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Celebrities Shocked by Surprising Family Ties Uncovered on PBS Series
8 Oct, 2025
Summary
- Celebrities including America Ferrera, Lizzo, and Spike Lee learn about their ancestry
- Revelations include discovering unexpected celebrity relatives and learning about enslaved ancestors
- Guests express deep emotions as they receive their family trees
In the upcoming season of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, a new batch of celebrities will be delving into their family histories and uncovering some shocking revelations. According to the exclusive trailer, stars like America Ferrera, Kristin Chenoweth, Spike Lee, and Lizzo are left stunned by the discoveries host Henry Louis Gates Jr. presents to them.
One of the most surprising connections is that Ferrera learns director Ava DuVernay is her cousin. Other celebrities, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea, discover the identity of long-lost ancestors. For Hasan Minhaj, the findings make him reflect on the "courage and conviction" he may have inherited from his forebears.
The trailer also shows emotional moments, like Liza Colón-Zayas shedding tears as she learns the name of an enslaved ancestor. "It breaks my heart," she says. By the end, the guests are deeply moved, with Spike Lee declaring it "one of the greatest days" of his life and Chenoweth calling the experience "freaky."
The series aims to highlight the diversity and shared humanity of the United States, as Gates explains its "twin message" is that despite our differences, we are 99.9% the same genetically, and that the country's greatness stems from being a "nation of immigrants, willing and unwilling."
