Top 10 Shocking Reveals on Finding Your Roots

[@MsMojo]

What other celebrities do YOU think may share an eerie connection? Let us know below, and check out our video of the Top 10 Dark Family Reveals on Who Do You Think You Are: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHfEiIx4a7Wco6ssi=d5wYHLrPjQol_hsy

[@mlynettepinky595]

Finding Our Roots other guest 1.Keenan Wayans orgins is not in Africa 😂 2. Michael Strahan related to royalty 3.Ed Norton 12 great-grandmother was Pocahontas 4. Tracy Morgan great grandfather was Jewish 5. Rosaline Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash, both parents had sub-Saharan blood Also, she is related to Angela Bassett 6. Henry Gates related to John Lithgow 7. Joe Magliano great great great grandmother was a slave

[@j.dunlop8295]

Remember, grandparents each generation back N2 squares! Your four grands, had 8 parents, they had 16, they had 32 six generations back! (Everyone had slave owning relatives!) Just about!

[@markedwards8991]

For me Personally it's a shock to find out that Tom Cruise and Oprah Winfrey share Dna Ancestors. I have seen it.with my own eyes. (as I have added both of them to my tree) and Now I can't get that image out of my head of him jumping on her couch! I still cant believe That they are Blood Relatives? Why am I the only one talking about This? Surely someone else has noticed this too?

[@629Justme]

joe manganiello P.Diddy Ll cool Jay Michael Strahan Lisa ling Really interesting historical connections.

[@henriettaparks4266]

I'm Not Surprised!!! About the families Owning Slaves!!!😮 And other devious Behaviors!!!!

[@YvaJStoryTime]

I loved the Larry David and Bernie Sanders reveal. That was just so totally cool that they both did the show.

[@kathyannpardi9888]

Bernie & Larry had me roaring! 😂😂

[@SabrinaSterlingGA]

I guessed that immediately!!

[@Jorge23Costa]

No wonder they look so similar😂

[@canaisyoung3601]

It also means that all those times that Larry David played Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live are funnier than anything the writers came up with at the time.

[@t-bo2734]

They both have a lot of George Costanza in them.

[@ROBYNMARKOW]

Tbh,I'm not the least bit surprised to hear that Bernie Sanders & Larry David are related 😅

[@gr8dvd]

Until I saw them on-stage together, I was sure it was 1 guy with 2 personas.

[@same5952]

Me neither. They look alike and have similar mannerism.

[@soniaramos5165]

😂😂

[@sandyshoenberger2697]

If this show teaches us anything it should be humility. So many times people who hate find they have ties to that exact thing they hate.

[@whyaskwhybuddry]

@sandyshoenberger2697, Especially Angela Davis and Sunny Hostin

[@jdfodio]

That's why they hate it! JESUS: "“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else-your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)

[@sandyshoenberger2697]

@@jdfodio Amen!

[@muntuzakhwela5924]

The truth in this comment. 😊

[@sandyshoenberger2697]

@@muntuzakhwela5924 Thank you!

[@trinaq]

Definitely one of my favourite genealogy shows. Anderson Cooper discovering that his ancestor was killed by one of his slaves is certainly a memorable reveal, and unsurprisingly, Cooper showed more sympathy towards the slave.

[@expatleanie]

Odd .. cooper already knows his ancestry … van der builts .. i mean..,

[@MeyerHoffman-ry9gy]

Do you think he should have been more compassionate to the slave owner who was killed?

[@frndofbear]

They called it "unsurprisingly".@@MeyerHoffman-ry9gy

[@terryotoole6478]

Waste of time, Anderson knew his well documented history .. Greedy, should have let someone else find their roots ..

[@BethMDowney]

@@expatleanie His mother's side, sure, but his Cooper father's side was a little less known.

[@dorrainecrump3396]

Half of my ancestors fought for the South, the other half for the North. Same thing happened to Abe Lincoln: four of his brothers-in-laws were Confederates. It's family.

[@JoTracy]

And one of the many reasons why a Civil War is so evil

[@j.dunlop8295]

Remember, grandparents each generation back N2 squares! Your four grands, had 8 parents, they had 16, they had 32 six generations back! (Everyone had slave owning relatives!) Just about!

[@anitawindbigler7100]

Pretty sure some of my ancestors fought on both sides of civil war also. My East Tennessee ( Smokies) & Ohio family. Go figure. Lol

[@joonzville]

MOST of my ancestors fought for the South. Only 2 fought for the Union. Also had several slave owners in the family, too. Not happy about it but it is what it is and I don’t hide it. I’m not going to try to rewrite history because it makes me uncomfortable. *I* didn’t do those things. *I* openly condemn those things and try to learn from ancestral mistakes.

[@Tyiion]

I had ancestors who were slaves and other ancestors that shipped slaves. I bet my slave shipping ancestors did not see that one coming.

