Vicarious TikTok family drama is among the most delectable treats to be found on the platform, and this shocking revelation from TikToker @mrs.dewmt is perhaps the finest meal on the menu for those looking to get their fill of others facing down the barrel-end of a life-changing twist.
Danielle immediately got our attention with her caption: “Does my husband have a secret child?” In the viral video, clearly taken just moments after learning the surprise info in question, Danielle says, “My mind is spinning right now.” And pretty soon yours will be too.
She goes on to explain that her husband has just received a letter from the DCF (the Department of Children and Families) asking if he can care for a child who can no longer remain in their current home. “I’m pretty sure they don’t just send these letters out to just anyone,” an obviously still discombobulated Danielle says. “I’m pretty sure you have to be on a list or somehow related… We don’t know who the child is.”
Although Danielle naturally doesn’t share these details publicly, she explains that the DCF letter provides the child’s name and date of birth. They’re 13 years old, so if this really is her husband’s long-lost son then it would mean he was 24 when the mystery kid was born. So… It is conceivably possible!
The piece of evidence that is really convincing Danielle that this kid must be closely related to her husband is that the letter in question hails from an entirely different state. “We’re not even in the same state,” she thinks aloud. “So it wouldn’t make sense for them to send it to us unless he had some connection to the child.”
Danielle’s husband then wanders into the vicinity and asks his wife what she’s doing. When she tells him, he hilariously asks: “… Do I have a kid?” Come on, man, give the TikTok detectives a minute — they’ve only been on the case for about 90 seconds!
The problem with real life, of course, is that it’s messy and doesn’t always offer up simple answers. If this was a movie, then Danielle and her husband — probably played by Jennifer Garner and, let’s say, Patrick Wilson — would immediately gain custody of the kid (Jacob Tremblay, obvs), who would indeed turn out to be the husband’s secret lovechild. 90 minutes later they’d all have bonded and learned the importance of found family or accepting life’s twists and turns or something.
Things weren’t so clear-cut in this case, though. A week later, Danielle revealed that there had been no new developments on the secret child storyline. They had reached out to the relevant people and the kid’s case worker but they hadn’t heard back. As one cynical but possibly accurate commenter wrote: “So they are sending out letters to check off a list a legal obligation without actually caring about placing the child. Sad.” Danielle then replied: “Seems that way but hoping they just found a closer relative to take in the child.”
So, yes, we still don’t know how Danielle’s husband is related to young Jacob. As folks suggest in the comments, there’s only a slim chance that he is the boy’s father. The DCF’s practice when it is deemed appropriate to remove a child from their home is to try and find a biological relative to care for them, and only after exhausting all the options is foster care considered. The DCF is known to dig deep into family trees, stretching out as far as third cousins even.
Well, that’s that vicarious thrill over with. I wonder what’s going on with that lady who got dumped and then moved to L.A. in the same day?
