Top 20 Most Shocking Reveals on Finding Your Roots

All her life, singer-songwriter Carly Simon believed that her maternal grandmother, Ofelia Oliete, who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba, had Spanish and Moroccan roots. In 2017, Simon decided to dig deeper into her grandmother’s ancestry, suspecting there was more to the story. The “Finding Your Roots” researchers traveled down to Cuba, where they sifted through Catholic Church documents and uncovered a surprising truth. Simon’s grandmother was actually 40 percent black, and likely downplayed that heritage to avoid discrimination during the Jim Crow era. As a result, Simon discovered that she herself is 10 percent black, a revelation that left her genuinely stunned and eager to share with the rest of her family.

Although she grew up in New Jersey, Dionne Warwick always knew her roots traced back to Georgia. The story of how her family ended up in New Jersey, however, remained a mystery until she appeared on the show in 2024. Warwick learned that her great-great-grandfather, John Drinkard Sr., owned a farm in Georgia in the early 1900s, likely growing cotton. This was a rare feat at a time when most Black farmers were stuck in the cycle of sharecropping. But when a beetle infestation ravaged Georgia in the early 1920s and a bank loan went south, Warwick’s grandfather, Nitcholas Drinkard, was forced to sell the farm and move to Newark. There, he formed a gospel singing group, setting the stage for Warwick’s future stardom.

The episode featuring Roots drummer and joint frontman Questlove was more than just a deep dive into his ancestry; it also unveiled a surprising connection to a pivotal chapter in American history. Although the international slave trade was officially banned in the U.S. in 1807, illegal smuggling persisted for years. The last known ship to bring captives from Africa to the U.S. was the Clotilda, which illegally transported 110 people from what is now the Republic of Benin. Through “Finding Your Roots,” Questlove discovered that his great-great-great-grandparents, Charles and Maggie Lewis, were among those smuggled on Clotilda. Seeing a picture of Charles Lewis was so overwhelming for Questlove that it moved him to tears.

Imagine going through life only to discover you’ve been rocking the wrong surname the whole time. That’s exactly what happened to Julia Roberts. On the show, Roberts uncovered a family secret involving her great-grandfather, John Roberts. An 1880 census listed a two-year-old John living with his siblings and mother, Rhoda Suttle, but there was no mention of Rhoda’s husband, Willis Roberts. That’s because Willis died over a decade prior. Clearly, he couldn’t have fathered John. A deeper dive into the family’s DNA revealed John’s true father was a married man named Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr., who likely had an affair with Rhoda. So technically, Roberts’ actual name should be Julia Mitchell which, let’s be honest, just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

From a young age, comedian Andy Samberg’s mother, Margi, knew she was adopted. But uncovering the identity of her biological parents proved difficult. Even a private detective hired by the family came up empty-handed. So Samberg enlisted Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to help crack the case. Using historical records and vague descriptions from the adoption agency, they zeroed in on a woman named Ellen Philipsborn. To confirm the connection, they tracked down Philipsborn’s niece and compared her DNA to Margi’s, which turned out to be a match. They were also able to identify Margi’s father, a sailor named Salvatore Maida. Interestingly, Philipsborn got pregnant while studying child psychology at UC Berkeley and shared Margi’s passion for working with children.

The ninth season premiere of “Finding Your Roots” didn’t just drop a bombshell about Julia Roberts, it also unearthed some surprising facts about fellow actor Edward Norton. To start, Norton found out he is actually distantly related to Roberts. But that’s not all. He also discovered that Pocahontas is his 12th great-grandmother, confirming a family legend he had heard his entire life. However, the journey through Norton’s ancestry wasn’t all rosy. An 1850 North Carolina census revealed that his third great-grandfather, John Winstead, owned enslaved people, some of whom were children. It was a sobering moment for the actor, who acknowledged it not as a judgment on his own life, but an uncomfortable truth that must be “contended with.”