[@jennifer_m.8613]

Tia and Tamera Mowry's family tree discovery on their father's side shocked me in a good way. On their mother's side, they are descended from slaves; on th or father's side, their 13x great grandfather was Rev William Bradford, the minister on the Mayflower whom offered the blessing at the first Thanksgiving in 1621

[@Bellz89]

Wow 😮😮

[@j.dunlop8295]

Remember, grandparents each generation back N2 squares! Your four grands, had 8 parents, they had 16, they had 32 six generations back! (Everyone had slave owning relatives!) Just about!

[@NewOrder4JoyDivision]

@@j.dunlop8295​​⁠yeah but what about Quakers who protected runaway slaves or just good people like Elijah Lovejoy who knew that slavery is wrong, so nope not really

[@stephaniefoster1964]

Tia and Tamera, Angela Davis, Niece Nash...DAR, baby!

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

A MIXED BAG

[@StephALowry29]

I watched a clip from this show recently and it was Mandy Patinkin featured in it. He was shocked to find out that his family was killed during the Holocaust and nobody in his family told him about it. His relatives were killed in the Treblinka concentration camp in a gas chamber and their bodies were cremated shortly after. He had been there before and he never thought he had any family members who died during the Holocaust.

[@paulspencer5613]

Yes ,he was shocked !!

[@Tito-sq1kb]

Fred Armisen finding out he’s not Japanese will always be one of my favs

[@ryansjl]

And being a nazi spy etc

[@23Lgirl]

He looks white.

[@Monique.Marceline]

@@23LgirlHe IS part Korean tho. He just found out that his “Japanese” grandfather was a Korean man who pretended to be Japanese.

[@christigmc]

Knowing you’re a descendant of slave owners is not something to be proud of, but it’s not something to be ashamed of either. It’s the past, you can’t change it. You didn’t choose to be born into a certain family.

[@andiwindsparrow]

I had to face it myself. I realized that I could not repent for what my ancestors had done, but I can work to dismantle systemic racism here and now.

[@markedwards8991]

Great Point! No reason To feel guilty about something you were not a part of. But trying to hide it. Makes you look 'guilty'

[@1rjona]

Even some slaves were descendants of slave owners

[@BlkMagickGaia3]

If you still have racist beliefs, you're not any better than the slave owners and anyone else involved in slavery.

[@yves2016]

@@1rjonaabsolutely, slave owners who raped slaves to reproduce will reproduce so one with both ancestries.

[@RadCenter]

While watching the episode of Finding Your Roots with Robert Downey Jr., I discovered that he and I share a common ancestor, Rudi Guttan, from 15th-century Switzerland. My paternal grandmother was a direct lineal descendant of Rudi.

[@sjferguson]

I love this show! I think it's fascinating to learn about your roots.

[@txryder79]

Me too. What's friggin nutty though is how many people think the actions of someone's ancestors is something to be ashamed of and perhaps even be held accountable for...like reparations or affirmative action that works against a white's opportunities.

[@larryjones-emery807]

I love Finding Your Roots! Thank you for this video!❤

[@bronwynjacobs3758]

Bless you Kerry Washington and live strong with your parents so much love!

[@harlequeenchannel]

The way Anderson responded to his ancestor being a slaveowner vs Ben is very telling

[@tjvirginia1319]

It's not telling at all! I doubt either man felt great about it and One felt enough shame that he didn't want it to be known.

[@j.dunlop8295]

Remember, grandparents each generation back N2 squares! Your four grands, had 8 parents, they had 16, they had 32 six generations back! (Everyone had slave owning relatives!) Just about!

[@gabrielmaroto18]

Ben Affleck didn’t have any control over what happened in the past when he tried to hide it is when he became a bad guy

[@karenshaw7807]

@@j.dunlop8295 Everyone? Are Americans everyone?

[@judycroteau482]

@@j.dunlop8295Not everyone. A lot of people’s ancestors were the slaves, not the slaveowners. Truly a disgusting and shameful period of history.

[@JohnMAdams-nl9zt]

My favorite was the Angela Davis Mayflower connection … she was not thrilled😮

[@tjmul3381]

She was not thrilled for a very good reason. With few exceptions, a black American finding a white man's DNA in their ancestry can be close to certain that the white man's DNA was introduced into their genealogy thru the heinous act of rape. This inexcusable behavior was actually quite common in the antebellum south after the 1807 Act that prohibited the further importing of Africans to our shores in order to enslave them. If you can't import humans to be enslaved and your wealth is based on their unpaid labor, how do you acquire more humans to enslave? The masters realized that they could create them by raping their enslaved females as soon as the females reached puberty. For the offspring of an enslaved women was automatically also enslaved and owned by said "master". So, how else would you expect someone to react when faced with the proof of the raping of one's 3rd, 4th, or 5th Great Grandmother (or all three)? 'Not thrilled', I think would be the mildest of possible reactions. BTW, my favorite was Anderson Cooper's reaction to the murder of one of his ancestors, who owned 12 enslaved people, by one of "his" enslaved with a farm hoe. When he is told this and Skip asked him, "if he deserved it?" Anderson immediately said, "Yeah, I have no doubt." When Skip says, "It's a horrible way to die, Anderson". Cooper responds, "He had 12 slaves. I don't feel bad for him." A righteous reaction.

