2: Vault: He built a website to find his daughter

Summary

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The Bert Show: “Vault: He Built a Website to Find His Daughter”

Original Air Date: May 14, 2026
Key Guests: April Becker Antonio (guest), Jeff (host/interviewer)
Summary by Podcast Summarizer AI

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Episode Overview

In this moving and uplifting episode, The Bert Show features the remarkable real-life story of April Becker Antonio, a woman who found her biological father after 30 years apart. Their reunion was sparked in a truly modern way: through a simple Google search that led her to a heartfelt website her father had created years earlier, hoping she would find it. The conversation delves deep into April’s journey of identity, longing, loss, forgiveness—and ultimate reconnection, highlighting the emotional intricacies of family, resilience, and hope.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

April’s Story: The Search for Identity and Closure

• Childhood Without Her Biological Father

  • April reveals she never knew her real dad, learning only at age five that her stepfather was not her biological father.
    • “I've never met my real father. And I'm 30 years old...I just met my father for the first time a week ago.” (01:47, April)
  • The absence of her father caused deep identity issues, persistent curiosity, and an annual “good cry” throughout her life.
    • “Growing up as a child, if you don't know that, you have serious identity issues...” (04:19, April)

• The Separation and Aftermath

  • Her mother left when April was two months old, never informing her father of their location post-divorce.
    • “Your mom...decided to split one day with you and didn’t tell dad about it, right?” (03:15, Jeff)
    • “That’s correct...she thought it was best to just leave.” (03:25, April)
  • April only learned the truth at age five, when her stepdad expressed interest in adopting her—an experience she found traumatic as a young child.
    • “For a five-year-old, that was traumatic because I had no idea what that meant. Then I thought I was an orphan...” (03:54, April)

The Breakthrough: Finding Her Father

• A Chance Discovery Online

  • After years of searching with scant information, the turning point came when April googled her father’s name along with her own maiden name.
    • “I googled this day. Scott Robert Becker, looking for April. And boom, this website popped up. aprilbecker.com.” (05:31, April)
  • The site contained a simple, emotional message from her father, Scott Robert Becker.
    • Jeff reads: "Dear April, when you read this, please send an email to aprilaprilbecker.com. I'm your dad and I would really like to talk to you... By the way, you have a little sister and really, really want to talk to you. From dad, Scott Robert Baker." (06:10, Jeff)
  • Discovering the site was overwhelming for April, and the use of her unique middle name spelling confirmed it was truly meant for her.
    • “I was bawling...there was, like, three people on planet Earth that knew that I spelled my name J O I, even though technically on my birth certificate it's J O Y. When I saw the website, you'll see it spelled both ways right, and I knew. I knew it was me.” (07:07, April)

• The First Email and Verification

  • After emailing her father, his response was initially cautious due to previous scams.
  • Her father’s verification question (“Are you feeling green?”) was only answerable by April—her birthday is St. Patrick’s Day.
    • “My birthday, St. Patrick's Day. I'm a St. Patty's Day, baby.” (09:10, April)

The Reunion: Emotional and Public

• First Communication

  • Their first phone call lasted an hour, starting as a surprisingly normal conversation but ultimately becoming very emotional.
    • “We made it through about an hour of totally normal conversation...and then about an hour into the conversation, we both lost it and started crying.” (09:24, April)

• In-Person Meeting

  • April’s father flew out to see her, bringing gifts and arranging a special dinner at a restaurant, with PBS filming the event for a feature.
    • “He sent the limo for me, got me flowers...he collects penguins, so he got me a big giant stuffed penguin.” (10:22, April)
  • The story gained media attention and their reunion was featured on NBC’s Today Show.

The Extended Family Connection

• Connection with Half-Sister

  • April learned she has a 17-year-old half-sister, Katie, who initially struggled with the news but reached out via text.
    • “Her name is Katie. We've texted a few times. I think she's having a hard...she's a senior in high school. She's 17, and she's been an only child for 17 years...she knew about me—taking it a little harder...” (13:29, April)

• Approval from April’s Mother

  • April was concerned about her mother’s feelings but received acceptance and support from her after confirming the reconnection.
    • “She said, hey, you know what? He was looking for you. He found you. That’s the way it should be. And I'm happy for you...” (11:34, April)

Reflections and Impact

• Lasting Effects

  • April’s children quickly bonded with their grandfather.
    • “His grandchildren have really taken him, especially my daughter Brooke...after he left, she said, you know what, Mom? He was a very good friend to me.” (11:24, April)
  • Both sides of the family began communication, with April’s parents even meeting face-to-face after decades.

