Finding Your Roots
Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left...
Finding Your Roots
Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world’s leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.
Finding Your Roots
Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left...
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Episodes
Episode 1: Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr.
Their European immigrant ancestors blazed unconventional trails in America, from capturing British s...
Episode 2: John Lewis and Cory Booker
In this episode, we feature two African American politicians from different generations and opposite...
Episode 3: Barbara Walters and Geoffrey Canada
What's in a name? Well, a lot, at least when it comes to piecing together your family history. For f...
Episode 4: Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon
What do Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick have in common? They are both famous actors and both descend f...
Episode 5: Rick Warren, Angela Buchdahl and Yasir Qadhi
Pastor Rick Warren, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Sheik Yasir Qadhi are of three different faiths, all w...
Episode 6: Robert Downey, Jr. and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Many American descend from a dense soups of European ethnicities; we could call them mutts, with anc...
Episode 7: Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice and Ruth Simmons
Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice and Brown University President Ruth Simmons have each climbed to...
Episode 8: Martha Stewart, Margaret Cho and Sanjay Gupta
The three guests in this episode are all children of first- or second-generation immigrants and shar...
Episode 9: John Legend and Wanda Sykes
Most African Americans struggle to trace their ancestors beyond Emancipation; slavery erased names a...
Episode 10: Adrian Grenier, Michelle Rodriguez and Linda Chavez
Michelle Rodriguez, Adrian Grenier and Linda Chavez all share Spanish colonial roots, yet each views...
Episode 1: In Search of our Fathers
Three famous guests — Stephen King, Gloria Reuben and Courtney B. Vance — know almost nothing about...
Episode 2: Born Champions
Billie Jean King, Derek Jeter and Rebecca Lobo learn about their family histories. King discovers th...
Episode 3: Our American Storytellers
Ken Burns learns that his Southern ancestors include Confederate soldiers and a slave owner; Anderso...
Episode 4: Roots of Freedom
Actor Ben Affleck discovers his mother's past as a Freedom Rider in 1964, NAACP President Ben Jealou...
Episode 5: The Melting Pot
Chef Tom Colicchio learns the hardships his family endured in Northern Italy; chef Ming Tsai traces...
Episode 6: We Come From People
Nas learns about his slave ancestors; Angela Bassett discovers that her family history includes an e...
Episode 7: Our People, Our Traditions
Tony Kushner learns how the Holocaust impacted his ancestors; Carole King delves into the origins of...
Episode 8: The British Invasion
Deepak Chopra, Sally Field and Sting’s ancestry demonstrates the extraordinary influence of the Brit...
Episode 9: Ancient Roots
Tina Fey, George Stephanopoulos and David Sedaris, three quintessential voices in American life, des...
Episode 10: Decoding Our Past Through DNA
Secrets encoded in their genomes challenge these guests’ ideas about their families’ histories and t...
Dr. Gates explores the genealogy of celebrities using the records left behind and DNA technology.
Episode 1: The Stories We Tell
Discover the unsolved mysteries behind the family stories of political organizer Donna Brazile, acto...
Episode 2: The Irish Factor
Explore the shared Irish ancestry of three powerful social commentators of our times, Bill Maher, So...
Episode 3: In Search Of Freedom
Learn how the ancestors of Maya Rudolph, Shonda Rhimes and Keenen Ivory Wayans struggled for freedom...
Episode 4: Tragedy + Time = Comedy
Uncover a history of tragedies and triumphs in the families of three of America’s funniest men–Jimmy...
Episode 5: Visionaries
Discover how the ancestors of business mogul Richard Branson and architects Maya Lin and Frank Gehry...
Episode 6: War Stories
Patricia Arquette, Senator John McCain, and Julianne Moore explore their genealogical heritage with...
Episode 7: Family Reunions
Uncover family mysteries about two legends of hip hop, Sean Combs and LL Cool J, through the use of...
Episode 8: The Pioneers
Discover how Neil Patrick Harris, Gloria Steinem and Sandra Cisneros are connected to pioneers who b...
Episode 9: The Long Way Home
Discover how actress Julianna Margulies, author Azar Nafisi and chef Lidia Bastianich are bound toge...
Episode 10: Maps of Stars
Learn how Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow, who last shared the screen together in 1969, also share a h...
Episode 1: The Impression
Join Larry David and Bernie Sanders, who learn they have more in common than they thought.
Episode 2: Unfamiliar Kin
Guests: Carly Simon, Christopher Walken, and more. In this episode, three guests each learn about a...
Episode 3: Puritans and Pioneers
Guests: Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and William H. Macy. Three mainstays of modern-day Hollywood di...
Episode 4: The Vanguard
Guests: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ava DuVernay and Janet Mock. Three guests who have helped to redefine Blac...
Episode 5: Immigrant Nation
Guests: Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd and John Turturro. In this episode, three guests explore the t...
