50 Years After Adoption, Woman Discovers Her Birth Mother Starred in Her Favorite Childhood TV Show

Jun 02, 2021

Adoption happens more often than people think, and many times adopted children spend their whole lives wondering who their biological parents are. Some adopted children search for years and never find any results, and some are not even left with an inkling of their family history. However, DNA testing is one method that has made it easier for adopted children to find their biological parents, even when the adoption record is closed. 

This was precisely the case for 54-year-old Lisa Wright of Los Angeles, California. Wright always knew that she was adopted, but she didn't look for her biological mother or her relatives. Wright's adopted mother had made sure that she knew she wasn't abandoned, but rather that Wright's biological mother was simply young when she birthed her at the age of 18.

After over 50 years, a genetic test revealed to Wright that her biological mother was more familiar in her life than she had thought. Wright's mother, Lynne Moody, was indeed an actress on Wright's favorite childhood TV show. Unknowingly, Wright had been watching her mother on TV almost every day as she grew up. Thanks to genetic testing, the two were able to find each other and reconnect after all these years. In May of 2021, Wright and Moody first found out about their relation over a phone call and later met up for the very first time since Wright's birth.

Read on to learn more about this heartwarming adoption story and how Wright got to connect with her biological mother after more than five decades.

Wright's adoption was closed, which means that the records of her birth mother were sealed. Wright's adopted family and biological family had no contact with each other, nor did they even know each other. According to American Adoptions, roughly 5% of adoptions nowadays are closed. 

Despite this, Wright was able to find her mother, Lynne Moody, through genetic testing, as reported by TODAY. The story Wright's adopted mother always gave was that her biological mother's young age was the reason Wright was given up for adoption. Wright told TODAY:

"My (adoptive) mom told me, 'Your mommy loved you, but she was really young, and she knew she couldn't take care of you. I wanted the baby so bad, and that's why your mom let me take care of you. You weren't abandoned. This was just the best thing for you.'"

Wright was 54 when she used genetic testing to find out about her biological family. She said:

"I get an alert, and it says, 'This person is your uncle.' So I just reached out and said, 'If you're open to it, I would love to chat with you to see what all of this means."

A few days later, Wright spoke with her uncle on the phone, and the discussion went better than Wright had ever expected:

"My heart's turning flips, and he goes, 'Tell me about yourself.' So I said, 'Well, I was born on Dec. 10, 1964. I was told that my biological mom was very young when she had me. She moved to LA because she wanted to be in Hollywood.' And then he just stopped me right there...And so he goes, 'Lisa, you're my niece. We've been looking for you. We've all been looking for you." 

After finding out that her mother lived in Los Angeles, Wright searched for a photo of Lynne Moody online. Wright told TODAY:

"I just could not believe it. For the first time ever, other than looking at my son, for the first time I'm looking at somebody who looks like me."

Moody explained how hard giving Wright up was, as she told TODAY:

"When she was born, they covered my face, my eyes, so that I couldn't see her. But I could hear her cry. All I could say was 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry.' As a mother, you never, ever, ever forget. During those 50 years, all I did was try to learn how to live with it. I didn't know if she was hungry, if she was alive, if she was happy, if she was adopted."

Moody went on to describe the feeling of meeting her daughter for the first time since birth:

"When I found out that she was my daughter, at that moment, it was like I was giving birth. Because I lost my legs, I was on the floor in a fetal position, screaming and crying. I didn't know how deep that hole was."

Upon meeting was when Wright learned that Moody had starred in her favorite 1970s childhood ABC sitcom, "That's My Mama." Wright said:

"I grew up watching my mother on TV and didn't even know it. 'That's My Mama' — that was our must-see TV. We all sat down and watched 'That's My Mama' every week, and who knew? No idea. ... And that's my mama!"

What do you think of this heartwarming story of a daughter reconnecting with her mother after over 50 years? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your loved ones!