Fred Armisen’s grandfather, Masami Kuni, seemed like an ordinary guy – a Japanese dancer who lived in Germany before moving to the U.S. later in life. But it wasn’t until he appeared on “Finding Your Roots” that Armisen realized Kuni was anything but ordinary. In actuality, Kuni was South Korean, born in 1908 as Park Yeong-in. He only assumed a Japanese identity after the 1923 massacre of Koreans in Japan. While living in Germany, Kuni performed for frontline troops, subtly aiding propaganda efforts for the Nazis. Perhaps even more surprising, Kuni also doubled as a spy for Japan during this period, gathering intelligence from the Germans and feeding it back. He wasn’t just a dancer, he was practically a master of disguise.

Actor Mandy Patinkin was born to a family of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland. Nevertheless, he went his entire life believing that none of his relatives had perished in the Holocaust. In this season 7 episode, however, Patinkin learned he was sorely mistaken. Host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. revealed a document showing that his grandfather’s cousin, Lejzor Patinka, and his family were among those rounded up in the Polish town of Bransk. They were then sent to the Treblinka concentration camp where they all sadly lost their lives. Discovering this heartbreaking truth brought Patinkin to tears, a powerful reminder that the consequences of hate are never too far away from any of us.

Sometimes, new information comes and flips your world upside down. “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin knows this all too well. Hostin had always identified as Afro-Latina, proudly embracing what she believed were her half Puerto Rican roots, but the reality was much different. A DNA test on “Finding Your Roots” revealed Hostin was only seven percent Puerto Rican, with a significant portion of her ancestry being Spanish. She also learned that her maternal fourth great-grandfather was a Spanish merchant likely tied to the slave trade, and his son, Fermín, even owned at least one enslaved person. The discovery was a bitter pill to swallow, especially for Hostin’s mother, who identified as Puerto Rican and was involved in the civil rights movement.

When Joe Manganiello appeared in this season 9 episode, he uncovered some jaw-dropping truths about his family tree. His maternal great-grandmother’s survival of the Armenian genocide was a heroic tale, but it was his paternal ancestry that host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. labeled one of the show’s “all-time greatest hits.” DNA analysis showed that the actor was not related to Emilio Manganiello, the man he believed to be his grandfather. Instead, the team traced his roots to his actual paternal great-grandparents: William Henry Cutler and Nellie Alton, an interracial couple who defied societal norms by marrying at a time when it was unacceptable. This revelation was confirmed by further DNA testing, which showed that Manganiello is seven percent Sub-Saharan African.

At first glance, it may appear that Tina Fey and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin share nothing in common. Other than their lucious shoulder-length locks, of course. However, a surprising connection between the two was revealed on “Finding Your Roots.” It turns out Fey’s paternal fifth great-grandfather was John Hewson, an English textile manufacturer trained in London. Hewson moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the suggestion of his friend, Benjamin Franklin, who helped him establish a quilting factory there. Shortly after, the American Revolution broke out and reached Pennsylvania. Despite being English himself, Hewson seemingly opposed British colonialism in America and served as a patriot during the war. Today, his quilt work still hangs at the Met.

It’s not uncommon for striking employees to harbor anger and frustration towards so-called “scab workers.” But it seems one of actor Brendan Fraser’s ancestors may have taken things a little too far. Fraser’s great-great-grandfather, Patrick Devine, migrated from Ireland to the U.S. and found employment in a Pennsylvania coal mine. As an Irish immigrant, Devine faced discrimination at work and protested a wage reduction by going on strike. When scab workers replaced the striking employees, Devine and another engineer shot one of the replacements, although he miraculously survived. It was a shocking revelation for Fraser who couldn’t help but wonder if his ancestor’s extreme actions did anything to solve the underlying issues.

Throughout her career as a political activist, Angela Davis has consistently fought against various forms of structural racism. So when she appeared on “Finding Your Roots” in 2023, it was shocking to learn that her ancestors were among America’s first white settlers. Davis was revealed to be a descendant of William Brewster, one of the 102 passengers who arrived at the colonies on the Mayflower. The ironic discovery serves as a poignant reminder of the intricate nature of human ancestry. Davis’ heritage also extends through a complex mix of bloodlines involving slave owners and enslaved people. Notably, one of her ancestors played a pivotal role in securing the freedom of his nephews by taking their master to court.

