Misty Nicole Knight has called Ryan Farrell “Dad” since she was 5 years old. But she has never legally been his daughter.
That will soon change.
On March 5, the Hooters waitress, 19, posted a video on Facebook of herself asking the man who raised her to legally adopt her. In the clip that has left 38 million viewers teary-eyed, Knight presents stepdad Farrell with a bright red box and a letter, which she asks him to read out loud.
“I just want you to know that you are the most amazing man I have ever met,” Farrell, 38, reads in the video. “You’ve raised me my whole life, from putting my hair in tight Princess Leia buns, forging my signature in fifth grade, jamming out to alternative music, going on Warped Tour and even our first rock concert together, leading up to u laughing at cats wearing leggings. I know we are so weird together, but that’s what makes you you, and I cannot imagine not having you in my life.”
He continues: “I’m so grateful to be able to call you Dad. You’re probably wondering what this letter is for— well, open the damn present already!”
The gift — which included an adult Batman v Superman onesie — had something very special buried at the bottom of the box: adoption papers.
With tears running down his face, Farrell embraces Knight and tells her, “I’ve been wanting to adopt you forever.”
Knight is estranged from her biological father.
“Ryan has raised me my whole life,” Knight tells Us Weekly. “We talk about everything together. I have always considered Ryan my real dad.”