[@imaginelovepeaceandhappine3281]

The video response on Angela Davis ancestry surprises me. She is fair skinned so she has as many black people have European ancestry. I’m 98% sure that some part of her ancestry owned slaves, and the ancestor that became fair skinned if it was an enslaved female it wasn’t consensual. The video does speak on the enslaved that petitioned the court for the nephews freedom.

[@paulaw823]

She took it well. We come in all shades. worldwide

[@ellenchavez2043]

I thought it was hilarious. There is some kind of exclusive association she would be eligible to join.

[@questioneverything1682]

But Davis made no attempted denials of her mixed race and ancestors being both slaves and slaveowners, so maybe you're reading a lot into her facial expressions?

[@elspethgraham9531]

Angela Davis. A descendant of William Brewster? So am I; he's my 11th great grandfather. So are Ashley Judd and her sister Wynonna Judd. Fanny Crosby. Julia Child. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. And, according to my research are about 3 million other Americans.

[@kathleenkrueger7816]

I, too, am a descendant, as of course are my siblings and maternal lineage😂

[@nanashouse202]

Hahaha

[@niceclaup1]

That Brewster fellow got around

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

YOU MISSED SOMETHING.

[@sherrigrant573]

Lol

[@___David___Savian]

Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres are 9th cousins through their French family tree. Madonna's mother was French and Ellen's father was French. That was confirmed.

[@bellefemme87]

They do have a slight resemblance (at least the eyes have it). But I thought Madonna's mother was French-Canadian and Ellen was Cajun because of her Louisiana roots.

[@nancym5341]

@@bellefemme87Same thing Madam. Our people (Les Acadiens) were put on boats in Port Royal, Nova Scotia and sent down the eastern coast to Louisiana becoming The Cajuns. Five families escaped to the shore of New Brunswick Canada. They were rescued by the Mic Maw First Nations People and survived. My Dad’s hometown of TRACADIE, New Brunswick is obviously part of the word L’ ACADIE. This little known Diaspora occurred between 1755-1778 Your history may be more rich than you realize! Best to all. Ps; The boats were NOT filled in an orderly fashion with complete families… all families were torn apart with mothers, fathers and children torn apart. Longfellow wrote a poem called EVANGELINE I personally think it would make a great movie but the only one is from 1920’s Black and White no voice! Time for a redo, Oui?

[@gregsurrell598]

Endogamy.

[@bryanprince5276]

​@bellefemme87>> MADONNA IS ALSO PART ITALIAN . HENCE HER LAST NAME IS ITALIAN

[@alphabethsoop]

Fun fact: I'm related to Benjamin Franklin. We did a DNA test and it showed it he was my great-something uncle. His brother, James Franklin, was my great-something grandpa. This makes a lot of sense since the name, James, runs through the family. My great grandma's maiden name was Franklin as well :)

[@lynettewatson6022]

I am also

[@spalomino18]

I thought Pharrell's reaction was the most astounded, and emotional. It should have made top of the list.

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

YES.

[@sheilamiller6435]

Yes! And if I remember correctly they had to pause recording for the first time ever and allow Pharrell to regain his composure. I could feel his fury

[@tgl1458]

As an Irish person, I feel that Finding Your Roots presenting Bill O'Reilly & Bill Maher's relationship as something unique & special because of some common relative they had back in the Irish medieval period (about 1150 to 1550) is quite ridiculous. The sky is the limit if that's the case as we are all extremely likely to be related to each other if we go back that far.

[@questioneverything1682]

Agreed. Nothing uniform about genealogy over centuries. And we may indeed all share genes in common with an African mother long, long ago.

[@Xiroi87]

I read all white women descend from only 8 women, all people with blue eyes descend from one man who had the blue eye mutation. So just go enough centuries back in time and you'll find common ancestors.

[@jdfodio]

That's The Point. If we go back far enough, then we all have common ancestors - Adam & Eve! Humans are destroying each other over petty prejudices.

[@canaisyoung3601]

Really? You found that ridiculous and not the fact that O'Reilly and Maher are related and probably hate each other because of their political views.

[@M4ttNet]

True, though through their direct paternal line (a single line of ancestry) makes it far more interesting IMHO.

[@ElwoodofSparkleCity]

I watch it every week and love it. I wish I could get them to do my family research and DNA breakdown.

