Mariska Hargitay reveals heartbreaking way she discovered ‘extraordinarily painful’ family secret
Share and Follow


Mariska Hargitay will never forget the moment she discovered her biological dad — or the heartbreaking way she found out.

The actress recalled “being invited to this guy’s house,” explaining on Wednesday’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast that the “lovely” and “obsessed” man was head of her late mother Jayne Mansfield‘s fan club.

The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star, 61, went to see his “overwhelming” and “huge” collection “of memorabilia and movie posters and everything related to” the movie star, who died in 1967 at age 34.

Then, the superfan asked, “Do you want to see a picture of Nelson [Sardelli]?’”

Hargitay remembered a “jolt” in her body as she asked, “Who’s Nelson?”

She “knew [the truth] in one second,” thanks to “millions of … little fragments of a memory, of a moment, things [she] caught that went into [her] subconscious.”

The man “sort of panicked and turned white” before saying, “Oh, it’s probably not true.”

Hargitay noted, “I think that he couldn’t believe that I didn’t know. I was 25, how could I not know? … He showed me [Sardelli’s] picture and on a cellular level, it was just DNA talking to DNA. I knew it was true.”

The Emmy winner felt as if her “life was over,” describing how the “rough” revelation broke her identity “in two.”

She said, “It was like I had thousand pellets of hard truth going, ‘My brothers aren’t my brothers. I’m not related to all my family that I grew up with in Hungary. What about this? What about that? … Oh, my gosh, all the times … everyone asked me if I was Italian my entire childhood.’”

Hargitay felt “barraged” with a “million missiles of these mini micro moments.”

After a “confusing” visit with her brother — who also didn’t know the secret — she drove “hysterically crying” and “disassociated” to her dad Mickey Hargitay to confront him.

He denied the bombshell, asking, “What? What are you talking about? That’s crazy. That’s so not true. You look like my father, exactly like my father. You are a Hargitay to the end.”

In that “extraordinarily painful” and “visceral” moment, Mariska decided to “pretend to believe” Mickey and “became an adult.”

She explained, “I was in so much pain, so overwhelmed and then looking at this man who has been nothing but loving to me and nothing but this amazing father to me.

“I saw his pain and I said, ‘It doesn’t matter what I feel. I love him. We’re done here.’ And so I said, ‘OK, thank you for telling me’ … and we never spoke of it again.”

Mariska now understands why Mickey, who passed away in 2006, reacted the way he did as the mother of two adopted children herself — Amaya and Andrew.

“They are no different from my biological son,” she said, referencing 18-year-old August.

Mariska shared the secret publicly in “My Mom Jayne,” which premiered out last month — and was attended by Sardelli.

In the May documentary, she said finding out about her paternity was like the “floor [falling] out underneath” her and her “infrastructure dissolv[ing].”.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like

Prince Albert’s First Public Appearance Sparks Interest After Recent Medical Procedure

Prince Albert II of Monaco has made a return to the public…

Ben Affleck Responds to Criticism Over Shirtless Scene in ‘The Rip’: Actor Defends Creative Choice

Ben Affleck isn’t holding back when it comes to baring it all…

Mary Cosby Confronts Lisa Barlow’s Explosive Hot-Mic Moment: RHOSLC Reunion Drama Unveiled

The drama reached new heights in a preview of the Real Housewives…

Hilarie Burton’s Mysterious ‘One Tree Hill’ Throwback Sparks Buzz Amid Tyler Hilton Breakup News

In the wake of Tyler Hilton’s recent separation news, Hilarie Burton revisited…

Annie Knight Unveils Her ‘Biggest Insecurity’ on OnlyFans – A Candid Confession That Might Surprise You!

Annie Knight, a popular personality on OnlyFans, recently opened up about her…

Dolores Catania of RHONJ Predicts Enduring Tensions Between Teresa and Melissa

10 Credit: Instagram Dolores Catania has shared her insights on the tentative…

Angie Katsanevas Playfully Critiques ‘RHOSLC’ Co-Star Lisa Barlow’s Encounter with Ben Affleck

Angie Katsanevas took a playful jab at her “Real Housewives of Salt…

Morena Baccarin Reveals Why She Didn’t Join the ‘Ryan Atwood’ Fan Frenzy: Insights from ‘The OC’ Star Ben McKenzie’s Wife

Morena Baccarin may share her life with Ben McKenzie, famed for his…