Top 30 Most Dramatic Moments on Finding Your Roots

#30: Scarlett Johansson

In this Season 4 episode, Scarlett Johansson learned a great deal about her maternal ancestors. Her great-grandfather, Saul Schlamberg, left Poland in 1910 and immigrated to New York. However, his brother, Moishe, stayed in Europe. Over 30 years later, Moishe and his family were among the hundreds of Grojec’s Jewish residents who were forced into the Warsaw Ghetto. The conditions were dire, and many died from diseases and starvation, or at the hands of Nazi soldiers. Miriam Margalit, one of Moishe’s 10 children, spoke about her family’s death in a testimony found at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum. It’s one thing to know your ancestors suffered and perished decades ago. But to read about it in detail was incredibly emotional for Johansson.

#29: Kathryn Hahn

As we’ve seen with genealogical journeys, some family trees have scandals and unsavory relatives. In actress Kathryn Hahn’s case, it was her maternal third great-grandfather, Wilhelm Lünenschloss, who already had a wife and children when he began a relationship with his neighbor’s daughter. The two left Germany and moved to Wisconsin, where they started a family. Her father’s side also had family members forced to separate. In 1882, Hahn’s great-great-grandmother, Mary O’Connell, came to America from Ireland with her six children. Her husband, John, was already in the US. Mary’s parents were also waiting for her to join them, and sadly, it took decades for them to reunite. From a marriage scandal to a heartbreaking immigrant story, Hahn had a lot to process.

#28: Rebecca Hall

After hearing inconsistent stories about her heritage for most of her life, English filmmaker and actress Rebecca Hall turned to “Finding Your Roots” to uncover a long-held family secret. She grew up believing that her maternal grandfather, Norman Isaac Ewing, was either Native American or African American, but her mother couldn’t definitively say which. Using Hall’s DNA, the show’s research team confirmed Norman wasn’t indigenous. And a 1910 census record had him and his family listed as “mulatto.” Norman’s father, John Ewing, was born into slavery, but as an adult, he found himself meeting politicians and working in the US Treasury Department. Hall finally got the answers she’d longed for and learned more about her ancestors than she expected.

#27: Sterling K. Brown

When award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown appeared on “Finding Your Roots,” he wanted to know more about his father’s ancestry. The show revealed that his grandmother, Willie Mae, died of heart complications at a young age, just like her son would years later, meaning Brown and his father both lost parents when they were kids. Tracing his maternal roots, they found that his great-great-grandparents, Frank and Sallie Banks, were among the few African Americans who owned their own farm. But the biggest discovery came from generations prior. Unlike the vast majority of Black Americans, Brown learned the names of his Africa-born 5th great-grandparents. Given the rarity of this information, just seeing their birthplace was enough to move him to tears.

#26: Andy Samberg

Like other celebrities on this list, actor-comedian Andy Samberg appeared on “Finding Your Roots” with a goal in mind. For decades, his mother, Marjorie, had searched for her biological parents to no avail. Going by old letters from her adoption agency, the show’s research team was able to uncover the identity of Marjorie’s German-born birth mother, Ellen Philipsborn. They also found her biological father, Salvatore Maida, and later, Samberg and his mom visited his family. But perhaps the most astounding and moving aspect they learned about Ellen was that she worked with children, which her daughter would go on to do decades later.

#25: Tamera Mowry-Housley

After learning about her Bahamian roots on her mother’s side, actress and talk show host Tamera Mowry-Housley was ready to explore her paternal ancestry. The show’s research team traced her father’s lineage to the 1600s and found her 13th great-grandfather, William Brewster. And if that name sounds familiar, it’s because you probably learned about him in history class. In England, Brewster held underground religious services for the Separatists. They then journeyed to the New World on the Mayflower, and he became Plymouth Colony’s ruling elder. Mowry-Housley’s ancestor was also depicted in the famous painting of the first Thanksgiving. The “Sister Sister” star was just as excited as she was deeply touched by her connection to such a monumental moment in history.

