About the Series
For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
Explore the Seasons
A new season of Finding Your Roots premiered on January 3, 2023! Watch all-new, on-demand episodes as renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides influential guests into their roots, uncovering deep secrets, hidden identities and lost ancestors.
Tuesdays at 8/7c
Season 9 Guests
A new season of Finding Your Roots premieres January 4, 2022! Tune in for all-new episodes as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores fascinating ancestries and family mysteries for an array of notable guests.
Tuesdays at 8/7c
Season 8 Guests
Today’s most compelling personalities discover the surprising stories buried within their own families. Meet 20 fascinating new guests who are game-changers in their fields, with family histories that illustrate the power and diversity of the human experience.
Season 7 Guests
Today’s most compelling personalities discover the surprising stories buried within their own families. Meet 27 fascinating new guests who are game-changers in their fields, with family histories that illustrate the power and diversity of the human experience.
Season 6 Guests
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Amy Ryan
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Anjelica Huston
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Ava DuVernay
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Bill Hader
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Diane von Furstenberg
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Eric Stonestreet
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Francis Collins
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Gayle King
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Harold E. Varmus
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Isabella Rossellini
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Issa Rae
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Jeff Goldblum
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Jeffrey Wright
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Jimmy Kimmel
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Joe Madison
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John Turturro
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Jon Batiste
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Jordan Peele
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Julianne Moore
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Justina Machado
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Kehinde Wiley
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Laura Linney
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Lidia Bastianich
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Lisa Ling
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Lupita Nyong’o
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Marc Maron
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Marisa Tomei
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Melissa McCarthy
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Mia Farrow
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Nancy Pelosi
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Narciso Rodriguez
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Norah O'Donnell
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Queen Latifah
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Questlove
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RuPaul Charles
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S. Epatha Merkerson
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Scarlett Johansson
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Shasheer Zamata
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Shirley Ann Jackson
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Sigourney Weaver
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Soledad O'Brien
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Sterling K. Brown
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Téa Leoni
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Terry Gross
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Zac Posen
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps leading artists, politicians and others discover the surprising stories within their own family trees. Each episode weaves together stories from cutting-edge DNA analysis and old school genealogical detective work.
Season 5 Guests
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Alejandro G. Iñárritu
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Andy Samberg
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Ann Curry
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Chloë Sevigny
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Christiane Amanpour
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Felicity Huffman
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George R. R. Martin
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Joe Madison
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Kal Penn
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Kehinde Wiley
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Laura Linney
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Lisa Ling
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Marco Rubio
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Marina Abramović
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Marisa Tomei
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Michael K. Williams
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Michael Moore
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Michael Strahan
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Paul Ryan
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S. Epatha Merkerson
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Sarah Silverman
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Seth Meyers
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Sheryl Sandberg
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Tig Notaro
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Tulsi Gabbard
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Ty Burrell
Season four of Finding Your Roots series moves fluidly from Asia and Africa to Europe and the Americas, uniting us all through emotional moments that enrich and enlighten—encouraging us to look at our world through a wider, more inclusive lens.
Season 4 Guests
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Amy Schumer
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Ana Navarro
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Ava DuVernay
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Aziz Ansari
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Bernie Sanders
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Bryant Gumbel
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Carly Simon
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Carmelo Anthony
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Charlayne Hunter-Gault
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Christopher Walken
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Dr. Phil McGraw
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Fred Armisen
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Gaby Hoffman
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Janet Mock
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John Turturro
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Larry David
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Lupita Nyong’o
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Mary Steenburgen
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Maya Rudolph
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Paul Rudd
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Questlove
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Scarlett Johansson
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Suzanne Malveaux
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Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Téa Leoni
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Ted Danson
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Tonya Lewis-Lee
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Willam H. Macy
Season three of Finding Your Roots explores how diverse racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds challenge many of our long-held national myths.
Season 3 Guests
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Azar Nafisi
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Bill Hader
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Bill Maher
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Bill O'Reilly
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Donna Brazile
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Frank Gehry
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Gloria Steinem
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Jimmy Kimmel
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John McCain
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Julianna Margulies -
Julianne Moore
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Kara Walker
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Keenan Ivory Wayans
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Lidia Bastianich
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LL Cool J
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Maya Lin
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Maya Rudolph
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Neil Patrick Harris
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Norman Lear
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Patricia Arquette
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Richard Branson
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Sandra Cisneros
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Sean Combs
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Shonda Rhimes
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Soledad O'Brien
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Ty Burrell
Explore the heritages and ancestries of leading entertainers, athletes, chefs, and media personalities in season two of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Season 2 Guests
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Aarón Sánchez
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Alan Dershowitz
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Anderson Cooper
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Angela Bassett
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Anna Deavere Smith
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Billie Jean King
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Carole King
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Courtney B. Vance
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David Sedaris
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Deepak Chopra
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Derek Jeter
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George Stephanopoulos
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Gloria Reuben
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Governor Deval Patrick
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Jessica Alba
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Ken Burns
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Ming Tsai
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Nas
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Rebecca Lobo
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Sally Field
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Stephen King
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Sting
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Tina Fey
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Tom Colicchio
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Tony Kushner
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Valerie Jarrett
The basic drive to discover who we are and where we come from is at the core of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Continuing on the quest begun in his previous projects, African American Lives, African American Lives 2, and Faces of America, Gates finds new ways to get into the DNA of American culture.
Season 1 Guests
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Adrian Grenier
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Angela Buchdahl
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Barbara Walters
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Branford Marsalis
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Condoleezza Rice
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Cory Booker
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Geoffrey Canada
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Harry Connick Jr
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John Legend
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John Lewis
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Kevin Bacon
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Kyra Sedgwick
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Linda Chavez
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Maggie Gyllenhaal
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Margaret Cho
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Martha Stewart
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Michelle Rodriguez
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Rick Warren
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Robert Downey Jr.
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Ruth Simmons
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Samuel L. Jackson
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Sanjay Gupta
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Wanda Sykes
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Yasir Qadhi
Join the conversation on #FindingYourRoots