Hollywood can seem vast with all the entertainment and celebrities it births, but Tinseltown is actually small. It gets even smaller when discovering the familial ties some stars have.
Through shows like Finding Your Roots and 2 Lies & a Leaf, and with the latest advancements in genealogical studies, many A-listers have delved into their family trees and learned about their distant relatives. From Ciara and Derek Jeter to Terry Crews and Billy Crudup, unlikely pairs of stars have uncovered shocking links.
As Finding Your Roots premieres its 12th season on Jan. 6, 2026, read on to find out which stars have ties to royalty, which pop stars have a distant connection and which actor and athlete met up after finding out they’re related.
America Ferrera and Ava DuVernay
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In the season 12 trailer of Finding Your Roots, America Ferrera learned that director Ava DuVernay is her cousin. Her reaction was simple — and relatable: “Oh my God! I love that.”
Niecy Nash-Betts, Sterling K. Brown and Danielle Brooks
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Clearly, talent runs in the family for this trio.
Back in 2024, after both Brown and Brooks were nominated for Oscars for their work in American Fiction and The Color Purple, respectively, Nash shared a congratulatory post, revealing they were all cousins.
“Both of my COUSINS are OSCAR NOMINATED ‼️‼️ Yes! We are blood related! REAL cousins!” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m so proud of my fam! @thedaniellebrooks @sterlingkbrown I’m rooting for you! 💜🎉💜🎉💜🎉💜🎉.”
Brooks spoke of their relation while on Live with Kelly and Mark last summer, saying, “I can’t remember who’s on what side. One is on my mom’s side, the other is on my dad’s side. I’m the connective tissue.”
“Somebody make a movie or a TV show and let’s actually do this!” she concluded.
Billy Crudup and Terry Crews
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Following Billy Crudup‘s discovery on Finding Your Roots that Terry Crews is his distant relative, the America’s Got Talent host revealed he was able to meet his newfound family member in New York City.
“The fact that we are blood relatives, to me, is a statement about what America is,” Crews said on the Today show. “It’s also a statement about humanity. Because we all think, you know, he’s white, I’m Black. But the reality is we are true blood relatives.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph and Samuel L. Jackson
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Gates informed Sheryl Lee Ralph that she shared a “long stretch of DNA” on her 16th chromosome with fellow actor Samuel L. Jackson, indicating a common ancestor.
“Are you kidding me?!” the Abbott Elementary actress said. “And I like him so much!”
She added that the prolific star reminded her of her brother Timothy “for whatever reason.”
Michael Douglas and Scarlett Johansson
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Michael Douglas was shocked to find out he is a “DNA cousin” of Scarlett Johansson on Finding Your Roots, with the two sharing “identical branches of DNA on four different chromosomes.”
“Well, I look forward to seeing Scarlett next time!” the actor quipped.
Whoopi Goldberg and Tony Gonzalez
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After Whoopi Goldberg’s Finding Your Roots segment revealed that football player Tony Gonzalez is her distant cousin, the actress invited the former athlete to The View.
Referring to Goldberg as “Cousin Whoopi,” the tight end jokingly asked for $5 and a spot in her will. In return, the comedian equested Super Bowl tickets.
Bob Odenkirk and King Charles
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Bob Odenkirk has a distant relation to the British royal family. The Better Call Saul star discovered that he is the 11th cousin of King Charles via his father’s side.
Before Gates revealed Odenkirk’s surprising relative, he hinted that there may be a royal connection, to which Odenkirk responded, “I’m not a monarchist.”
After the reveal, Odenkirk laughed: “Well, maybe I’ll change my mind on that.”
Ciara and Derek Jeter
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Ciara had a “crazy” revelation on Finding Your Roots when she found out baseball legend Derek Jeter is her distant cousin.
“Ciara and Derek share a long identical stretch of DNA on their 14th chromosome DNA, which we know Derek inherited from his mother,” a voiceover explained.
Pope Leo XIV, Justin Trudeau, Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Angelina Jolie and Madonna
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The new pope has a host of famous relatives, sharing a maternal ancestor born in the 1590s, per Henry Louis Gates Jr.‘s research on Finding Your Roots.
Gates visited Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to confirm his relation to Pierre and Justin Trudeau, Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Angelina Jolie and Madonna, previously reported by The New York Times. He is their ninth-cousin several times removed, according to Gates.
Larry David and Bernie Sanders
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The resemblance is uncanny.
“I was very happy about that,” Larry David said in July 2017 of his newfound familial connection with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, which he discovered via his appearance on Finding Your Roots. “I thought there must have been some connection.”
Debra Messing and Bernie Sanders
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Sanders shares another famous relative in Debra Messing. The actress learned the Vermont senator is her DNA cousin in the 11th season of Finding Your Roots.
“What! Are you kidding me? Bernie Sanders?” asked a shocked Messing. “No way! Oh my gosh… That is mind-blowing.”
Lena Dunham and Larry David
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Meanwhile, David had another famous familial connection in actress and screenwriter Lena Dunham. The Girls creator found out on Finding Your Roots that the Curb Your Enthusiasm star is her cousin on her mother’s side.
“My husband [Luis Felber] is going to freak out! It’s Larry David!” she exclaimed. “This is the hottest information I could have ever gotten.”
Cory Booker and RuPaul
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The RuPaul‘s Drag Race host invited his cousin Cory Booker (the two found out they were related on an episode of PBS’ Finding Your Roots) to make a cameo on the show’s season 13 finale.
Ashley Tisdale and Austin Butler
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Ashley Tisdale found out about her family link to Austin Butler on a 2022 episode of Ancestry’s 2 Lies & A Leaf series.
Surprisingly, the High School Musical actress and Elvis star — who both starred in 2009’s Aliens in the Attic and 2011’s Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure — are 10th cousins once removed.
“No wonder we have such a connection!” Tisdale said when she heard the news. “We’ve always said we were brother and sister! That is insane. I literally am going to cry.”
Lance Bass and Britney Spears
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Former pop star Lance Bass and Britney Spears once shared the Super Bowl stage in 2001, and the *NSYNC member later found out he and his old friend share a family tree on a 2021 episode of the 2 Lies & A Leaf series.
“Look, I wanted to be related to the Queen,” he said. “Well, now I’m related to the queen of pop!”
Calling Spears his “little sister,” Bass said he always “felt like we looked like family.”
Plus, “she is like family to me,” he added, “so the fact that we are blood-related is amazing.”