#24: Fred Armisen

“SNL” alum Fred Armisen received not one but two bombshells on his episode of “Finding Your Roots.” First, he learned more about his paternal grandfather from Japan, Masami Kuni, notably his unique profession as a famous dancer performing for German soldiers. He voluntarily entertained the troops, but according to a report from WWII, he was secretly a spy. But the bigger surprise came when they dug deeper into his life. As it turned out, Masami Kuni was just a stage name, and Armisen’s grandfather was born in Korea as Pak Yeong-In. Finding out he was Korean, not Japanese, completely altered his view of his identity.

#23: Kristin Chenoweth

Tony-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth has had a successful career on both stage and screen. But what she didn’t know was that her biological father, Billy Eugene Ethridge, was a musical theater kid just like herself. And what’s eerie is that they each appeared in productions of “The King and I” decades apart. Billy also starred as the title character in “The Wizard of Oz.” Years later, his daughter would go on to originate the role of Glinda the Good in Broadway’s “Wicked.” If that’s not fate, we don’t know what is. Chenoweth had an even bigger reaction when she learned comedian Wanda Sykes was her cousin!

#22: QuestLove

When award-winning musician and producer QuestLove, birth name Ahmir Khalib Thompson, appeared on “Finding Your Roots,” he did not expect to find out that much about his ancestors. Henry Louis Gates Jr. completely surprised him multiple times but especially when it came to his maternal third great-grandparents, Charles and Maggie Lewis. They were among the 110 Africans who were illegally smuggled into America on the Clotilda, the last known slave ship. Tracing African American ancestry is no easy feat, making this finding very rare. He even got to see a photo of Charles. QuestLove was stunned not just by the discoveries but by the sheer amount of information the show managed to obtain.

#21: Issa Rae

When actress-producer Issa Rae was on the sixth season of “Finding Your Roots,” Gates looked up her maternal third great-grandfather, Dorson Louis Charbonnet, a free person of color. But things were a bit complicated. In 1816, his mother, Marie Louise Mélite, along with her mother, Mary, was emancipated by a Black slave-owner named Jean Louis Beaulieu. And as it turns out, Mary and Marie were his wife and daughter. Back then, it was not too uncommon for a Black person to “own” their family members. But Rae was still shocked, nonetheless; more so after discovering Dorson’s father, Amable Charbonnet, was a white man from the island of Saint-Domingue, currently Haiti. Rae also learned she has a connection to the Haitian Revolution, though in an unexpected way.

#20: Amanda Seyfried

When Amanda sat down with host Henry Louis Gates Jr. to explore her family’s past, she discovered some seriously scandalous tidbits. Her great-great-great-grandfather John Peter Ebert had started a family with his wife (who funnily enough was also named Amanda). However, one day Ebert was tragically shot and killed outside of his shop. Unfortunately history only gets darker from here. John had several children but it’s revealed that he also had an illegitimate son named Herbert, who was actually a suspect in the murders! Needless to say, Amanda Seyfried was shocked to hear about John’s murder and the plot twist involving his son Herbert. If you stop to think about it, Seyfried’s family history basically reads like a real life tv drama.

#19: Jeff Goldblum

It takes some exceptional amounts of bravery and courage to be willing to put your own life on the line to fight against injustice. For example, Jeff Goldblum’s father was a World War Two veteran. But during Goldblum’s episode of “Finding Your Roots” he learned all about another brave soldier in his family, his second cousin once removed: Aaron Golan. Golan was part of the Soviet military and also fought during World War Two, sadly losing his life battling the Nazis. Goldblum was visibly moved by what he learned and expressed sincere gratitude over this uncovery of the past. Before this episode Goldblum had never even heard of Aaron Golan, but we have a feeling that now Goldblum’s never going to forget him.

