‘Good Morning America’ anchor reveals family secret discovered on 23andMe after company files for bankruptcy

“Good Morning America” anchor Whit Johnson revealed that his 23andMe test was a “missing link” that led to a “bombshell” discovery for his family after the company filed for bankruptcy — sparking concerns about the personal data of its millions of customers.

Johnson, 42, shared on air over the weekend that he used the DNA testing service in 2014 and stumbled upon a staggering discovery.

His father, Steve, was adopted — something no one in his family, including his dad, was aware of.

As the news anchor did further research on the site, he discovered another family “bombshell.”

He had an unknown relative closely connected to his family tree: his father’s long-lost biological brother “Bear.”

“My DNA test was that missing link,” Johnson said in an interview with his dad during the segment.

Over the years, his family continued to use 23andMe to search for lost relatives and were shocked to find his dad had more siblings.

“That discovery led to another brother and a possible sister on my grandmother’s side, and two more brothers on my grandfather’s side,” Johnson said.

However, when the company filed for Chapter 11 protection last week, the personal data of its more than 15 million customers could potentially be sold — prompting many users to delete the entire history they found through the site.

Johnson said he is among those who chose to wipe his data, but his dad said he won’t.

Steve said his 23andMe experience helped “round out” many of his questions about his life, but he understood why people would want their data deleted.

“it does make me sad because it means that a lot of people who could have the experience I had won’t have it, because people just won’t sign up for this stuff,” Steve said.

After sharing his story on “Good Morning America,” Johnson said his decision to delete his data was about the “piece of mind.”

“Again, this is very personal. Everyone should consider what’s right for them,” he said.

For more than a decade, 23andMe has been synonymous with at-home genetic testing, providing millions of customers with a wide range of personal health and ancestry data.

Users would provide a saliva sample and mail it back to the Silicon Valley-based company for detailed laboratory analysis, costing around $200.

However, in recent years, the firm has faced mounting pressure from investors and regulators and legal troubles stemming from a massive data breach in 2023 that compromised the personal information of nearly 7 million users.

The company’s filing for bankruptcy has reignited concerns about its customer’s data.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta urged customers of the distressed company to delete their data from 23andMe’s database as news of the filing broke.

Under California’s Genetic Information Privacy Act, companies must obtain explicit consent before collecting, using, and disclosing genetic data.

The 2022 law also guarantees consumers the right to access or delete their data at will.

However, federal protections currently provide limited help to consumers who have given their genetic data to private companies like 23andMe.

23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki announced her resignation on X and revealed plans to become an independent bidder for the company she helped build.

Wojcicki, a Yale-trained biologist and former healthcare analyst, co-founded 23andMe in 2006 with the vision of giving individuals direct access to their genetic data.