Episode 6: Black Like Me
Guests: Bryant Gumbel, Tonya Lewis-Lee and Suzanne Malveaux. Three African-American guests delve dee...
Episode 7: Children of the Revolution
Guests: Lupita Nyong’o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro. Three guests explore how their family trees...
Episode 8: Relatives We Never Knew We Had
Guests: Gaby Hoffmann and Téa Leoni. Two guests whose lives have been shaped by family mysteries are...
Episode 9: Southern Roots
Guests: Questlove, Dr. Phil and Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Three guests of disparate backgrounds dig in...
Episode 10: Funny Business
Guests: Amy Schumer and more. Guests who have found fame mining their family stories for comedy lear...
Episode 1: Grandparents and Other Strangers
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actor Andy Samberg and author George R. R. Martin answer some family my...
Episode 2: Mystery Men
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors Felicity Huffman and Michael K. Williams discover a wealth of hi...
Episode 3: Reporting on the Reporters
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows journalists Christiane Amanpour, Ann Curry and Lisa Ling that the stori...
Episode 4: Dreaming of a New Land
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores with Marisa Tomei, Sheryl Sandberg and Kal Penn the tremendous chall...
Episode 5: Freedom Tales
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. delves deep into the roots of two African-American guests, actor S. Epatha Me...
Episode 6: Roots in Politics
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the diverse family histories of politicians Paul Ryan, Tulsi Gabbard...
Episode 7: No Laughing Matter
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows comedians Seth Meyers, Tig Notaro and Sarah Silverman that their family...
Episode 8: Hard Times
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family stories of filmmaker Michael Moore and actors Laura Linne...
Episode 9: The Eye of the Beholder
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shares the family histories of director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, iconoclastic p...
Episode 10: All in the Family
The family stories of actor Ty Burrell, and radio host Joe Madison. Also a look at how a summer camp...
Episode 1: Hollywood Royalty
Actresses Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston and Mia Farrow explore their family histories, genera...
Episode 2: Off the Farm
Actors Melissa McCarthy and Eric Stonestreet retrace their ancestral journeys.
Episode 3: Homecomings
Sterling K. Brown, Jon Batiste and Sasheer Zamata learn about the unexpected places their ancestors...
Episode 4: This Land is My Land
The unexpected family trees of Queen Latifah and Jeffrey Wright challenge preconceptions about Ameri...
Episode 5: Beyond the Pale
Exploring the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross and comic Marc Maron.
Episode 6: Secrets & Lies
Sigourney Weaver, Justina Machado and Amy Ryan explore their ancestry.
Episode 7: Science Pioneers
Tracing the family histories of scientists Harold Varmus, Francis Collins and Shirley Ann Jackson.
Episode 8: Slave Trade
Questlove, S. Epatha Merkerson and Ava DuVernay explore the unexpected places where their ancestors...
Episode 9: Italian Roots
Marisa Tomei, Jimmy Kimmel and John Turturro learn about the sacrifices their ancestors made to brin...
Episode 10: Criminal Kind
The family histories of Laura Linney, Lisa Ling and Soledad O'Brien reveal tricksters, scoundrels an...
Episode 11: Fashion's Roots
Guests: Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, RuPaul. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. steps into the worl...
Episode 12: DNA Mysteries
Guests: Téa Leoni, Joe Madison. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uses DNA detective work to solve mysteries in...
Episode 13: War Stories
Guests: Kehinde Wiley, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of acto...
Episode 14: Flight
Guests: Lupita Nyong’o, Lidia Bastianich, Scarlett Johansson. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets actors Sc...
Episode 15: Breaking Silences
Guests: Gayle King, Jordan Peele, Issa Rae. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family secrets of jo...
Episode 16: Coming to America
Guests: Nancy Pelosi, Norah O'Donnell, Zac Posen. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Congresswoman Nancy P...
Episode 1: To the Manor Born
Guests: Glenn Close and John Waters. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the privileged lineages of Gle...
Episode 2: The Mole Agent
Guests: Andy Cohen and Nina Totenberg. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces Andy Cohen and Nina Totenbe...
Episode 3: No Irish Need Apply
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Jane Lynch and comedian Jim Gaffigan, revealing t...
Episode 4: The Shirts on Their Backs
Guests: Tony Shalhoub and Christopher Meloni. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the immigrant roots of...
Episode 5: Write My Name in the Book of Life
Guests: Pharrell Williams and Kasi Lemmons. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Pharrell Williams...
Episode 6: Country Roots
Guests: Clint Black and Rosanne Cash. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the remarkably diverse backgr...
Episode 7: The New World
Guests: John Lithgow and Maria Hinojosa. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces ancestors of actor John Lith...
Episode 8: Anchored to the Past
Guests: Gretchen Carlson and Don Lemon. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. examines how journalists Gretchen Ca...