#18: John Waters

It seems fitting that someone with a distinctive flair for telling stories would have a pretty dramatic family tree. For starters, John Waters’ relative Clifford Whittaker was shot by his own gun when it accidentally went off. This led Clifford to an unfortunate early grave. The drama didn’t end with Clifford though, in fact his death was only the beginning of the turmoil. Later a vicious legal battle broke out between Clifford’s wife Bertha and Clifford’s mother Mary. They fought for custody of his son as well as for control of the family money. Eventually, Bertha won the battle. Waters was extremely intrigued by the bizarre situation, and even humorously suggested that he got his penchant for dramatic storytelling passed down to him from this.

#17: Bob Odenkirk

For years Bob Odenkirk has entertained millions as the quirky and manipulative Saul Goodman. Meanwhile beyond the tv screens Odenkirk has lived a pretty fulfilling life. But while he masquerades as a mild-mannered midwesterner he’s actually far from that. As his episode of “Finding Your Roots” revealed, Bob is eleventh cousins with King Charles the Third. That’s right, he’s basically royalty if you think about it. This was obviously a stunning revelation for the actor. Despite the genetic bombshells though, Odenkirk still firmly maintained that he’s pro-democracy rather than monarchy. With that in mind don’t expect to see him hopping on a throne any time soon. Still though, maybe he should consider changing his name to Bob Odenking. It’s got a nice ring to it!

#16: Regina King

Actually you know what, speaking of kings, Regina King has quite a complex family history too. Her third great grandfather was Bob Kane, not to be confused with the controversial Batman co-creator also named Bob Kane. Anyways, Regina’s ancestor lived an incredibly difficult life since he was born into slavery. It can’t be understated just how horrific those times were, and no amount of sugarcoating can distract from the truth. In fact, the brutal truth about Bob’s rough experiences was so powerful it made Regina cry. If there’s a silver lining though, Regina was thrilled to learn that Bob eventually became a free man and even a registered voter. Ultimately the shackles of the past don’t have to define the future.

#15: Lena Dunham

In the movie “Treasure” Lena Dunham plays a woman who has to come to terms with her family’s Holocaust traumas while visiting her dad in Poland. And as it turns out, her character actually has a lot in common with Lena’s own family’s experiences. One of Lena’s relatives named Ilona got split up from her family and was taken to Kamianets-Podilskyi. That’s a city in Ukraine which was occupied by the Nazis who carried out many senseless murders there. Ilona was essentially sent to die. Lena’s discovery of her family’s connection to the Holocaust deeply affected her and it’s hard not to understand why. It’s one of history’s most painful moments and the scars from that event have still yet to be healed.

#14: Laurence Fishburne

The identity of Laurence Fishburne’s biological father was a mystery which had eluded the legendary actor for his entire life. That is, until Laurence made an appearance on “Finding Your Roots”. In his episode the show’s team of family-tracking professionals successfully identified Laurence’s biological dad: a man named William Bohannan. They didn’t just correctly ID him though. They also obtained a photograph of William which Laurence later got the chance to see. He was moved by the photo of his biological dad and also thrilled to see that William had a great smile and was well-dressed. By wrapping up the mystery of his biological father’s identity it helped Laurence feel less alienated, and in turn, he was allowed to finally get some closure.

#13: Kristen Bell

Oftentimes guests on this show learn of noble ancestors who fought the good fight and lived honest lives, but this isn’t always the case for some guests. Kristen Bell uncovered some major discoveries about a relative but it wasn’t the most flattering information ever. That’s because her ancestor William Bell was a spy. Ok you know what, sure, at first hearing that you’re descended from a spy sounds pretty cool, but William was actually a spy for Britain. Yep, he was secretly trying to give them any info he could to get the upper hand over the United States. Kristen was shocked and slightly bummed to hear about her relative’s true allegiances. Spy life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be in the end.

