Finding Your Roots

Culture Series / 7 Seasons

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.

52m 10s

Flight Preview

30s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets actors Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyong’o, and chef Lidia Bastianich — three women whose families crisscrossed the globe to escape oppression and find opportunity, leaving them with questions about their relatives who stayed behind.

Lupita Nyong’o Has DNA from the Oldest Maternal Haplogroup

54s

Lupita Nyongo carries DNA from the oldest maternal haplogroup called Mitochondrial Eve, something we’ve never seen on the show before. During this time, no human beings were alive outside of Africa meaning every person on Earth was Black!

Scarlett Johansson Remembers Her Family Pre-Holocaust

40s

Scarlett Johansson discovers the tragic fate of her family that stayed behind in Poland during the Holocaust. She reflects on the decision her great-grandfather made to flee to America and the immense impact it had on her entire family line.

Journey To America

45s

Scarlett Johansson discovers the tragic fate of her family that stayed behind in Poland during the Holocaust. She reflects on the decision her great-grandfather made to flee to America and the immense impact it had on her entire family line.

Wasrsaw Unexpected

1m 36s

Scarlett Johansson discovers the tragic fate of her family that stayed behind in Poland during the Holocaust. She reflects on the decision her great-grandfather made to flee to America and the immense impact it had on her entire family line.

Father Missing

1m 10s

Lupita Nyongo carries DNA from the oldest maternal haplogroup called Mitochondrial Eve, something we’ve never seen on the show before. During this time, no human beings were alive outside of Africa meaning every person on Earth was Black!

Military Child

58s

Julianne Moore’s father served in the US Army where he completed 550 combat missions & received multiple medals. After delving into Julianne's ancestry, we found her military roots run deep – her great-grandfather served in the Mexican-American & Civil War!

Union Soldier

1m 16s

Kehinde Wiley’s great-grandfather was one of 370 black soldiers to serve in WWI when the military, like almost all of America at the time, was segregated. His grueling assignment was to remove dead bodies from temporary graves for reburial in army cemeteries.

War Stories Preview

30s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Julianne Moore, comedian Bill Hader, and painter Kehinde Wiley, revealing how their ancestors’ military service left an indelible mark both on their families and on their country.

DNA Mysteries Preview

30s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uses DNA detective work to solve mysteries in the family trees of actor Téa Leoni, and radio host Joe Madison, introducing each of them to parents and grandparents whose names they’ve never heard before.

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