[@MsKimifer]

I'll never recover from David Tennant's episode. They took him to an old family church and he immediately climbed down into an open grave, grabbed a human skull, held it up, and said, "Is this a relative?!" 😂

[@duncansonoryan]

That was the show "Who Do You Think You Are." This is a different show only in America.

[@NeverTrump-2024]

Yeah - that was shockingly offensive! Couldn't believe he, of all people, would have done such a thing.

[@MsKimifer]

@@NeverTrump-2024 he played Hamlet at a theater that uses a real human skull as a stage prop.

[@NeverTrump-2024]

@@MsKimifer it's real??? Good Lord, how unnecessary and disrespectful of the dead!

[@MsKimifer]

@@NeverTrump-2024 oh no, this guy was a long time thespian of that theatre and specifically donated his skull when he died for the use in that particular play. So he could go on being a star. 🙂

[@janesawyer1342]

I love how Nora O'Donnell and Henry Louis Gates Jr. are cousins. I loved that episode too.

[@joiedevivre2005]

Sarah Jessica Parker found out that her ancestor was tried for witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials.

[@annefitz7346]

And she was in the Halloween classic “ Hocus Pocus “! 😂

[@JNosewicz7569]

Wow..I may be related to her,lol.😄

[@scottrose7016]

She looks like a witch

[@melaniemansfield3319]

Seriously are you really surprised.

[@chrishernandez4266]

It was Who do you think you are that SJP appeared on where she found out that her ancestor was accused of witchcraft. As far as I know, she hasn't ever appeared on Finding your Roots. I remember SJP was in the slate of actors during the first season of Who do you think you are along with Emmett Smith & Lisa Kudrow.

[@ruthbright4724]

It actually doesn't surprise me that Affleck tried to cover up his ancestry.

[@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg]

Ben Affleck thinks Islam is a race, not a bright boy

[@benrushing4041]

I agree. He is such a douchebag.

[@kcirtapelyk6060]

The fact that he tried to get the show cancelled just shows how much of an entitled egomaniac he and the rest of his ilk are.

[@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg]

@@kcirtapelyk6060 Affleck think Islam is a race 🙄

[@HMOCreations1807]

Why cover it up? Its not his fault!

[@battlegirldeb]

You totally forgot about Kathryn Hahn and Regina King being cousins.

[@mysticdiamond8944]

Wow. That's crazy

[@gregwhite7852]

Love this show

[@Azaleaz952]

Why is Ben shocked and mad He is so extra

[@mimzyc9949]

Of course he nearly shut the show down. He’s insufferable

[@Dhruv_Dogra]

He is a real creep

[@user-mu3xk7ie2t]

explains him

[@alexamacedonia3745]

Overrated and insufferable too.

[@TheDivayenta]

What does JLo see in him?

[@agunaboumuzocha7872]

I wouldn't try to bury it if it turned out an ancestor of mine owned slaves. Of course, I won't be proud of it, but why would I want to have it deleted? I didn't do it. What someone did 200 years ago is not a reflection of who I am.

[@margaretwilliams7658]

Maybe not for you.

[@janespitfire9884]

Thank you Professor Gates...love your show & research!

[@cdeanneeckles]

I love Finding Your Roots Family History

[@kt798]

Roseanne Cash should have been on this list. Finding out that your mother was part black when you/she thought her whole family was white, pretty shocking and hits close to home.

[@cocoa105]

I believe she knew what was said, but wasn’t sure. My mother used to say that Rosanne’s mother looked black (mixed) and there were gossip rag articles on the topic.

[@RuizCaz]

Roseanne’s brother also looks black like the mother Vivian Liberto.

[@Alli3Nelson]

She’s included in another finding your roots compilation video by Ms. Mojo. Such a sad story 🥺

[@JacquelineBarnes-u5y]

How wonderful to have black ancestry..in your dna...l also found a portion of mine was Nordic....and German...but mostly British white

[@marciacloninger8155]

I love his show. So well done

[@MrsSpiffilicious]

Why be embarrassed about an ancestor. Its not you! Good grief.

[@demh7823]

Why be proud of the ancestor?

[@QbnAmCan]

Why not?

[@demh7823]

@@QbnAmCan Being proud of a slave-holding person is stupid. That's why not.

[@MrsSpiffilicious]

@@demh7823 ok so your only options is to be proud or embarrassed by someone or something that you had nothing to do with. You know, there are other options. It's called accepting that is your ancestors and you believe it was wrong and live YOUR life differently. Whoa what a concept.

[@gr8dvd]

@@MrsSpiffilicious Accepting ancient history… I’m gonna write that one down 👍👍👍😂😂😂

[@takumiwoolcock938]

its basically impossible to not find a common ancestor with someone of common ethnic background. youd have thousands of ancestors to even just account for a handful of generations

[@markaym3735]

Especially if you have European Ancestry. Europe is not that genetically diverse. It actually has the least genetic diversity... so,you're right. We're going to eventually run into common ancestors. This also is true for African Americans who on average have 20-25% European Ancestry. We're pretty much all cousins.

