Viewer thought American Idol star's name sounded odd — until she appeared at his door bearing DNA evidence
The siblings discovered that they had both been inspired by the movie 'Lion' — the story of an adoptee who used Google Earth to trace his birth family
Former "American Idol" contestant Julia Gagnon reunited with her long-lost biological brother, Alex Gentry, thanks to a social media post. They were both separated as infants and later adopted by different families who had no idea about the other sibling until their birth mom, Sara Ramos, died in 2024, the Portland Press Herald reported. Days before the discovery, Gentry was watching Gagnon perform on TV, wondering why her name sounded so familiar. His adopted sister, Sam, even joked aloud about how "crazy" it would be if they were related to each other.
Julia, 23, was adopted from Guatemala and grew up in Maine. When she turned 18, her adoptive parents, Jim and Meg Gagnon, hired a private investigator to help her find her birth family. Soon, she learned about her biological mom and two half-brothers in Guatemala. While Julia was told she might have a biological brother, she didn’t have enough evidence to look for him. However, that changed when she lost her biological mom in 2024. After her demise, family members shared old pictures online, and that's when Julia stumbled upon a photo of a baby boy. She realized he could be her biological brother and immediately posted it online, asking for help. Julia's post reached a woman who recognized the baby as he foster son, and identified him as Alex Gentry, Julia's younger brother. Gentry, too, reached out to his sister and confirmed they were indeed related. The brother-sister duo, shocked by the discovery, started texting each other and finally planned to meet.
Julia, who has now adopted the surname of her fiancé, Nate Haven, drove from Maine to North Carolina with him and two other friends. She was very nervous about meeting her baby brother, but that changed when she saw him. They realized they had a lot in common, including their love for music. While Julia sings professionally, her brother, Gentry, deejays at clubs and events. Interestingly, Gentry and his family had seen Julia on "American Idol." In fact, he said he was intrigued by her story, especially because she was from Guatemala. "The first time we saw her audition, and we saw her story, Sam (his adopted sister) looked at me, and she was like, 'Wouldn't that be crazy if she was related to you?'" Gentry recalled in an interview with Tamron Hall. The siblings also discovered that they had both been inspired by the movie "Lion," based on the true story of an adopted boy who uses Google Earth to find his birth family 25 years later. During the three days Julia spent with her brother, they decided to watch the same movie again, but this time, together. "It’s such a blessing that I found him and could get to him so quickly," the singer confessed.
Julia and her brother's story is special because while millions of adopted kids try to search and reunite with their birth families, not everyone is successful. In fact, a large-scale study across 1,417 internationally adopted adults in the Netherlands found that while 32% of the adopted adults had searched for their birth family, only 14% of the total sample could reunite with at least one of their birth relatives. Likewise, a survey of 73 parents in New Zealand who had adopted kids from another country revealed that half of the adopted families had tried to contact the birth family. But only 25% could successfully make a face-to-face contact with the birth families of their adopted kids.
Meanwhile, reacting to Julia's story, @vdero42 commented, "I am so happy for you, Julia. I found my sister. Or rather, she found me through Facebook about 8 years ago. It was amazing and wonderful. I feel all your feelings." Similarly, @sam.in.awe.and.wonder wrote, "As a foster/adoptive mama, I GET IT, SIS. I am SO happy for you. I’ve ridden the waves of emotions with my sweet kiddos before. Praying for your heart!" @lettgomez shared, "It is so beautiful! I have a missing brother, and I never found him. My parents have now passed on, and they never got a chance to know him. If he is gone from this earth, then they are all together now."
You can follow Julia Haven (@juliasingsabit) on Instagram to follow her journey.
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