McKenna Breinholt had a beautiful surprise on American Idol season 22, which premiered February 18. She got to meet her birth family, something that her adoptive family helped put together. It was a family reunion unlike any other, especially since Idol fans got to witness it too. So, who are the members of McKenna’s adoptive family? What about her birth family? Learn all about both families below, including parents and siblings.
McKenna’s adoptive mother’s name is Lisa Breinholt. She is 52 years old and is very close with her family. McKenna’s adoptive father’s name is Garin Breinholt. He is 53 and is an Executive VP according to his LinkedIn.
Plus, there are McKenna’s adoptive brothers Cameron and Caden Breinholt to round out the family. Cameron is 23 and studies business at Brigham Young University (BYU). He works as a strategy intern per his LinkedIn. Caden is 16 years old and is in high school.
They all live in Gilbert, Arizona, with the exception of Cameron, who’s in Utah for college.
McKenna’s birth mother is the late Amy Ross Lopez, a singer who performed with the folk duo Nowhere Man and A Whiskey Girl. Her partner in both music and life was McKenna’s father, Derrick Ross. Unfortunately, Amy Ross Lopez passed away in 2013, and not too long after that, Derrick took his own life.
McKenna learned about her birth mother when she was 21 years old, although she never got the chance to meet her. She discovered more members of her birth family last summer, announcing the exciting news on Facebook in January. “I found my birth family last summer (all in God’s timing)…My entire family and I have been so ecstatic ever since finding them and being able to connect with them,” she wrote.
While she had not met them in person, Breinholt told the judges she had FaceTimed some of them. However, she was surprised to see a few of her birth family members were actually at the Idol audition. Her adoptive parents had helped to get some of them together to surprise McKenna when she received her golden ticket to Hollywood.
Then, she performed an original song written by her birth mother. Even Amy’s mother said it was like hearing a “beautiful ghost.” A clip was shown of Amy singing, showcasing the similarity in her voice to McKenna’s.
The other members of her birth family who attended the audition were her two aunts, Lindy Minick Nielsen and Katie Carpenter; her uncle Matthew “Matt” Lopez; and her grandmother, Ranelle Johnson Kane, Amy’s mother. Lindy is a musician; Katie works as a counselor in Montana. Matt works as a facility manager and is a member of the band DueWest. Ranelle is recently retired.
You can follow McKenna Breinholt on Instagram. Catch her on season 22 of American Idol, airing Sundays at 8 PM on ABC.
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