“American Idol” season 22 finalist Julia Gagnon recently revealed that she reunited with her long-lost brother after 20 years apart. Adopted as a child, Gagnon shared on Instagram in September that she had been on a mission to find him. It didn’t take long for the internet to rally together to locate him. She got the answers she had been searching for and shared the bittersweet moment when the two finally met.
What made Gagnon’s story even more special was that her brother had been watching her Idol journey week after week, not knowing it was his sister.
Julia Gagnon Reunites With Her Long-Lost Brother
It was an incredibly touching reunion for “American Idol” season 22 finalist Julia Gagnon when she finally met her brother, Alex Gentry, after 20 years apart.
According to the Portland Press Herald, Gagnon, who was adopted as an infant in Guatemala, began searching for her biological family members when she turned 18, with her foster parents hiring a private investigator to locate them. They had successfully found her mother, Sara Ramos, and she was told she also had siblings.
Following the death of her mother in 2024, the singer began searching for her brother. She shared a baby photo of Gentry on Instagram, hoping someone would recognize him. In late September, Gentry’s foster mother saw the post and immediately knew it was him. The siblings connected online with plans to meet in person.
Gagnon documented her long drive from Maine to North Carolina to meet her brother. She was accompanied by her fiancé, Nate Haven, and two close friends. When the outlet asked Gagnon how she felt meeting him, she touchingly shared, “I was very nervous and the whole thing was surreal. I wondered if we’d get along. But it turns out we’re like twins, down to some very small mannerisms and how we see the world.”
In fact, Gentry shared with the outlet that he had been watching “American Idol” and his sister’s journey.
“I remember thinking that’s cool, that’s a coincidence,” Gentry said of Gagnon also being adopted from Guatemala. “Then to meet her, a stranger who is blood-related to you, is very emotional,” he added.
Gagnon Auditioned for ‘American Idol’ to Make Her Biological Mother Proud
“American Idol” fans will certainly remember Gagnon, who impressed the judges with her powerhouse vocals when she auditioned with the Aretha Franklin classic “Ain’t No Way.”
Before she would wow them with her voice, she shared her adoption story and how she had been looking for her biological mother with the incredible support of her foster parents.
“When I was 2 years old, I was adopted out of the orphanage in Guatemala and was brought to Maine,” she began. Although Gagnon would call growing up in Maine “picture perfect,” she revealed that she was bullied as a child because of her appearance.
Gagnon went on to share how she had a big support system with her foster family, but was “curious” about her “birth family.” She continued, “I went to my dad at 18 and said, ‘It has nothing to do with you, I just need to know.'”
Speaking to the Idol judges, Gagnon revealed that she had found her birth mother in 2020. Gagnon’s real mother wrote her a letter sharing how sorry she was that she had to give her up, admitting that she would not have had the best life back in her home country.
Understanding her birth mother’s tough decision, she expressed how she wanted to make her proud by auditioning for “American Idol.” Gagnon made it all the way to the Top 7 in season 22 before being eliminated.