• Podcast Crew’s Reaction

  • The hosts repeatedly express awe and admiration for April’s perseverance and the father’s efforts.
    • “Isn't that an amazing story?” (10:16, Jeff)
    • “Oh my gosh...Chill bumps everywhere.” (15:01, Jeff/Commercial Announcer)

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• April (on seeing the site):
  • “The feeling of, he's actually looking for me, too.” (07:57)
• Jeff (on the father’s message):
  • “Isn’t that crazy? ...If there was a camera on your face, what did your face look like at that point?” (06:55)
• April (on identity):
  • “It's not like knowing, you know, who your dad is and he's, you know, you know, a bad person or whatever...you don't have any idea.” (04:36)
• April (on contacting her father):
  • “My first email him was, I hope this isn't a scam. I'll feel really bad if it is...” (09:24)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:47 – April introduces herself and her lifelong search for her father
• 03:25 – Explanation of the family’s separation and April’s childhood confusion
• 05:31 – April describes the pivotal Google search and finding the website
• 06:10 – Reading of the father’s website message
• 07:07 – April realizes the message is meant for her due to unique middle name spelling
• 09:10 – Verification through a family “green” in-joke (St. Patrick’s Day birthday)
• 10:22 – Detailed account of the in-person reunion and media attention
• 11:34 – April discusses her mother’s positive reaction and approval
• 13:29 – April talks about her half-sister and their initial communication

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Conclusion

This episode of The Bert Show brings listeners an extraordinary story of parental love, resilience, and the modern miracles possible through technology. With a mix of emotion, humor, and honesty, April and the team unpack not only the details of a long-separated family’s reunion, but also the profound challenges and hopes that come with searching for one’s origins and forging new relationships after decades apart. The story is a testament to the power of persistence—and a reminder of the healing that’s possible when hearts (and search engines) are open.

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Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

N the Burt Show. Hey, April.

[April Becker Antonio]

Yes. Good morning.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Good morning. I'm so glad we got in touch with you this morning. I love your story.

[April Becker Antonio]

Well, thank you.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Now, I haven't told there's about half of the staff here that has zero idea who you are or what this story is. So can you sort of piece it together for them?

[Commercial Announcer]

Sounds good.

[April Becker Antonio]

Okay. Well, basically, my name is April Becker Antonio, but I've always gone by Antonio, my stepfather's name. And I've never met my real father. And I'm 30 years old, so I've gone through 30 years my whole life. I have two kids and I just met my father for the first time a week ago.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Oh, there's so much more to it than that. There's so much more to it than that. Well, I think you have to go. When you were not with your father, at what point did you start. Did finding him first start to interest you?

[April Becker Antonio]

Well, I'd always been looking for him, but I just didn't have a whole lot of information. So I just had, you know, bits and pieces, fragments. I knew his name, and I knew how old he was, and that was about it. I had no idea where he might be living or if he was even living, if he was alive or dead or if he had done something good with his life or if it was a total jerk off. I just, I didn't know.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

And what were the details of the initial separation?

[April Becker Antonio]

Well, I don't have a lot of information there. I basically, after many, many years of questioning, I just say, you know what, it's not really any my business why they separated. My issue is obviously, of course, the fact that they both handled it poorly. They, you know, they shouldn't have allowed whatever differences they had to get in the way of, you know, a child knowing both their parents, no matter what he may have been like or what she may have been like.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

So essentially what happened is your mom and your dad were going through some really, really, really tough times. And your mom, I think she just decided to split one day with you and didn't tell dad about it, right?

[April Becker Antonio]

That's correct. Well, they got a divorce. They did get a divorce and they were legally married, but for whatever reason. Yeah. She thought that it was best to just leave.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

And this was what year I was

[April Becker Antonio]

two months old, so. 79.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

1979. Okay, so she's been without her dad for this long and you've been trying to track him down for how long?

[April Becker Antonio]

Well, since I. Since I realized that, that I had a father. I didn't know that my stepdad wasn't my real dad until I was about five years old.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Okay.

[April Becker Antonio]

And then he had told me one day that he wanted to adopt me. And for, you know, a five year old, that was traumatic because I have no idea what that meant. Then I thought I was an orphan and I was just very, very. And then I understood what, you know, what he was talking about and, you know, started asking questions and basically never got any real answers. And I would go, I mean, every year now for 30 years, I have at least one good cry every year to my mom saying that, you know, I love you and you did a good job and I'm not angry anymore at either one of you, but I would just, I need to know who my father is. Because growing up as a child, if you don't know that, you have serious identity issues.

[Commercial Announcer]

Sure.

