Every family has its secrets.
This ranges from the tame — like a grandma who stole her famous chocolate chip recipe — to the straight-up scandalous.
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Case in point: one person found out that their grandpa is a murderer !
For more dirty laundry, here are 10+ family secrets that will seriously shock you.
Content warning: This article contains discussion about sensitive topics that readers may find upsetting.
The bastard child.
This Redditor shared that their parents “had” to get married after discovering that they were pregnant with the Redditor’s sister. They even lied for years about their wedding date to cover it up.
The hidden identity.
“My great grandmother wasn’t actually Mexican but rather was adopted by a Mexican family from a Chinese family who was being kicked out of Mexico when railroad construction was over. She always had more typically Asian features but only spoke Spanish and it was never really questioned.” – u/bustyodust
The family ties.
“My cousin is actually my sister. Apparently my mom got pregnant really young and her much older sister adopted my sister and raised her as her own. It was actually an amazing moment when we found out.” – u/voice_of_craisin
The murderous grandpa.
When a dead girl was found on this Redditor’s grandfather’s property , everyone just assumed she had been killed by drug dealers.
Not so — when his grandkids came forward with molestation accusations, people started to realize that grandpa probably killed that girl.
The bad back.
“This is kind of messed up, but my parents told me my mom had a bad back because I pushed on her spine during birth. this was what I thought all my childhood. I think I was in my teens when my older brother told me my dad pushed my mom during an argument and she fell and had to have surgery.” – u/thtssotrue
The death bed.
“About a month ago, my mother-in-law’s 88 year old sister revealed on her death bed that her husband’s best friend was actually the father of all 4 of her children. Her husband was an abusive grade A jerk by all accounts. While everyone was shocked, no one was saddened by this news.” – u/roo1ster
The bad uncle.
This Redditor was shocked to discover that a murderer exists in their family. Their uncle killed four girls when they were in high school and it was their dad who found out and told the police.
The gangster.
“My great grandfather didn’t die of cancer. He died from complications after being shot when one of his businesses was being robbed. Maybe. He also spent a lot of time in Atlantic City. He also had a lot of partners in the Teamsters and other unions in coal country. Also, everyone called him “smiling Tony’ but his name wasn’t Tony.” – u/Amenra7
The biological father.
“I was 35 when my mother finally admitted to me that she’d been lying about who my birth father was. She waited until after I’d reached out to his other children and we all thought we were siblings. He later confirmed I wasn’t his. She refused to tell me who my biological father really was.” – u/EmeraldLevinbolt
The affair.
Christmas dinner didn’t feel so joyous when this Redditor discovered that their uncle had an affair with their mother. After a DNA test, it was discovered that their sister is actually the uncle’s daughter.
The cover-up.
“After I was molested by my uncle, it came out he had done this to another one of my sisters and my family covered it up, particularly my mother. Now I know why my sister didn’t like how close my uncle got to me when I was younger.” – u/SallyPandza
The half sister.
“A buddy of mine met a girl at a bar. They totally hit it off. He told his parents about her and his Dad took him outside and told him not to date her because she was his half sister.” – u/NotSeriousAtAll
The fake gravy.
Everything this Redditor knew about their late grandmother was shaken when they discovered a huge secret . Turns out that the grandmother’s incredible gravy recipe she used for catering was just KFC gravy mix! LOL.
The fake sister.
“When my sister was diagnosed with cancer and her survival chances were low, it inevitably came out that she wasn’t my sister… Parents must have felt we should all know the truth just in case. She survived her treatment, and will always be my sister.” – u/a_kid_a_91
The dirty laundry.
“When my mother fell ill and I took over her finances I found thousands of pounds of gambling debt on her credit cards. Then I found adoption papers for a child she’d had before me that she’d never mentioned. Then another family member told me my dad didn’t die in a car crash but committed suicide in prison.” – u/Cocobean4
The brother/uncle.
This Redditor’s family has closer family ties than they thought.
They discovered that their uncle is really their brother since their mom had him when she was so young. This resulted in the grandparents raising him.
The first cousins.
“My grandparents are first cousin’s… an uncle on the same side of the family is in prison for the assassination of a presidential candidate (family still says he was framed and is innocent).” – u/Cervesaz
The baby daddies.
This Redditor’s sister cheated on her husband all throughout their entire marriage.
As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, all three of her kids have different biological fathers. Someone call The Maury Show !
The Nazi killer.
“My grandmother always told us my grandpa was a cook in WWII. At my grandpa’s funeral, my great Uncle gets up and says ‘Danny was the best damn gunner we ever had in the Army. Nobody killed more nazis than him.'” – u/AGuyFromLA