Episode 9: On Broadway
Guests: Audra MacDonald and Mandy Patinkin. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. investigates the family historie...
Episode 10: Laughing on the Inside
Guests: Lewis Black and Roy Wood, Jr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. provides comedians Lewis Black and Roy...
Episode 1: Hidden in the Genes
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Rebecca Hall and Lee Daniels solve family mysteries through DNA detecti...
Episode 2: Children of Exile
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. welcomes Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Anita Hill, two guests who made pro...
Episode 3: Activists Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. retraces the ancestral journeys of David Chang and Raúl Esparza, whose famili...
Episode 4: Things we Dont Discuss
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors Pamela Adlon and Kathryn Hahn explore scandals and secrets hidde...
Episode 5: Mexican Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Me...
Episode 6: Fighters
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sits down with Terry Crews and Tony Danza, both guests who overcame adversity...
Episode 7: Incredible Journeys
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps John Leguizamo and Lena Waithe retrace the paths of their immigrant anc...
Episode 8: Songs of the Past
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. accompanies Broadway stars Leslie Odom, Jr. and Nathan Lane as they meet a ca...
Episode 9: Watchmen
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides Regina King and Damon Lindelof, the creative forces behind a visionary...
Episode 10: Where Did We Come From?
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson and André Leon Talley, three guests f...
Episode 1: Hidden Kin
Henry Louis Gates explores the remarkable roots of actors Edward Norton and Julia Roberts—using DNA...
Episode 2: Salem's Lot
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes actors Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels on a journey into their roots, unc...
Episode 3: Secret Lives
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps comedians Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash decode scandals hidden within th...
Episode 4: Far From Home
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of pop icon Cyndi Lauper and actors Jamie Chung and Dan...
Episode 5: Rising From the Ashes
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the roots of actors Brian Cox and Viola Davis, uncovering records from...
Episode 6: Family: Lost and Found
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uses DNA detective work to solve family mysteries for actor Joe Manganiello a...
Episode 7: Chosen
Henry Louis Gates helps actors David Duchovny and Richard Kind trace their roots from Jewish communi...
Episode 8: And Still I Rise
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the unexpected family trees of activist Angela Y. Davis and statesman...
Episode 9: Anchormen
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces trail-blazing journalists Jim Acosta and Van Jones to the ancestor...
Episode 10: Out of the Past
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the lost roots of actors Billy Crudup and Tamera Mowry-Housley, trav...
Episode 1: Born To Sing
Singers Ciara and Alanis Morissette examine their family histories.
Episode 2: Forever Young
Actors Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser explore their family histories
Episode 3: Fathers and Sons
Actors LeVar Burton and Wes Studi, two men who grew up without their fathers, explore their family h...
Episode 4: Buried Secrets
Singer Sammy Hagar and actor Ed O'Neill uncover their roots and discover deep family secrets.
Episode 5: Hold the Laughter
Actor Bob Odenkirk and comic Iliza Shlesinger explore their family histories and learn about relativ...
Episode 6: Far and Away
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the extraordinarily diverse roots of journalist Sunny Hostin and act...
Episode 7: The Brick Wall Falls
HenryLouis Gates, Jr. helps musician Dionne Warwick and actor Danielle Brooks break down barriers im...
Episode 8: Mean Streets
Comic Tracy Morgan and actor Anthony Ramos, both native New Yorkers, map their family trees.
Episode 9: In the Blood
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Michael Douglas & writer-director Lena Dunham. Bo...
Episode 10: "Viewers Like You"
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. solves mysteries for 3 everyday Americans chosen to be guests.
Episode 1: Larger Than Life
Research into the ancestry of singer Lea Salonga and actress Amanda Seyfried reveals relatives who s...
Episode 2: La Famiglia
Exploring the Italian roots of television host Joy Behar and actor Michael Imperioli.
Episode 3: Stranger Than Fiction
Traveling across China and the American South to reveal the ancestry of novelist Amy Tan and poet Ri...
Episode 4: Dreamers One and All
Exploring the ancestry of actress Sharon Stone and model Chrissy Teigen includes travelling across E...
Episode 5: Family Recipes
Exploring the ancestry of chefs José Andrés and Sean Sherman.
Episode 6: Latin Roots
Tracing the family trees of musician Rubén Blades and journalist Natalie Morales.
Episode 7: The Ties That Bind
Actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard learn about their family histories, which includes stories of so...
Episode 8: The Butterfly Effect
Actresses Debra Messing and Melanie Lynskey explore the stories of their ancestors whose bold decisi...
Episode 9: Moving on Up
Laurence Fishburne and Sheryl Lee Ralph learn about their family histories.
Episode 10: Finding My Roots
A solution to a mystery that has haunted the Gates family for generations is revealed.
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