[April Becker Antonio]

It's not like knowing, you know, who your dad is and he's, you know, you know, a bad person or whatever you deem to be, you know, not good. You know, you don't have any idea. And so you start to Wonder about yourself, like, do I get this from my father or is this, you know, genetic? Because now having kids, they do things that I haven't taught them, and I'm like, wow, they get that from me. And, you know, there's no teaching some. Some kinds of things like that. So I just would always wonder. I mean, it definitely affected my relationship with men and how I handled, you know, those situations. Any kind of movies where there's a happy, you know, father, daughter moment. I'm a mess. It was very, very, very, very hard for me. Very hard.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

You were trying and trying and trying to find him. Yet about five, six days ago, you tried one thing you hadn't tried just yet, and it worked. And what was that?

[April Becker Antonio]

Well, I googled his name looking for April. I had never. I did his name on a search, and of course, you know, everybody Googles their name, but my name for forever has been April Antonio. And I never thought to Google April Becker. And so I just. I googled this day. Scott Robert Becker, looking for April. And boom, this website popped up. Aprilbecker.com. wow. Really? It's still up right now because people are very interested in the story. And so I haven't changed the website or anything. It's still as it was that day that I found it.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Do you know the exact verbiage on that website or should I read it?

[April Becker Antonio]

You can read it.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

This is right [e-mail] and it says April Joy Becker. Dear April, when you read this, please send an email to aprilprilbecker.com I'm your dad and I would really like to talk to you. When I get your email, I will ask you a couple of questions that only you would know so I can filter out the crazies out there. By the way, you have a little sister and really, really want to talk to you. From dad, Scott Robert Baker.

[April Becker Antonio]

That's it.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

That's all that was on the website. And how long ago did he post this website?

[April Becker Antonio]

Seven years ago.

[Rakuten Advertiser]

Wow.

[April Becker Antonio]

I want to be the exact date because I did a whois.net under that domain name and the. I think it was like June 28, 2002.

[Commercial Announcer]

Wow.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Isn't that crazy? So you go ahead and you Google that and Aprilbecker.com comes up and you're reading those words. If there was a camera on your face, what did your face look like at that point?

[April Becker Antonio]

I was bawling. I was bawling. The catch here is that I knew that it was me. I knew that it wasn't any other April Becker, because of the fact that my birth certificate says J O, Y. But one of the little stories that I got growing up was that they had had some argument over how to spell middle names. And so it should be J O I, after my father's favorite aunt. And so not very many people. I mean, there's like, probably. Well, now there's more. But there was, like, three people on planet Earth that knew that I spelled my name J O, I, even though technically on my birth certificate it's J O, Y. When I saw the website, you'll see it spelled both ways right, and I knew. I knew it was me. So you. And I must have cried for three hours straight. The feeling of, he's actually looking for me, too.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

How long did it take from your email to him, to him, for him to respond?

[April Becker Antonio]

A week. Can you believe it? I checked my email probably 50 million times a day for a week. I tried searching him down other ways because then now that I knew who he was and the state, I could narrow it down a little bit. And so I think I eat probably five or six different email addresses that I could find for him.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

You got to keep in mind, probably seven years ago, he was probably checking that email address just like you are every six minutes or whatever. But now we're seven years removed.

[April Becker Antonio]

And I guess apparently there's other people out there. If you saw my credit score, you wouldn't want to be aprilbecker. But apparently there are some people pretending to be me. He had lost quite a bit of money on, I guess, fraudulent April Becker. Yeah. Could you imagine that? So that's why, I mean, his first email to me was pretty coarse. It was just, you know, what's your mother's maiden name? And are you feeling green? And if you're my daughter, you'll know what I'm talking about. And I responded, of course I know what you're talking about. My birthday, St. Patrick's Day. I'm at St. Patty's Day, baby.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

So you knew immediately. Isn't that awesome?

[April Becker Antonio]

Unbelievable.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

So you write back, you know exactly who he is and you're the right person. And then immediately. Do you guys exchange phone numbers?

[April Becker Antonio]

He said, oh, my goodness. Could it really possibly be you? He says, I will if you're, you know, I will not. Well, my first email him was, I hope this isn't a scam. I'll feel really bad if it is, because, you know, my name is April Becker Antonio, and I think you might be my dad. And I'm really looking for him. And have been for a very long time. And if this is a scam, that would really, really be disheartening. And so he had responded back, no, this isn't a scam. I just need to ask you some questions. And so then once we got that out of the way, he was like, I can't believe that this is really you. Can I give you a call? And he waited maybe about 30, 45 minutes. I gave him my cell phone number and we chatted. We made it through about an hour of totally normal conversation like it was any regular two people talking that had known each other for a while. And then about an hour into the conversation, we both lost it and started crying. That's awesome. That's incredible.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Isn't that an amazing story?

[Commercial Announcer]

So after the first phone conversation, have you guys been able to see each other?

