Jennette wrote the powerful memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died about her troubled childhood and abuse she endured from her mother, Debra McCurdy, who died in 2013. Following Debra's death, her husband, Mark McCurdy, began dating one of Debra's closest friends, a woman referred to as Karen in I'm Glad My Mom Died. With Karen's encouragement, Mark told Jennette that he wasn't her biological father. 'I remember feeling like I got the wind knocked out of me. My mouth was really dry,' she recalled on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2022. 'I think I hugged him and his then-girlfriend sort of, like, joined the hug, and she was well-meaning, but I was like, OK, this is just a hug between us two.'' The Nickelodeon actress said she was ultimately disappointed in the way Mark revealed the shocking news. '[He said,] 'It's not your fault you were born.' Then he repeated it, he doubled down and then tripled down,' she said. 'I thought, 'This is the weirdest thing to say to somebody after you've just told them you're not their biological father.'' Jennette recalled feeling equally stunned to learn her biological dad was a local jazz musician, whom she referred to in the book as Andrew. The iCarly actress went with costar Miranda Cosgrove and other friends to introduce herself to Andrew at one of his concerts. Andrew confirmed to Jennette that he'd known he was her father all along but never reached out because he wasn't sure whether Debra ever told Mark the truth. During her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Jennette said that the revelation made sense in hindsight because she 'always felt' Mark was 'pretty disengaged and disconnected' throughout her childhood. 'That was a relationship I sort of let dissolve [and] disintegrate,' she said. 'There wasn't really much there to begin with.' Tim opened up on Q With Tom Power about meeting his father, legendary New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies baseball player Tug McGraw, at age 18. Tug had a brief fling with Tim's mother, Betty Ann D'Agostino, when they lived in the same Florida apartment building. Once D'Agostino became pregnant, her family sent her away to Louisiana and later led Tim to believe D'Agostino's first husband, Horace Smith, was his father. Tim finally learned the truth at age 11 when he found his birth certificate. Tug denied being Tim's father for seven years but eventually agreed to meet him. In his 2023 interview, Tim recalled being presented with a legal letter by Tug when they met. 'We sat there in silence for about five minutes just looking at each other,' Tim remembered. 'And I finally said, 'Look, I'm happy to sign this [legal agreement] and I'll get out of your hair. It's not about the money. I'll work three jobs if I have to. It's not a big deal. I just want to know, do you think you're my father?' And he said [to me], 'Yeah, I think so. I know so.'' According to Tim, Tug then offered to tear up the legal agreement so they could forge a relationship. 'He said, 'I want you to be part of my family,'' Tim said, before revealing with a laugh: 'I didn't hear from him for a year.' Tug died at age 59 in January 2004 after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Tim honored his father by spreading his ashes on the pitcher's mound at the Phillies' home stadium Citizens Bank Park during the 2008 World Series. The 2003 documentary Traces of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family delves into the action star's extraordinary background as the son of a Shanghai gambler (his mother, Lee-lee Chan) and a clandestine political operative (his father, Charles Chan). Under political pressure, Jackie's parents fled China in 1949 and later left 6-year-old Jackie behind to attend school in Hong Kong when they moved to Australia in 1962. 'The fact that his mother was an opium smuggler, a gambler and a 'Big Sister' in the underworld was a big shock to Jackie and also to us," Traces of a Dragon director Mabel Cheung told The Guardian in 2003. "Everybody in Hong Kong knew that his mother was like a common housewife, very kind, very gentle." Jackie reconnected with his parents a few years later. In the 1990s, Jackie learned his real name was actually Fang Shilong, as his father had changed their family's surname from Fang to Chan to avoid scrutiny from the Chinese government. He was told his parents each had two other children from previous marriages, whom Jackie had never known of. The entire family was eventually reunited in Australia in the late 1990s. The Stranger Things actor's mother, Hollywood icon Patty Duke, was involved in three romances around the same period in 1970 with then-17-year-old Desi Arnaz Jr., Addams Family star John Astin (who was married to Suzanne Hahn at the time) and rock music promoter Michael Tell. Duke quickly married Tell when she got pregnant, but their union only lasted 13 days. She raised her son Sean to believe John was his father since they eventually got together following John's 1972 divorce. Duke confessed to Sean when he was 14 that Arnaz was actually his biological father — though Sean eventually learned this was not true. Sean underwent a DNA test to confirm that Tell was his biological father all along, despite Duke's insistence that she'd never consummated her 13-day marriage. Sean told People in 2001 that he was able to develop 'a good relationship' with Tell, though he would always think of John as a father. 'I don't fault anybody, I don't fault myself or with Desi, who is like my godfather, I have such a powerful love bond with this man, he's a gorgeous human being,' Sean said. Duke remained skeptical about the possibility of Tell being her son's father, telling People in 2001 that she simply 'didn't buy the [DNA] test.' 'I can support [Sean's] truth as long as my truth, if not supported, is respected. I have told him I know what I know to be true,' she insisted. 'When God looks me in the eye and says, 'Anna Marie [her real name], you have been mistaken all these years,' then I will consider [Tell's paternity].' Duke died at age 69 in 2016 from sepsis caused by a ruptured intestine. In the 2025 docuseries The Judd Family: Truth Be Told, Wynonna opened up about her famously complicated relationship with late mother Naomi Judd. The country music icon grew up believing her mother's first husband, Michael Ciminella, was her biological father but learned in her 30s that she was conceived during Naomi's brief fling with another man, Charles Jordan. 'There was all this pressure and everybody kinda freaked out, and [Jordan] went off to join the Army,' Wynonna explained. 'Look, I understand it, but I was really angry with her about it. I was so devastated that I thought there was a part of me that's missing. The glass is half empty. Learning about my birth father, I feel more like him than I do my mother in certain areas. And I think Mom was terrified of that half of me because she couldn't control it. She couldn't bring it in and train it. That's why Mom was very hard on me.' Wynonna never got a chance to meet her biological dad because Jordan died in 2000. Naomi died by suicide at age 76 in April 2022. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at
