Radio 4’s Jenny Kleeman talks DNA journey: “We have a US president who will talk about good genes”

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Jenny Kleeman felt anxious while waiting for her DNA test results. It’s not surprising, she says, recalling the experience as ‘really nerve-racking.’ As an award-winning journalist researching her Radio 4 podcast, ‘The Gift,’ she was aware that DNA tests can reveal deeply unsettling truths – like cases of babies being switched at birth, issues with IVF treatments, and even previously unknown family connections involving incest.

The title ‘The Gift’ refers to the growing trend of people giving DNA testing kits like those from 23andMe and Ancestry as gifts. But it’s also a nod to the amazing stories each installment of the series reveals – and the third series, starting this week, features a case so incredibly rare it’s likely to make headlines. Unfortunately, I can’t share the details just yet!

It’s remarkable that everyone featured on the show seems at peace with their DNA test results, even when the discoveries are difficult. The series’ creator, Kleeman, maintains close contact with participants, feeling a strong responsibility to support them. She describes the conversations as often feeling deeply personal, almost like therapy, but always emphasizes her role as a journalist and the public nature of their stories on the radio.

This journalist looks beyond individual stories to examine the broader historical and social trends surrounding reproductive technology – from the unregulated beginnings of IVF and the practice of selling babies in the 1950s to the growing use of donor sperm. However, the most complex issue, in their view, is our willingness to readily share deeply personal genetic information online. When questioned about the potential for a troubling future due to at-home DNA tests, the journalist is direct: “We’re already living in it.”

She’s aware of the risks because, after she submitted her DNA to 23andMe in 2023, the company was hacked and the personal genetic information of people with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry – including her own – ended up for sale online. However, she’s even more worried about who legally owns this data now. When 23andMe went out of business in March 2025, a medical research institute purchased the company, gaining access to the DNA information of millions of customers.

Kleeman wonders who might own her genetic information in the future and how they could use it. She believes current privacy safeguards won’t last forever, and we need to be more realistic about privacy in the digital age. While digitizing personal medical and genetic data offers valuable insights, we’ve made this choice knowing there could be unforeseen consequences, and we need to be aware of those risks.

It’s important to remember that these tests aren’t perfect when it comes to ethnicity. They can reveal your ancestral origins – where your parents came from – but they don’t define your culture or who you are as a person. Kleeman finds this particularly amusing, noting the irony of seeing people on white supremacist forums confused when their results indicate Jewish ancestry, and then trying to rationalize it.

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While she finds the arguments of prejudiced people amusing, Kleeman recognizes they point to a troubling pattern. She explains, “The fact that we have a US president who talks about genetics and ‘good genes’ highlights how appealing these tests can be in difficult times, and that’s why I want to expose the flaws in that idea.”

At-home health tests are also causing concern because people are misinterpreting the results to assess their risk for diseases. As Dr. Kleeman explains, doctors are seeing patients demand unnecessary and even drastic treatments – like mastectomies – based on these tests, even when a medical professional wouldn’t recommend them.

Despite these worries, it’s unlikely people will stop buying at-home DNA tests for themselves or as gifts. Kleeman describes these tests as something people either love or hate, but points out our enduring fascination with ourselves. Kleeman herself was relieved her results were unremarkable, saying, “I was very happy to be boring.”

Authors

David Crawford

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2026-04-27 21:27