[@kcirtapelyk6060]

That’s pretty much what an ethnic group is. A large extended family.

[@terrayfic]

LL Cool J should have been at the top of the list.

[@JuicyCrone]

Agreed, much more shocking!

[@Siansonea]

Right? I was sure LL Cool J would be the big reveal. The Larry David/Bernie Sanders cousin thing was weak sauce.

[@kt798]

Agreed! That was shocking for him and his mom

[@christinavelazquez8931]

Sunny hosting finding out her ancestors were slave holders! Cousin to Anthony Ramos!

[@randyruggles342]

I'm related to Kyra Sedgewick which makes me just one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon. :P

[@bettymurrell5628]

I’m three degrees lol my ex husband went to high school with Brad Pitt. Related to Kevin Bacon but also started together in sleepers. Or is that two degrees?

[@Bellaknightmare]

This takes 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon to a whole new level hahaha

[@patricialomden8519]

Maher and O’Reilly makes sense actually

[@adrianred236]

Hoooo yea, we're all related over here, it's a small island. I wouldn't be surprised if they were related to Tom Brady as well.

[@susanc8220]

Ed Norton's story was pretty impressive.

[@sandybothwell3812]

Great show, I've always enjoyed watching!

[@chrishogue7823]

Bill Maher is becoming more and more like Bill O'Reilly as the days go by.

[@bextrek4829]

I'm glad someone else is seeing it!

[@janlafournaise6505]

He certainly is.

[@j.dunlop8295]

It's normal for elderly to become more conservative. Churchill said, if you're not liberal you've no heart! If you're not conservative when old, you've no brains!😅 I'll stick with the heart!

[@sharolynwells]

I can't stand Bill Maher! Especially after his comment about 9/11.

[@cynthianolder3557]

O'Reilly is an obnoxiously loud - Maher not so much

[@gaylecheung3087]

I’m not surprised about Anderson Cooper

[@NadiaGirl1]

What about when RuPaul is cousins with Cory Booker

[@reneefairley3765]

That show is underrated ! It is simply the best on the air . I wish they would randomly pick everyday people, to reveal who we are as well. You don't have to be famous to find out where you came from.

[@txryder79]

Agreed, but not enough people would care about the average Joe.

[@reneefairley3765]

@@txryder79 you have a sharp point there!!

[@tillross4078]

People should remember that you are not responsible for someone else's actions we are unique and different , learn from the past and move on to a better place for those that follow , Just Saying 🌴

[@ladykatherinena3199]

I love that Larry and Burnie are family

[@randilevson9547]

They look alike, do they not?

[@ladykatherinena3199]

@@randilevson9547 Yup. :)

[@dianef4227]

If you go back far enough we are all related, so sixth cousin once removed are probably Oprah Winfrey and the king of Norway.

[@theresat.5737]

Oprah has no European ancestry. She has some Native American ancestry added to her African ancestry. 😀

[@Sassy2935]

Yep we all are related. God made one pair of people. We all are descendants of them.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Don Cheadles finding out White people didn't own his ancestors ,but Native American (Chickasaws) did was Beautiful

[@RomyAndMichelle]

Was it not the Seminoles?

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

@@RomyAndMichelle NOPE . Chickasaws. see for yourself here on KZbin watch Don Cheadle learns his ancestors. Fun fact , The Chickasaw refused to give up their slaves ,even after the White man freed them and had to be forced by White men (union soldiers) to give them up .

[@beyourself2444]

I felt so hurt for him

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

@@beyourself2444 me too

[@markaym3735]

​@@RomyAndMichelleno, the Seminoles were really a multiracial group of natives, blacks, and whites who wanted no parts of the evolving US or slavery. Escaped Africans, non conforming Europeans, and resisting Native Americans banded together to resist US domination. The Africans in the group were the main resistance to Andrew Jackson's agression and quest to take Native American land.

[@intodaysepisode...]

I LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this show!

[@lornamackay4069]

Since slavery and slave owning has a long history in most human civilizations, it would be unusual for it not to show up in most people's ancestry. I think it is way past time that we stopped judging people in the past based on today's culture.

[@howardblakley713]

Slavery was an integral part of the development of this nation just like taking the land from the native people. All nations have "skeletons in the closet". The hypocrisy is America has made great brags about equality but as history shows: you can't dictate "love of neighbor" , honesty, humility: qualities that only Jehovah and Jesus inspire and can enforce. Matthew 22:26-40; Ecclesiastes 8:9

[@ellenchavez2043]

@@lornamackay4069 Yeah, humans have known that enslaving another person was wrong. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been all the justifying, rationalizing and normalizing around it. From Egyptian hieroglyphics to modern day, we have a million reasons why it's OK... because we know it's wrong.

