Sherri Papini’s ex-husband suggested his children change their last name so they wouldn’t be identified with their notorious mother (Exclusive)

The Sherri Papini kidnapping case thrust her and her family into the national spotlight

In 2016, Sherri Papini faked an elaborate kidnapping. First, she was missing for 22 days and when she was found on Thanksgiving Day, she claimed two Hispanic women kidnapped her while she was jogging near her home in Redding, California .

Nearly six years later, Sherri was arrested in connection with the kidnapping hoax after investigators discovered she had voluntarily stayed with an ex-boyfriend for the 22 days he was missing. Sherri pleaded guilty to charges of lying to law enforcement and mail fraud in April 2022.

Her kidnapping case — and the accusations that followed — thrust her and her family, including her two young children and then-husband Keith Papini, into the national spotlight.

Days after Sherri’s plea deal, Keith filed for divorce and now has sole custody of their two children, who are now 9 and 11 years old.

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After Sherri’s prank made national news, Keith debated changing his children’s last names and even gave them a list of last names to look at. But his children were skeptical.

“My son basically said, ‘Is this about mom?’ And I said, ‘Well, maybe,’ and he said, ‘Well, I don’t think we should have to change our last name because of mom’s mistakes,'” Keith said to PEOPLE. “The fact that he said that made me think, ‘Oh wow, this kid is… He’s right.’ But again, as a parent, you think about your children and you know that this last name is very unique and it will always be available. But right now, they’re both children anyway. very happy, and they are thriving at the moment.”

Keith spoke out in this week’s issue of PEOPLE. He also talks about his ordeal Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papinia new three-part documentary series now streaming on Hulu.

For more on the Sherri Papini kidnapping hoax, subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands today.

Related: Keith Papini Says Ex-Wife Sherri Lied to Him About Fake Kidnapping and Torture for 6 Years: ‘I’ll Never Know the Truth’ (Exclusive)

Sherri was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was released in early 2023. She was also ordered to pay more than $300,000 in restitution to several law enforcement associations. She now sees her children once a month during supervised visits.

Rich Pedroncelli/AP

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To this day, Keith still struggles with the trauma Sherri inflicted on their children over the years.

“A lot of their childhood was, in my opinion, stolen from them,” Keith says. “So my biggest goal is to give them a happy, healthy life and surround them with loving people. And a lot of these conversations that I’ve had to have, no parent should ever have to have with their children.”

Related: New docuseries delves into Sherri Papini kidnapping hoax: ‘Minds absolutely blown’

Keith Papini tells his story in Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, a new three-part documentary series premiering on Hulu on June 20.

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