Finding Your Roots

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the surprising lineages of actor Glenn Close and director John Waters, digging into centuries past to encounter a succession of bold forebears who found fortune amidst drama and rebellion.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces media personality Andy Cohen and radio journalist Nina Totenberg to Jewish ancestors who journeyed from Russia to America determined to overcome enormous odds in the face of oppression.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the roots of actor Jane Lynch and comedian Jim Gaffigan, exploring the experience of their Irish ancestors on America’s shores—an experience characterized by sacrifice and religious persecution.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the immigrant roots of actors Tony Shalhoub and Christopher Meloni, introducing ancestors who confronted inconceivable challenges almost entirely alone.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Pharrell Williams and filmmaker Kasi Lemmons understand the experiences of their enslaved ancestors, uncovering extraordinarily rare first-person accounts of their relatives who endured bondage.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the remarkable backgrounds of country music icons Clint Black and Rosanne Cash, traveling generations into the past to trace lineages from the shores of Sicily to the American South.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family trees of actor John Lithgow and journalist Maria Hinojosa, introducing them to ancestors who arrived in North America long before the birth of the United States. Using a mix of documents and DNA, Gates guides his guests on journeys from Spain to Mexico, England to Plymouth Rock, compelling them to re-imagine their families as well as their nation.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces trail-blazing journalists Gretchen Carlson and Don Lemon to the ancestors who blazed a trail for them, traveling from Louisiana sugar plantations to immigrant towns in rural Minnesota, meeting soldiers and Civil Rights activists, entrepreneurs and day laborers who worked tirelessly to keep their families together so that, one day, their descendants might thrive.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. investigates the family mysteries of Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin, introducing them to relatives whose names they’ve never heard before. Gates leads his guests back to long-vanished communities in Eastern Europe and the American west, uncovering the stories of ancestors whose struggles laid the groundwork for their success.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the roots of comedians Lewis Black and Roy Wood, Jr.—two funny men whose family trees are filled with stories that tend more towards drama than comedy. Along the way, Gates introduces his guests to the ancestors who gave them their names—as well as to an array of men and women who took great risks and overcame enormous hardships for the sake of their families.