Did Charles Manson have kids? Woman discovers notorious criminal is her grandfather in Hulu’s new documentary
Nearly nine years after Charles Manson’s death, one of the most infamous names in American crime history is back in the spotlight because of a revelation no one saw coming. A new Hulu documentary claims to uncover an unknown branch of Manson’s family. Filmmaker Sophia Maddox discovered through a DNA test that the convicted cult leader was her biological grandfather. The revelation is at the heart of ‘My Grandfather Charles Manson’, an upcoming documentary that premieres on Hulu on July 22. The film follows Maddox as she tries to make sense of a family secret that completely changed how she sees herself. The newly released trailer introduces viewers to Maddox’s unexpected discovery, which begins with what seemed like a routine DNA test. The results point to Charles Manson as her grandfather.
Until now, Manson was publicly believed to have fathered three sons: Charles Manson Jr., Charles Luther Manson, and Michael Brunner. The documentary suggests there is another family connection that had remained unknown outside private circles. For Maddox, the discovery becomes much more than a shocking family revelation. The trailer shows her trying to understand how this hidden piece of her family history remained buried for so long. As she begins investigating, she notices the striking physical resemblance between her father, Daniel Arguelles, and Charles Manson. Those questions gradually lead her into a much larger investigation surrounding both her own identity and the history tied to Manson, whose followers committed a string of brutal killings that horrified the nation in 1969.
Charles Manson never personally carried out the murders that made him infamous, but he orchestrated the crimes committed by members of what became known as the Manson Family cult. Over two nights in August 1969, the group murdered actress Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant, along with eight other victims, as per PEOPLE. Instead of focusing only on those well-documented crimes, the Hulu documentary appears interested in asking another question: what happens to the generations that come after someone whose name carries such enormous infamy? According to the film’s official synopsis, Maddox’s “genetics unlock never-before-released records and exclusive audio recordings that illuminate Manson’s pathology in startling ways.”
It further reads, “The more Sophia uncovers, the more her relationship with her father is strained. For Sophia, there’s no turning back. What has she inherited, and how will she reckon with her family legacy?” Speaking with PEOPLE, Maddox explained, “After I learned Charles Manson was my grandfather through a DNA test, I started filming myself because I didn’t know how else to cope with the news.” She told the outlet, “What began as a way to process a shocking family discovery became a deeper investigation into generational trauma, identity, and whether we’re destined to repeat the stories we inherit. Ultimately, I hope the film reminds people that while we can’t choose where we come from, we can choose what we do with that history.”
