The Truth About Wynonna Judd's Real Father

Wynnona Judd and her mother Naomi were about as tight as a mother and daughter could be. The two began performing together in 1983, per KBOE Radio, when Wynonna was around 18 years old, right around the same age Naomi was when she had her. They continued to perform on and off for the rest of Naomi's life, both on stage and in the studio. There's a reason the two were so close too: Both are natives of Ashland, Kentucky, and Wynonna, along with her half-sister Ashley, were raised without a father in their lives, meaning that their bond with their mom was extra tight.

Naturally, considering the minimal age gap, small family, and scandalous truth, Wynonna and Ashley were raised as regular sisters in Kentucky. However, Ashley revealed the truth in her 2011 memoir, "All That Is Bitter and Sweet." In the book, per ABC News, Ashley reveals that Wynonna, whose birth name is Christina Claire Ciminella, was named after Ashley's biological father: Michael Charles Ciminella. Naomi married Ciminella after being abandoned by her boyfriend and Wynonna's biological father, a little-known Kentuckian named Charles Jordan, after she became pregnant with her. 

Despite Ciminella's marriage to Naomi, both girls would essentially end up fatherless, as Naomi and Ciminella ended up divorcing in 1972 when Wynonna was 12 and Ashley was 8. Naomi basically raised both girls as a single mother. 

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