The SVU legend explained her decision in an October Q&A.
n her 2025 documentary My Mom Jayne, Mariska Hargitay told to the world that her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, but Italian singer Nelson Sardelli.
This revelation rocked Hollywood and fans alike, and is one of many poignant, unforgettable moments found in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit icon’s directorial debut. The deeply personal project followed her own journey to discover who her late mother, Jayne Mansfield. Of course, once jaws were picked up off the floor, there was only one question that remained: Why did Hargitay reveal this family secret in her documentary?
A recent December 10 feature from The Hollywood Reporter sheds some light on the star’s decision. During a post-screening Q&A session at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival on October 30, the 61-year-old explained why she chose My Mom Jayne as the time to set the record straight, and in true Hargitay fashion, she was unabashedly honest.
“I didn’t want to carry my secret anymore, and with this thing that I was trying to do — be loyal to Mickey — I realized that telling the truth about Mickey was a love letter to him… I’m going to show you what honoring is,” Hargitay told an audience who had just seen My Mom Jayne for the first time.
Hargitay had realized that true personal and emotional freedom can only be reached by facing your fears head-on, calling the process of unveiling the secret to the world “like a psychic surgery.”
“There’s so much pain that we’re scared to go near — it’s like an open wound,” she continued. “But the fact of the matter is when we lean into these rough, hard, sharp edges, that’s where true freedom and beauty and liberation and self-love are — on the other side.”
Throughout her career, Hargitay has been true to herself, and judging by her reaction to the film’s reception, we’re sure she knows she made the right decision.
Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson returns in an epic Law & Order crossover event
The Law & Order franchise’s winter hiatus is finally coming to an end, and new episodes of Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU are returning with one of the biggest television events of 2026!
On Thursday, January 8, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET, worlds will collide in a two-hour extended episode that no fan will want to miss. (After all, One Chicago isn’t the only franchise that can have epic crossovers!)
