‘America’s most inbred family’ go Christmas shopping in heartwarming footage
America’s so-called “most inbred family” has been out for their Christmas shopping at Walmart.
The Whittakers from West Virginia have been viral on the internet ever since they were first filmed by filmmaker Mark Laita, behind the YouTube channel Soft White Underbelly. In a new video posted online, Laita took the family shopping and filmed heartwarming footage of them selecting gifts from the shelves.
When Laita asked Ray Whittaker what he wanted for Christmas he appeared to gesture before a stuffed animal, before picking it up and grinning as he hugged it tightly and placed it into his shopping trolley. Family matriarch Betty Whittaker is asked in the video if she fancies some pyjamas, while extended family member Larry peruses some garments to see if anything might fit.
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Betty Whittaker, left, is seen as the matriarch of the family (Soft White Underbelly/Youtube)The family joke that Ray should go for some suspenders instead of a belt - given he doesn’t like wearing them. Timmy says he wants a new watch, to which Laita responds: “He’s going to be telling me I’m late all the time.”
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The heartwarming footage shows Timmy choosing a watch from the Walmart rack, before Ray’s eyes light up in excitement when he spots a monster truck on sale for just $59. And straight into the trolley it goes.
Arriving at the Christmas tree section, the family decide to go for an artificial tree before buying decorations and wrapping paper. Ray pops on a Santa hat - causing all the family to have a laugh.
The family have been filmed by Mark Laita since he first visited in 2004 (Soft White Underbelly/Youtube)Laita has been filming the Whittakers since he first visited in 2004, and ever since has formed a friendship over the past two decades. On the Koncrete KLIPS podcast, Laita recalls the moment he first met the family: “It was out of control. There's these people walking around and their eyes are going in different directions and they are barking at us."
Neighbours of the family are apparently very protective of them, and would chase people away who tried to take photos or taunt them. They have a range of deformities, with some communicating through grunts and others with physical problems.
Betty, Larry, and Kenneth can all communicate, while Ray can notably only communicate through grunting. In an interview with Joe Rogan, Laita explained his early encounters with Ray: “Ray was uncontrollable, he would stand right next to my camera, like right next to it, two inches away from the lens,” he said.
The family apparently have very protective neighbours who chase away those who try and take photos of the family (Soft White Underbelly/Youtube)“I said I needed him to stand with his brothers, and then as soon as I corrected him, he would just flip out and start screaming, running off. His pants would fall down around his ankles, then he would go and kick a metal garbage can. This would happen over and over and over again.”
Laita says he suspects many of the defects are consequences of inbreeding - but this claim is not officially confirmed. They appear to show some symptoms of inbreeding, which include reduced fertility, higher infant mortality, increased facial asymmetry and increased cardiovascular disease risk.
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