America’s most inbred family has finally gotten new haircuts and fresh trims, and they look totally transformed. Their makeover is bringing a smile to everyone’s face. In 2004, a documentary by filmmaker Mark Laita revealed the intricate family history of the Whittaker clan and subsequently propelled them into the limelight.
The Whittaker family’s journey traces back to the early 1900s when twin brothers, Henry and John, permitted their offspring to wed each other. This led to the birth of 15 children, although many of them did not survive infancy.
Presently, Ray, Betty, Larry, and Lorene Whittaker, along with Lorene’s son Timmy, live in an old and rundown dwelling situated in the town of Odd, West Virginia. All five siblings reportedly suffer from physical and mental issues, which is probably a result of their genetics, however, Ray is believed to be the most profoundly impacted, communicating solely through grunts and non-verbal outbursts.
Almost 20 years after he first visited the family in 2004 and again made a video in 2020 that went viral, filmmaker Mark Laita, who runs the YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly has returned to the Whittakers’ home to get them all a nice makeover. In the videos posted by Laita on the page, Betty, Lorene, Ray, and Timmy are seen sitting in the backseat of the car. Laita asks Betty if she goes for her hair treatments, and she responds, “I don’t go to get my hair cut!”
The group is then taken to Appalachian Barbershop and Salon in Beckley, West Virginia, which is 20 miles north of Odd, and all four of them got a haircut. Timmy even got a fresh shave. Betty and Lorene got their hair washed and styled by kind and talented hairdressers. The siblings, along with Timmy, were seen looking extremely happy, and their faces were filled with joy. Upon witnessing the family’s remarkable makeover, fans wasted no time in showering them with commendations.
One fan wrote on the video, “I never write comments on youtube, but I figured that I would for this video. I’m a person that rarely gets emotional about things, but watching the Whittakers day to day lives, knowing they’ve gone through hardships, yet smiling and loving each other is the most damn inspiring thing I’ve ever bare witnessed. From Betty to Ray, Lorrain, Timmy, and the rest of the gang, I love seeing good fortune come their way. I really hope Betty (She’s Awesome!), gets to go out with his assistant, no cameras, for a girl’s day out. I will continue to draw inspiration in my day-to-day life from Whittaker’s outlook on life. Thank you Mark for humbling me.”
SoftWhiteUnderbelly is probably the best channel on YouTube. Huge props to Mark Laita for all the incredible interviews. Especially the Whittaker Family. Ray is so great.
— Noah Foland (@DoUNoahGuy) February 25, 2022
Another user wrote, “Mark you’re so kind to Betty. And regardless that she never responds to your nice compliments, you understand that it’s because she was never told those things so she’s never known how to respond to them. But you and Lauren are both an awesome team.”
As per The U.S Sun , though there has been no medical examination done on the Whittakers, many believe that the inbreeding led to their current medical issues. The siblings are descendants of two sets of first cousins and are children of two identical twins who got married and had children. John married his own first cousin Ada Riggs and they went on to have nine children.