Top 10 Shocking Reveals on Finding Your Roots

No documentary series does revelations like "Finding Your Roots." Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most surprising familial discoveries made by celebrities on the genealogy documentary series “Finding Your Roots” or any of its related variations. Our countdown includes Ben Affleck, Joe Madison, Anderson Cooper, and more! What other celebrities do YOU think may share an eerie connection? Share your suggestions in the comments below!

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[YvaJStoryTime]

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

[sandyshoenberger]

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.

[ROBYNMARKOW]

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

[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.

[dorrainecrump]

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.

[Tito-sqkb]

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

[jennifer_m.]

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

[StephALowry]

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.

[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?!" 😂

[harlequeenchannel]

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

[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.

[sjferguson]

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

[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.

[elspethgraham]

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.

[JohnMAdams-nlzt]

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

[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 :)

[Azaleaz]

Why is Ben shocked and mad He is so extra

[___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.

[bronwynjacobs]

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

[agunaboumuzocha]

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.