#12: Larry David

There’s a lot that’s in a name, and sometimes the ones we associate with certain people aren’t even accurate. Larry David thought that his mother’s name was Rosa, but new evidence showed that her real name was actually Regina. Admittedly a name mixup might not sound like the most mind-blowing revelation out there. However, Larry was completely caught off guard by this added wrinkle to his family tree. This wasn’t the only wrinkle he found out about though. Another shocking takeaway was that Larry David is related to Bernie Sanders. Yes…that Bernie Sanders! Considering that Larry actually played Bernie on “SNL”, that just makes this connection all the more eerie and bizarre. Come on people, if that’s not shocking then what is?

#11: Kevin Bacon

“Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” is a game where you try to connect an actor back to Kevin Bacon in six ways or less. It’s the concept of six degrees of separation just…you know, with Kevin Bacon. When Bacon went on “Finding Your Roots” he actually discovered a lot of people who were genetically linked back to him. The most shocking link of all? Bacon’s own wife. That’s right, he and actress Kyra Sedgwick are ninth cousins once removed. That’s a wild and slightly unsettling plot twist. He’s also Brad Pitt’s thirteenth cousin twice removed. Not only that, Kevin also shares links to Barack Obama. The former President is his twelfth cousin a staggering three times removed. Wow, our world is really just the Baconverse!

#10: Viola Davis

On “Finding Your Roots,” award-winning actress Viola Davis learned the “messy truth” of her maternal lineage. While researching documents about Davis’ grandfather, Henry Logan, they found a discrepancy that revealed a long-held secret. In the early 1940s, Gable Logan was listed as Henry’s father on his social security application. However, after Henry passed away in 1979, his obituary stated he was the son of a man named John Young. According to DNA analysis, Henry’s biological father was indeed Young, a nearby neighbor of Corine in South Carolina. Davis didn’t appear too shocked by the inference that her grandfather was born from an extramarital affair. However, she had some very poignant words of wisdom about ancestry.

#9: Pamela Adlon

In 2022, actress, writer, and director Pamela Adlon appeared on “Finding Your Roots” to solve a decades-long family mystery about her mom, Marina. It was always rumored that Marina wasn’t the biological daughter of Leonard Leece, the only father she’d ever known. Researching Adlon’s genealogy was a multiple-year process, but DNA results were finally able to determine that the rumor was true. Marina’s birth father was actually a man named Joseph Walthew. Adlon’s grandmother Phyllis was already married to Leonard when Marina was conceived. Researchers also discovered she had a half-sister named Gloria, Walthew’s other daughter. The truth may be scandalous, but in the end, it brought families together.

#8: RuPaul

In season 6, host Henry Gates Jr. tells RuPaul Charles the compelling story of his maternal great-great-great-grandmother Julie, who was owned by a man named Jacques Fontenette. Interestingly, he freed her two children, Nanette and Andre, but kept Julie herself enslaved. RuPaul and Gates speculate on the reason for this act of compassion, theorizing that he could have been their father. Researchers discovered a record of manumission from 1818, stating that Andre bought his mother from Fontenette. After his tragic death, Nanette succeeded in freeing her, roughly 14 years after she and Andre were granted manumission. RuPaul can relate to the siblings’ determination and tearfully recalls how he felt caring for his own mother before she passed away.

#7: LL Cool J

The early life of James Todd Smith, aka LL Cool J, was scarred by his violent father. After the couple separated, LL and his mother, Ondrea Griffith, went to live with her parents, Eugene Griffith and Ellen Hightower. But “Finding Your Roots” made a life-changing discovery — the Griffiths were not LL’s biological grandparents. Ondrea was born Andra Jolly to parents Ethel Mae Jolly and Nathaniel Christy Lewis and later adopted by Eugene and Ellen. It’s a lot to process, especially since she never knew she was an adoptee. However, LL still has love and respect for the people who had a hand in raising him.