[@OhioBucs]

I love this show!

[@hawaiiankira]

One of the good ones. Favorite show.

[@tinaardo2585]

❤this! First time here just subscribed!

[@amyclutter7259]

I now know my husband and kids are related to Kevin Bacon… my husband is also a descendant of Edward Longshanks (who was a descendant of William the Conqueror and Rollo the Viking).

[@sharonkay8638]

More commonly known as King Edward 1 of England. Your husband and children are therefore related to our Royal family too. It’s estimated that two million people can claim Edward as an ancestor which boggles the mind but it’s still an interesting fact to know. Your family has a lot of relatives out there!😊

[@sugakookie6303]

Your husband and I are distantly related as I am descended from Edward as well, so as the other poster said, another of the 2 million people…

[@Siansonea]

Pretty much everyone with significant English ancestry is descended from the House of Normandy and the House of Plantagenet. That was so long ago, those genes have really spread out. And I think pretty much all people with western European ancestry could trace back to Charlemagne, if we had all those records.

[@justsayin5609]

Courteny Cox has both William the 1st (William the Conquerer) and the person who killed William the 2nd in her family line. Now THAT was on interesting episode!

[@Marli-o4g]

Anyone descended from King William I of England, Duke of Normandy, (William The Conqueror) and his wife Matilda of Flanders, is also descended from King Alfred The Great of Wessex, King of the Anglo-Saxons, (whose grandson Athelstan became the first King of the English in the year 927), as Matilda of Flanders was descended from one of Alfred The Great and his wife’s daughters, who married the Count of Flanders. Being a descendant of William I of England means that through his descent from French kings you are also a descendant of the Emperor Charlemagne who was crowned by the Pope as the first Holy Roman Emperor in the year 800. This includes King Charles III of the UK through both his parents as both Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His late Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, were descended from Queen Victoria of the UK who descended from both Alfred The Great and William The Conqueror. Charles is also descended from the first King of Scotland, Kenneth I MacAlpin, King of the Picts, and from King Robert the Bruce of Scotland, also from many of the native Princes of Wales, including Llewelyn The Great, and also from many of the Irish Kings, including Brian Boru, High King of Ireland. Indeed Charles III descends from the second King of the English (Athelstan’s younger brother, Edmund I, of the Wessex Anglo-Saxon dynasty), from William I of England, first of the Norman dynasty, from Henry II of England, first of the Plantagenet dynasty, from Henry VII of England, first of the Tudor dynasty, from Mary Queen of Scots, from her son James VI of Scotland who also later became the first Stuart king of England and Ireland as James I of England, from George I of Great Britain and Ireland, Elector of Hanover, who became the first Hanoverian king of Great Britain, from Edward VII of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, who became the first Saxe-Coburg and Gotha king of the UK, and from George V of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (before 1921 of Ireland), who became the first king of the Windsor dynasty (having changed the dynastic name in 1917 from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha).

[@bfoster2335]

I love this show. I wish I could get the same information as these celebrities.

[@same5952]

You can....if you hire a professional geneologist and PAY lots of money for the research.

[@dot8605]

Ben Afflecks reaction actually shows how insecure and fragile his ego is. Pitiful.

[@matty2timez708]

I was going to say something similar, but with bad words. ;).

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

JUST FEEL PITY..He cannot stand to feel "flawed," but we are ALL flawed. A childish initial reaction.

[@alltheragegeorgepageakatheperv]

That's why I never liked him as Batman

[@summerbeasley3796]

Right. Anderson Cooper had a similar ancestry but just accepted that was part of his lineage and understood that it doesn’t define him as the person today. Just accept and move on.

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

AWHINER

[@123theprodigy5]

Man, I wanna do this but I’m scared at the same time, I already have messed up family history to begin with.

[@terria4698]

I faced a LOT of negative blowback from older relatives when I began my family history journey. Most of them were found to have situations that are (typically) not a big deal today. Illegitimate births? Multiple marriages? Infidelity? *shrug* So what? The current generation should not be repressed because of beliefs held by their great-grandparents that do not have the same impact today. Digging in anyway, I found people who had a positive impact on history. Using DNA, I resolved some skeletons about parentage that created generational trauma for a lot of people. A relative who had been abused their entire life because it was thought they were the product of rape? Nope. They had the same father as all the people who they were told were only half-siblings. The *victim* of the rape was well-deserved of sympathy for their trauma, but they took it out on the child they bore, which was absolutely wrong and damaged several generations thereafter. I've been doing this 20 years. My advice: go into it with a stout heart and prepare to be faced with a version of history that may not be the one you've always been told. Also, be prepared for decisions on what information should be revealed and what should be guarded out of respect. A cousin and I came to a nearly simultaneous revelation about a common ancestor who was jailed for life for murder. The information had a greater direct impact on them than me, so I left it to them to decide on what to reveal. My knowledge went into a non-reveal folder. It's been an enlightening and gratifying pursuit. For all the ugliness and unhappiness to be found, I have absolutely *zero* regrets about the research I've done.

