Finding Your Roots

Niecy Nash is awestruck when she reads a will that bequeaths her 4th Great Grandfather to a plantation owner's daughter -- the first tangible evidence that she's ever seen of her family's history as slaves.

Henry Louis Gates helps comedians Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash decode scandals and secrets that have lain hidden within their roots for generations, revealing stories that their ancestors went to great lengths to conceal. Along the way, Gates and his guests also explore the larger meaning of family bonds—and celebrate the virtue of accepting one’s relatives, whoever they may be.

Claire Danes and Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncover the story of her great-grandfather's heroic sacrifice in World War I and the story of her grandmother's journey to see his grave in France.

Jeff Daniels discovers his 8th great grandfather Captain Thomas Chandler, testified against Samuel Wardwell during the Salem Witch Trials, eventually sending him and multiple others to their death.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes actors Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels on a journey into their roots, uncovering primal scenes from our nation’s past. Weaving together stories of soldiers, settlers, immigrants and entrepreneurs, Gates travels from World War I battlefields to Civil War prison camps to America’s most infamous witch hunt—offering his guests insight into what made them who they are today.

Edward Norton came to Finding Your Roots already equipped with more genealogical knowledge about his family than perhaps any guest in the history of the show. But we still managed to find a few shocking family stories that the actor was unaware of, including how his great-great-grandfather, Frank Baals had died.

Julia Roberts learns that her ancestors who immigrated to America were Statares -- contract farm workers who, because of their harsh living conditions, were generally viewed as being on the lowest rungs of Swedish society.

Henry Louis Gates explores the remarkable roots of actors Edward Norton and Julia Roberts — using DNA analysis and genealogical detective work to travel generations into the past, tracing lineages that run from Northern Europe to the American South. Along the way, Norton and Roberts reimagine their family stories and discover their hidden connections to our nation’s history — and each other.

A new season of Finding Your Roots premieres January 3, 2023 8/7c! Tune in for all-new episodes as renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides influential guests into their roots, uncovering deep secrets, hidden identities and lost ancestors.

The countdown to a new season of Finding Your Roots is on! Season 9 features 21 incredible new guests with compelling stories of their ancestors. You will not want to miss an episode! Tune into PBS on January 3rd at 8/7c.

Renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. returns for a new season of FINDING YOUR ROOTS. Using genealogical detective work and cutting-edge DNA analysis, Gates guides twenty-one influential guests deep into the branches of their family trees, revealing surprising stories of forgotten ancestors that transcend borders, illuminating an American root system fortified by its diversity.

André Leon Talley and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discussed how his great-great-grandfather’s bequeathment from a slave owner to his child was similar to how a car or piano would get passed down in a will.

When Amy Carlson's sixth great-grandfather died in battle after 26 years in the Swedish military, one of his son's replaced him in service. Here, Amy admires the stoicism it must have taken for her sixth-great-grandmother to accept her son's decision.

Fashion icon and Francophile André Leon Talley was pleased to discover that his grandfather was stationed in France when he served in World War I.

André Leon Talley’s fashion muse was none other than his grandmother. He said that she was a domestic worker for 50 years, but she “rose to her regality every Sunday when she put on that hat.”

In 1880, divorce in New York City was so exceedingly rare (only 0.2%!) that the divorce of Erin Burnett’s great-great-grandfather from his first wife made headlines in several newspapers.

"That’s how life happens sometimes, right? Totally by accident.” Amy Carlson reacts to learning about the adorable way her great-great-grandparents met while immigrating from Sweden.

“It’s pretty amazing. From another country, another place, and yet tied directly to me." Erin Burnett reads the baptism record of her great-grandmother, who was born shortly after the great potato famine in Ireland.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson and André Leon Talley, three guests from diverse backgrounds, as they meet the ancestors who laid the groundwork for their success.

Regina King reads a will from 1851 and learns her third-great grandfather was bequeathed from one generation of slaveholders to the next.