Hopie Feek grew up believing that country music star Rory Feek was her father, but a DNA test revealed that he is not.
In an Instagram video, Hopie Feek said she took a 23andMe DNA test after always feeling "a little bit different" from her family. The results led her to connect with her biological father, who she said has shown her an "unconditional love" she had never experienced from a father figure.
Now in her 30s, Hopie Feek has spent much of her life on Rory Feek's Tennessee farm and was there during prominent family moments, including the 2016 death of Rory Feek's wife and musical partner, Joey Feek, according to Taste of Country. Hopie Feek has also played a key role in the life of Indiana Feek, Rory Feek's daughter with his late wife.
Hopie Feek and her sister Heidi Feek spent most of their childhood with Rory Feek but later reconnected with their mother, Tamara. In 2018, Rory Feek admitted that Hopie Feek coming out as gay challenged his Christian beliefs.
In recent years, tensions within the family have escalated, with Rory Feek reportedly cutting his daughters off from seeing Indiana Feek.
Hopie Feek said reconnecting with her biological father has brought her a sense of healing. In her video, she shared a photo of them together and admitted she tracked him down online before reaching out.
"Within 24 hours of finding him and messaging him on Facebook, he was here at my doorstep just to give me a hug and meet me," she said. "I've never experienced unconditional love like that before."
Rory Feek responded to the news in a blog post, saying he did not know but always suspected as much. He admitted he has had little contact with his daughters over the past year, making Hopie's Feek call an unexpected surprise.
"I didn't know,' I told her, and I didn't," Rory Feek wrote of learning he was not her biological father. "But in another way Hopie, it doesn't completely surprise me."
Rory Feek said had raised Hopie Feek as his daughter and nothing would change between them.
"I love you as my daughter and I always will," Rory Feek recalled telling her.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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