[@123theprodigy5]

@@terria4698 oh wow, that’s crazy, my father walked out on me so I know nothing about his side of the family. but my mother side of the family treated everyone terribly. that’s why she and my grandmother distance themselves from them.

[@MrsSpiffilicious]

@@terria4698 this was well said! Agree 💯

[@MrsSpiffilicious]

@@123theprodigy5 if you have a name is a good place to start with lineage. You can find out a lot about his past. someone out there has him on their lineage I promise, and when you link up with theirs you'll have a lot of information. That is how we are doing ours.

[@rhondatangredi4227]

I enjoy this program, Finding Your Roots! It inspires so many of us to want know the secrets of untold history. It's amazing how many people that have been raised by grandparents or other family members, that don't know the truths or their backgrounds but share the need to know of who they really are. Especially when you're family all look different, with various skin tones, hair and facial features, or how much you look like someone! So the questions all remain the same. Who are your people? Where do I come from? What's my story? Why has no one ever told me? It's sad really...tht all this important information is kept secret and taken to the grave because of embarrassment or someone's infidelity! I too have these questions and would like to know!

[@maddycollins356]

Glad you cleared that up.

[@xrrrismickey]

Why Binnifer deserve each other

[@asilah3164]

My great-grandfather was the last slave owner in our town. He did leave her 10 acres in his will to be used for her maintenance and support. She was a woman named Violet.

[@kathysiedlecki6364]

You should have put Sunny Hostin on there because her family came from Spain and moved along with their slaves to America. La' var Burton is another one had to do two DNA to proved that his great grandfather was a slave owner.

[@TheDivayenta]

She’s coming up I believe.

[@lauran.9427]

Gotta LOVE when RACE BAITERS...find out their families ARE those exact people 😂😂...

[@loritracy1385]

The Bernie, Larry connection wouldn't have occurred to me. But the minute you say it, of course!

[@reneedover1863]

I really enjoy this show

[@peponwi2716]

Mojo and MsMojo are like the Reader's Digest for the internet and pop culture, and I'm here for it!

[@MsMojo]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@maureencora1]

I Wish He Did the Late Great Louis Gossett jr. May He R.I.P.

[@samuelcollantes1175]

Of course i agree. Happy monday afternoon, Sophia. Take care and God bless you. Greetings from Colombia to you as well.

[@uptoncriddington6939]

Huson opposed British colonialism in North America, you say? He was a Briton who settled in a British colony, Pennsylvania province, before the beginning of the American Revolution. So he was clearly not opposed, he just changed sides conveniently as many did. Of course, British colonialism was a necessary precursor of the United States’ very existence. It would never have come into being without it.

[@candace830]

Love this❤❤❤❤❤

[@cherylbutler6635]

My husband was a professional genealogist. He is descended from the Viking Rollo and from Saint Margaret of Scotland.

[@CharCanuck14]

Seriously? This is crazy. Rollo was my 34th great grandfather & Saint Margaret of Scotland my 29th great grandmother. Although I'm not a professional genealogist, I've been working on my ancestry for almost 20 years and try to thoroughly dissect every bit of information I get, so I'm fairly confident of my results. So I guess your husband and I are cousins? Cheers from Canada!

[@sylvur1977]

Rollo is also my 34th Great grandfather through William The Conquerer and the Plantagenets

[@carmie9400]

@@CharCanuck14Wow! What incredible ancestry!

[@amyclutter7259]

Edward I (mentioned in the video) was also a descendant of Rollo and William the Conqueror… my husband is of that line.

[@CharCanuck14]

@@carmie9400 I think everyone has an amazing ancestry Carmie. I find the interesting & incredible stories coming from the "average Joe" ancestor like my 3rd great grand uncle in England who stole some cloth & was sentenced to be transported to a penal colony in Australia. Amazing history lessons involving "family". Greetings & cheers from Canada!

[@cindybrown7527]

Best show on RV for many years!

[@williamjones7163]

My Grandmother always said, "Becareful how hard you shake your family tree. Some of the shady branches may fall out."

[@randilevson9547]

Some of the nuts may be shaken out.

[@corabernal6432]

A lot of these are very surprising 😮❤️

[@Siansonea]

Edward I of England is a LOT of people's 20-something great grandfather.

[@researchtech4881]

Not surprised by Affleck's reaction. He's a performative moralist...

[@christycafe9384]

Okay....not that it means much, but King Edward I was MY 22 times Great Grandfather as well, so Kevin Bacon & I are distantly related. 😂

[@ssss13861]

RuPaul & Cori Booker!

