Top 10 Funniest Moments on Finding Your Roots

Since 1975, Terry Gross has held down one gig: hosting the NPR radio show “Fresh Air.” For someone who’s nailed job security for decades, it was surprising to learn that one of her earliest positions was so brief, it was practically an internship. While discussing with host Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Gross revealed that soon after graduating college, she landed a job teaching eighth grade at a public school in Buffalo, New York. But that didn’t last long, as she was fired after just six weeks for not being able to keep the kids in line. Perhaps, if she had tried her famous interview voice on those kids, they would’ve straightened up!

When he appeared on “Finding Your Roots” in 2023, actor Richard Kind uncovered some wild surprises, like learning one of his ancestors was murdered, supposedly over an insurance policy. He also discovered that many of his forebears were Jewish religious leaders, who were responsible for educating their community. Naturally, this revelation left Kind feeling just a little smarter than when he first arrived—a feeling he humorously compared to a scene from “The Wizard of Oz.” Although he did mix up one small detail: it was the Scarecrow who got the diploma, not the Tin Man. But hey, who are we to argue with a Doctor of Thinkology?

The hardships enslaved people endured during slavery are beyond anything we can imagine today. In a 2021 episode of the show, Broadway icon Audra McDonald got the opportunity to reflect on her ancestors’ harrowing experiences, and admits that she wouldn’t have survived what they went through. While the moment is emotionally heavy, host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. lightened the mood with a quip, saying that he would’ve “flunked slavery.” This got a big laugh out of McDonald, who jokingly replied with the grade such a brutal ordeal would’ve deserved. Still, her ancestors’ resilience in the face of such atrocities left her feeling deeply inspired.

As a filmmaker, Ava DuVernay has always explored themes of race, faith and family in her work. In 2017, she took things a step further by going on “Finding Your Roots” to trace her own family history. To her surprise, she discovered that her fourth great-grandfather was a white man born to slave owners in present-day Haiti. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. couldn’t resist pointing out the ironic twist between her films and her ancestry. This revelation made DuVernay eager to dig deeper into her roots, so she took a DNA test which showed that she was 57% African. Learning this brought her so much excitement, it left Gates laughing out loud.

Discovering our family history often reveals surprising similarities with our ancestors. But sometimes, it can also unearth some stark differences, like comedian Bill Hader found out. While Hader is rather soft-spoken and very demure, his great-grandfather, Arthur, was anything but. The comedian learned that during WWI, Arthur didn’t wait to be drafted, he voluntarily enlisted to fight, something Hader openly admits he would never do. To top it off, after being stationed far from the action, Arthur longed for combat and actually ran away to join the battlefield. Although Hader had nothing but respect for his ancestor’s bravery, he was quick to acknowledge that he probably would’ve done the exact opposite.

A name says a lot about a person. It’s like a bridge to the past, keeping the legacy of our ancestors alive. For comedian Seth Meyers, digging into his family history uncovered a surprising twist about the name he has carried all his life. It turns out that his great-grandfather, Morris, who immigrated to America from Lithuania at the age of 15, changed his surname likely to fit in better. This means that there is an alternate universe out there where Seth Meyers is known by everyone as Seth Trakianski. Admittedly, this name change would’ve given his late-night talk show a very different vibe.

While some celebrities have uncovered tales of their heroic ancestors on this show, Laura Linney can’t quite boast the same. In a 2019 episode, Linney found out that her fifth great-grandfather, William, didn’t exactly move to the U.S. to chase the American dream. Instead, he was convicted of receiving stolen goods and shipped to Virginia in 1768, back when the British liked to transport its convicts to colonial America. Linney greeted this revelation with such giddy excitement, bursting into laughter at her ancestor’s misfortune. After all, there are worse crimes than being caught with a bunch of stolen iron hoops for pails, right?

On “Finding Your Roots,” actor Paul Rudd discovered that his parents were connected in a way far deeper than he could’ve ever expected. They weren’t just married, they were also related by blood. Yep, Rudd’s parents, Michael and Gloria, were second cousins, meaning that they shared the same great-grandparents. Upon learning this, Rudd couldn’t help but throw in a joke about inbreeding and even wondered if that made his son his uncle. While this connection likely made family gatherings a bit more—well, interesting, at least his parents had a great response whenever someone asked, “So, how did you two meet?”

According to host Henry Louis Gates Jr., it’s quite challenging to trace Irish ancestry, due to the scarcity of surviving historical records. However, the show managed to unearth a gem: a document that transported actor Nathan Lane, who is of Irish descent, back to a key moment in his family’s history. It was a marriage record from the 1835 wedding of his great-great-grandparents. The document not only named Lane’s ancestors, but also listed two male witnesses, whom the actor hilariously remarked must have been their gay neighbors who hosted endless brunches. Of course, those 1835 brunches were undoubtedly much better than today’s.

Many celebrities have discovered surprising family ties to other stars through “Finding Your Roots.” So many, in fact, we actually made a separate list about that. But perhaps the most hilarious reaction came from comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who learned he is distant cousins with none other than the queen of all things domestic, Martha Stewart. Kimmel found the revelation both shocking and oddly fitting since, like Stewart, he also taps into the DIY lifestyle by making his own vinegar. But even he admits that the news may not be as thrilling for Stewart as it is for him. Either way, we can’t wait for the inevitable cook-off between these long-lost cousins.

Have you made any unexpectedly hilarious revelations in your ancestral line? Share them with us in the comments below.