#6: Terry Crews

Like many participants in “Finding Your Roots,” Terry Crews goes on an emotional rollercoaster learning about the triumphs and tragedies of his ancestors. The multi-hyphenate entertainer learned that he likely inherited his ambitious nature from his maternal great-great-grandfather, Edward Elbert. The men also share a similar resilience as Crews’ 4x great-grandparents, George and Fannie Newsome. George was enslaved by a planter named Hezekiah Newsome while his wife and kids were at a nearby property. In 1858, Fannie was separated from five of their seven children.Four years after a partial reunion in1861, all nine family members were finally together again.. As a father of five, Crews felt a strong connection with his relatives and was deeply touched by their harrowing experience.

#5: LeVar Burton

After his breakout role in the 1977 miniseries “Roots,” LeVar Burton was the host and executive producer of PBS’ beloved educational series “Reading Rainbow,” which ran from 1983 to 2006. He’s long been an advocate for literacy and always attributed it to his mother, Erma Gene Christian, a school teacher. But on “Finding Your Roots,” he discovered that his paternal relatives were also passionate about education. Estranged from his father since he was 11, Burton had no idea that his grandfather and great-grandfather both worked as school superintendents. And the latter was instrumental in founding and running a school in Osceola, Arkansas, for African American children. LeVar Burton was amazed that he had this powerful connection to his father’s family for all this time.

#4: Iliza Shlesinger

“Finding Your Roots” helped actor-comedian Iliza Shlesinger dig into her Eastern European paternal origins. She learned that her great-grandmother Esther Szonek managed to make her way from Poland to New York in 1921. However, she left behind five siblings. In September 1939, Mlawa, the small Polish town where Esther’s brother Lipa worked, was invaded by German soldiers, and its Jewish residents were confined to a “walled-in ghetto.” In November 1942, Lipa, along with many others, was taken to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he died less than a year later. Shlesinger first felt proud that Esther immigrated to the United States on her own. But hearing about her close connection to the horrors of the Holocaust was a painful realization.

#3: Mandy Patinkin

On “Finding Your Roots,” actor Mandy Patinkin traced the ancestry of his paternal grandfather, Max, and great uncle David Patinka, who came to America. David ultimately returned to Europe, where he, his wife, and two of their five children were killed during a robbery. In 1939, his son, Chaim, traveled to New York while Chaim’s brother, Lejzor, remained in the northeastern Polish town of Bransk, where the Germans confined them to a ghetto in 1941. On November 2, 1942, over two thousand Jewish residents, including Lejzor and his family, were sent to the Treblinka concentration camp. Just days later, they died in gas chambers, and their bodies were disposed of in a crematorium. Like Iliza Shlesinger, hearing what his relatives endured in the Holocaust was heart-wrenching and overwhelming for Patinkin.

#2: Pharrell Williams

Learning about the hardships and atrocities your ancestors faced is never easy. On “Finding Your Roots,” Pharrell Williams had the opportunity to read a firsthand account written by his great-great-great-aunt Jane Arrington, who was enslaved on a cotton plantation. As a part of the Slave Narratives Project of the 1930s, Arrington detailed the indignities her family suffered day-to-day. Reading her words and envisioning the painful reality of their lives had a visible effect on Williams. Despite the emotional experience, he was grateful to gain this intimate knowledge of his ancestors.

#1: Joe Manganiello

For some shocking discoveries, host Henry Louis Gates Jr. respectfully informs the guest off-camera prior to proceeding with the episode, which was the case with actor Joe Manganiello. He learned the mind-blowing truth that DNA showed he wasn’t biologically related to his paternal grandfather. Instead, his father’s father was a light-skinned African American man with the last name Cutler. Manganiello knew the harrowing story of his maternal great-grandmother, Terviz “Rose” Darakjian, an Armenian Genocide survivor who had a half-German daughter, Sondra, his grandmother. The show revealed her father to be a soldier named Karl Wilhelm Beutinger, whose son went on to join the Nazi’s SS. Learning this wealth of information had such a profound impact on Manganiello that he continued tracing his genealogy after the show.

What other dramatic family reveals did you find especially memorable? Drop it all down in the comments!