[April Becker Antonio]

Yes, actually, he came out here and flew out last on Wednesday, and we met up at Chops restaurant in Buckhead. And I had no idea at the time, but he sent the limo for me, got me flowers. He collects penguins, so he got me a big giant stuffed penguins that. I have no idea what you like. So this is it. And PBS was actually there to film it, and I had no idea they were going to be there. So I'm very glad that I dressed up. Then after that, it kind of. The story kind of caught on. People are really liking. And so we spent every day together until Sunday. We went to New York and the Today show flew us up there to do the Today show on Saturday morning. His grandchildren have really taken him, especially my daughter Brooke. They are just getting along fabulously. And after he left, she said, you know what, Mom? He was a very good friend to me.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

He must be just ecstatic now also, I mean, he's been searching for her since 1979.

[Commercial Announcer]

That's unbelievable. So on the flip side, how does your mom feel about you guys reconnecting?

[April Becker Antonio]

Well, I was very concerned and I. It was hard for me because, you know, we talk every day. She's my best friend, and I had to until I actually talked to him, because I wasn't going to tell her about the website till I had, you know, made some confirm that it was him. And so after we did talk, I talked to her about it and she said, hey, you know what? He was looking for you. He found you. That's the way it should be. And I'm happy for you because she knows. She knows that after all this time, it's not gone away because, I mean, I think I did the annual boo Hoo. Maybe three months ago, you know, and so she knows that it hasn't gotten any lesser with any time. And, you know, a lot of time has passed. I think after 30 years, anybody's capable of changing, and you really have to kind of take it at face value and. And, you know, so she's. She's okay with it, which is. Really. Makes it easier all the way around. Right? They've spoken on the phone. As a matter of fact. I think that they actually just met up. It turns out that they live about two hours away from each other, and I think they actually met up yesterday for the first time, face to face. I don't know exactly how that went. I'm sure I'll get the scoop tonight. But they. They are. Okay. They're talking about, you know, their daughter, and, you know, what to do. Do with me. So. So it's good. It's good she's not freaking out. And that was a concern of mine because, you know, they both made mistakes. He didn't have to pay for it, but my mom did because she had to go through all my teenage years and all that kind of stuff. So, you know, she has been fully pardoned, and she did a good job with me. I love her very much.

[Commercial Announcer]

Is your mom still married to your stepdad?

[April Becker Antonio]

No, he died, actually. Unfortunately, six years ago.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Okay, well, this is an. I mean, it's an amazing story. I mean, the joy that you must have felt when you saw that. I mean, so many questions must have been answered at that point, like, oh, my God, he really does want something to do with me. He just didn't forget about me. And then for it to go from there to where it is now, it's just an awesome story.

[Commercial Announcer]

And she has a little sister, too, according to the website.

[April Becker Antonio]

Oh, yes, yes. Her name is Katie. We've texted a few times. I think she's having a hard. She's a senior in high school. She's 17, and she's been an only child for 17 years. She knew about me taking it a little harder than it was. Yeah.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Only children.

[April Becker Antonio]

They're kind of weird, aren't they, Jeff?

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Well, thank you. We know you're totally and completely busy this morning, and we know you're gonna get hounded by a whole bunch of people that want to talk to you. But, I mean, this is a Georgia story. This is out of Noonan now. So thanks a lot for hanging out and talking to us.

[Commercial Announcer]

Congratulations.

[April Becker Antonio]

Yes.

[Commercial Announcer]

Merry Christmas early, right?

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Or maybe Happy Thanksgiving, because that's the family feast time.

[Commercial Announcer]

Chen.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Think about how Thanksgiving and how Christmas is going to be for them now this year.

[Commercial Announcer]

That is so amazing. And he's got grandkids he never met. There's so many neat things about that.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

So back in 1979, April's mom takes off with April and Dad has no idea where they went. Seven years ago he posted aprilbecker.com just these words. Dear April, when you read this, please send an email to aprilaprilbecker.com I'm your dad and would really like to talk to you. When I get your email, I will ask you a couple of questions that only you would know so I can filter out the crazies out there, which we found out there are a whole bunch of crazies which I don't understand

[Commercial Announcer]

the motivation behind contacting him when he

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

gets on, you send me money and I'll fly out there.

[Commercial Announcer]

Weird.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

By the way, you have a little sister that really wants to talk to you from dad and she was sitting there and she realized it was her and they reunite after all this time.

[Commercial Announcer]

Oh my gosh.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

And then an awesome story.

[Commercial Announcer]

Chill bumps everywhere.

[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

Totally awesome story.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Jeff (Interviewer/Host)]

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[Lisa (Psychotherapist)]

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[April Becker Antonio]

But hurry.

[Lisa (Psychotherapist)]

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