America’s ‘most inbred family’ have issued an apology to the man who uncovered them.
Photographer Mark Laita discovered the Whittaker family about 20 years ago, but he didn’t start filming their lives right away.
He stayed in contact with them and went back to their home in Odd, West Virginia, to begin filming in 2020.
\The family consists of three siblings named Lorraine, Timmy, and Ray. Their parents were reportedly first cousins.
After the Whittaker family appeared on Mark Laita’s Soft White Underbelly YouTube channel, they got a lot of attention and were labeled as “the most inbred family” in the U.S.
Although Mark had a good relationship with them, he decided to end it after discovering they had been lying to him.
The family told Mark that 67-year-old Larry Whittaker had died earlier this year. Mark helped them raise money for the funeral and even gave $1,000 of his own money.
However, Larry wasn’t actually dead. When Mark found out, the family apologized for lying, but they went on to deceive him again.
The photographer, Mark Laita, gave Larry Whittaker $700 to help him take his daughter BJ to North Carolina to start a new life. But Larry didn’t do that and kept the money for himself.
Even though Mark said he wasn’t going to see the Whittakers anymore, he visited them over the summer. He filmed the visit and posted it on YouTube this month. In the video, Larry shakes Mark’s hand and apologizes for everything that happened.
“It’s been a long time,” Larry says to Mark. “I’m sorry for what they did to you, and I want to tell the world that I’m sorry.”
Mark accepts the apology and says he missed them. “I’m very good at forgiving and understanding,” Mark shared. “I’ve missed you guys, and I think my viewers have missed you too.” He even joked that the Whittakers probably missed the money they made from being on his YouTube channel.
Now that they’re on speaking terms again, Mark set up another GoFundMe for the family in late August. So far, the page has raised a little over $600 out of a $100,000 goal. The money will go toward helping the family with living expenses and taking care of their home.
After waiting for so long, Simon Cowell pressed the button, knelt down, and simply asked her to sing once again…
In a world often characterized by turmoil and unpredictability, there are instances of profound clarity that shine through like stars in the night sky.
For Simon, such a moment arrived after years of anticipation, as he stood at a crossroads that promised to reshape his life.
The stage was set, the air heavy with emotion as Simon, with trembling hands, pressed a button that held the promise of something extraordinary.
It was a moment he had long awaited, the culmination of aspirations and dreams ingrained within him.
As the button yielded to his touch, Simon’s heart surged with a mix of excitement and trepidation. This wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision but a deliberate choice, a leap of faith into the unknown.
With held breath, he knelt down, silent entreaty shimmering in his eyes as he beheld the figure before him.
It was a gesture of vulnerability, an acknowledgment of the power embedded within the soul-stirring melodies that had once infused his life with purpose.
“Sing once more,” he whispered, his voice barely audible amidst the anticipation enveloping the room.
In those three simple words lay a universe of yearning, a fervent longing to reconnect with a part of himself that had long lain dormant.
For Simon, music transcended mere notes or harmonious melodies; it was a lifeline, a guiding light that had led him through the darkest of times and illuminated the path to redemption.
Yet, somewhere along the journey, the music had faltered, its once-potent enchantment fading into the background of his existence. It was a loss that had left an emptiness in his heart, a void yearning to be filled once more.
Here is the video:
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