[@janibeg3247]

My roots: wine makers, pig farmers, dairy farmers, and border reivers.

[@Theintrovertednow]

All I know about my roots are irish Welsh and native Americans debated learning more of my genealogy

[@susieblu4152]

BORDER REIVER here too ! Bell ! Loads of BR families, Bell, Baty ( Beatty) Forster, Graham, Halliday, and more ! You?

[@JohnDauffenbach]

So Reynold's ancestors owned slaves, so what, it had nothing to do with him. People have to quit trying to rewrite history and learn from it. We still have slavery in this country, the media just calls it human trafficking. Maybe if we called it what it is people would stamp it out 😢.

[@williamturnier9032]

George R. R. Martin was fascinating. He has long regarded one of his grandmothers as a sainted woman whose Italian husband most vilely abandoned her with a young child. After the show used DNA analysis to figure out what had happened, they discovered that the father of the child the sainted grandmother bore was not Italian but was an Ashkenazi Jew. Seemingly the Italian husband had learned that his wife was unfaithful and left her. Granny did not want the rest of the family to know what had happened and decided to play the role of the suffering saint.

[@TheresaAdams-no1ob]

Britney Spears is MY 5th cousin! And Duncan, King of Scots is great, great..grandfather!!

[@thecaptaintaz420]

The best 2 of all time: Sunny Hulston (the view) and Don Cheadle. Sunny is directly descended from Spanish slavers who left Spain to continue their slave business. Don Cheadle found out his ancestors were owned by the Indigenous Chickasaw tribe.

[@justsayin5609]

Her last name is Hostin.🙄

[@SummerSolstice621]

I learned that NFL Quarterback Russell Wilson is supposedly my cousin from this show.

[@dawnyoung8]

I had relatives that settled and lived in the south and still fought for the union . I had grandparents fighting for the north and uncles fighting for the south with the same name . And it happened at least twice !

[@sheilaholmes8455]

Ben Affleck is a real jerk.

[@angela-ti1np]

He obviously never watched the show. Many guests have discovered that their ancestors were slaveholders.

[@200555280]

He asked, they agreed. Every thing on TV is edited.

[@gregsurrell598]

@@angela-ti1npGates’ M.O.

[@utubeaf3c0]

The Ben Affleck one never gets old. LMAO!

[@floridapmi]

Angela Davis should have been number 1

[@carolynprice9022]

Courtney Cox being a direct descendant of William the Conqueror blew me away.

[@MarthaWachlin]

As there is an almost 1,000 year line of descent, there are a ton of us out there that can claim the same.

[@kathryncainmadsen5850]

So Angela Davis can walk in the front door of the Daughters of the Revolution? Do it!

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

HO. YES SHE CAN!!!!

[@jeannehall6546]

Kyra Sedgwick also is a cousin of ‘60’s model and actress Edie Sedgwick, who was Andy Warhol’s muse for a while.

[@MrHorse-by3mp]

I thought Ben Affleck's ancestors would be all the town drunks in various, well, towns across the Old World and New.

[@mariasmith9998]

Hey you got anything interesting on Sly Stallone? He is one of my favorite actors. The guy is an ICON!

[@brianc.1149]

If you go back enough generations, we're pretty much ALL related. And if you believe in Heavenly Father, we're all brothers and sisters.

[@Heygoodlooking-lk9kg]

I don't

[@brianc.1149]

But, if you go back as many generations as they do on the show, you can be related to athletes, entertainers, royalty, etc. In other words, being someone's 10th cousin 5 times removed doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot.

[@WenD1908]

The Joe Madison🕊️and Angela Davis reveals were wild. Joe Madison’s family tree had a lot going on, for centuries. Angela Davis a Mayflower descendant, never ever would’ve thought that.

[@maryfrump7937]

Hello cousin Kevin!

[@davidfoley726]

Brendan Fraser looks strikingly like Christopher Reid Of Kid n Play.

[@jeannovacco5136]

This video pointedly leaves out the emotional disbelief and denial of Angela Davis upon learning that one of her ancestors was a white colonist coming over on the Mayflower, a status long accepted in America as the beginning of white Europeans inhabiting North America in general -- and in particular settling in the British colonies that formed the foundation of the USA. Apparently she's always been in denial about being of mixed race, but her ancestor being one of the founders of British colonization on the North American continent was an unbelievable surprise NOT shared in this slanted video. Her complexion and iconic black afro hairstyle had made her a symbol of a radical movement defined, in part, by her one-sided rhetoric, but when confronted with gaps between ideology and the complexities of identity politicsher reactions were reveaingly personal. Professor Gates has released the whole video on his ancestry-focused KZbin channel.

[@nenesspirtualgirlbest9562]

I should watch this show. Is it still on the air? Id like to find out my family roots :)