Although Kerry Washington didn’t necessarily make this shocking discovery on “Finding Your Roots,” it might not have come to light if not for the show. The actress, who had reportedly always felt a disconnect with her dad, opted to undergo a genealogy test on the series. However, she noticed her father’s reluctance to provide DNA samples for the procedure. This apparently stemmed from the fact that Washington’s parents had conceived her using a sperm donor, a detail they never disclosed to her. Realizing that the test would uncover this information, Washington’s parents finally revealed the truth. The actress credits host Henry Louis Gates Jr. for encouraging her parents to come clean, acknowledging that it has strengthened her bond with them.

When award-winning journalist Anderson Cooper appeared on “Finding Your Roots” in October 2014, he made a disconcerting revelation about one of his ancestors. Cooper’s fourth great-grandfather, Burwell Boykin, was a slave owner in the southern United States, overseeing a plantation with 12 slaves. At some point, one of the slaves managed to escape, but he was later recaptured and locked in a shed. The escapee eventually rebelled and fatally attacked Boykin with a farm hoe. For this act of defiance, the slave was executed without a fair trial. Despite being stunned by the violent nature of the murder, Cooper acknowledged he felt no sympathy for his late ancestor.

They are two of the most contrasting political commentators on the air. Bill Maher is an outspoken liberal atheist while Bill O’Reilly is as much of a conservative Christian as anyone can get. However, despite their stark differences, both men share a surprising connection. In a season 3 episode of “Finding Your Roots,” it was revealed that the two polar opposite personalities are actually distant cousins. Through Y-DNA test analysis, both men were traced back to a common male ancestor from the medieval Irish kingdom of Breifne. It just goes to show that no matter how different we may appear to be, we often share more similarities than we realize.

Imagine going your entire life believing you know who exactly your parents are, only to have that belief completely shattered. That was the plight of veteran radio talk-show host Joe Madison. In 2019, Madison appeared on “Finding Your Roots” and discovered, through a DNA test, that Felix Madison, the man he thought was his biological father actually wasn’t. This revelation was so sensitive that host Henry Louis Gates Jr. had to share it with Madison privately, away from all the cameras and recording equipment. Through the show, Madison also learned that his biological grandfather was one of the study subjects in the controversial Tuskegee syphilis experiment.

The “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” trivia game purports that every actor in Hollywood can be linked to Kevin Bacon by just six or fewer connections. If true, this would apply to his own wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick. However, in 2011, the couple discovered that their connection goes far beyond marital vows or a fun trivia game. In fact, through “Finding Your Roots,” Bacon and Sedgwick learned that they are cousins. Although, their relationship is quite distant, as the two are actually ninth cousins, once removed. Interestingly, it appears the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” isn’t limited to just Hollywood. Bacon was also revealed to be related to Brad Pitt, Barack Obama and King Edward I.

Ben Affleck’s appearance on the second season of “Finding Your Roots” sparked a controversy that threatened the show’s future. Results of the genealogy tests exposed the fact that one of Affleck’s ancestors was a slave owner. This revelation seemed to embarrass the actor, prompting him to request that the producers omit it in favor of less controversial details. But you know what they say, nothing stays hidden under the sun. During the infamous Sony Pictures hack in 2014, an email leaked which revealed Affleck’s unusual request. As a result, the third season of “Finding Your Roots” was temporarily suspended. Affleck later apologized for his actions and the show eventually returned to the air.

On the surface, comedian Larry David and U.S. senator Bernie Sanders share a lot of similarities. They’re both elderly Jewish men born in New York City in the 1940s. Sanders even has a brother named Larry, while David has impersonated the senator multiple times on “Saturday Night Live.” However, when they both participated on “Finding Your Roots” in 2017, they discovered an even deeper connection: they’re sixth cousins, once removed. This surprising revelation seemed to delight both men, although they were clearly taken aback by it. Now, we just eagerly anticipate seeing the fictionalized version of the discovery on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

What surprising discoveries have you made in your family tree? Share them with us in the comments below.