Rory Feek’s Daughter Hopie Slams His ‘Hurtful’ Response to Learning He’s Not Her Real Dad

In an interview with PEOPLE, published on Tuesday, the 36-year-old opened up about Rory’s public reaction to the news of her DNA test, which showed that Rory is not her real father, but a man she referred to as “BC”

After Hopie shared earlier this month that Rory isn’t her biological dad, Rory posted a lengthy blog post in response, in which he detailed his reaction and dove into his past relationship with his ex-wife, Hopie’s mother, specifically when she was born.

Recalling the moment Hopie relayed the news of her DNA test to him, Rory said that he “was not expecting to hear that,” but admitted he wasn’t completely “surprise[d].” He cited inaccuracies regarding the timeline, saying that when Hopie was born, he believed she had arrived “a week or two before her due date,” while the nurse told him the baby was “a week or two past due.”

While speaking with PEOPLE, Hopie said she believed her conversation with Rory regarding her DNA test results was “private and sincere,” adding that the details he shared about her birth were particularly “hurtful.”

“In his post he managed to call my mom a liar and made it seem like she didn’t want to be in our lives. It was also hurtful that he said he was ‘frustrated’ when he found out I was going to be born,” she explained. “Like I was always unwanted…I tried to be as upbeat as possible in my announcement, hoping to find a positive path through this difficult situation.”

Before she revealed that Rory is not her biological father, Hopie had already been in a public feud with Rory after she and her sister Heidi got into a dispute with their dad over their concerns about their youngest sister, Indiana, 10.

However, when sharing why her relationship with her father is broken, Hopie said the reason is ultimately a bigger issue.

“My relationship with my dad is broken. Not because of this new revelation, but because he refuses to go to family therapy,” she told PEOPLE. “Him taking the two most vulnerable conversations of my life (coming out to him, and telling him we’re not biologically related) and publishing them to the world, is something we need a professional to help us navigate.”

In his blog post, which was titled “a different dad,” Rory said that while “a part of me knew” Hopie wasn’t his, “I told her I didn’t care.”

“That this news and this blood test doesn’t change anything for me,” he continued, “‘I love you as my daughter and I always will.'”

While reflecting on his conversation with Hopie, Rory wrote that he’s “thankful” he learned the truth, and ultimately that he was given the “chance to let Hopie know how much I love her.”

However, he wrote that he’s “disappointed and sad that it took three decades to learn this. But the truth is…I mostly hurt for Hopie.”

“Hopie has such a tender heart, filled with child-like wonder and light, even in the darkest of days. It’s heartbreaking that she has had to deal with such an incredible amount of pain and loss in her relatively short life,” Rory wrote. “Way more I think than most people do in a lifetime. This is going to be hard for her I know. Making sense of something that’s hard to make sense of. Finding out that who you were, and also ‘whose’ you were, is not what you’ve been led to believe your whole life.”

“And I also hurt for Hopie’s Mom. Knowing that she carried that secret around all these years. I can only imagine how hard that was, and how scary it must have been for her to finally tell the truth,” he added. “All these years later, I don’t fault her Mom now for keeping this from Hopie, and from me. I’m sure she had her reasons. She was young and I’d like to think did the best she could with what she had and who she was at the time.”

Later that same day, Hopie reacted on Instagram, calling her father’s post “extremely disappointing.”

“When I had the conversation with Rory, my one request was for him to be kind and not shame my mom. Today, he shared her private history in his blog, which is extremely disappointing,” she wrote in a statement.

“I shared my story because I couldn’t keep the secret all to myself anymore,” she continued. “I’m really not a public person, but because Rory is, my private life becomes content for his fans (who are often unkind online).”

Hopie then recalled her father’s alleged reaction to when she came out as bisexual, claiming he was “hateful and judgmental” at the time, before accusing him of “us[ing] my story to sell his books.”

“From now on, I just wish my stories could be my own to tell and share,” she continued. “I want to move forward and find happiness with the people who love me, far away from this online hate.”

She captioned her post, “My intention has never been to hurt anyone with this new information. I just needed to get it out. This is the last I’m going to say about it…for now. Please respect my privacy.”

Hopie told PEOPLE that in the wake of the online discourse, it’s been “hard” because of the “negative opinions” she’s received online.

Fortunately, she said her relationship with BC is growing, adding that she joined a support group for those who are experiencing what she’s going through.

“It’s amazing to know I’m not alone in all this. Lots of people have had a similar experience with DNA testing,” Hopie said. “I love learning how much I have in common with my biological parents. BC and I both have huskies! BC and my mom are both wonderful people! Healing is going to take time, but I have a lot of support from the people around me!”