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.

5m 27s

Amy Carlson Admires Her Sixth-Great Grandmother’s Stoicism

36s

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.

André Leon Talley: “Everyone in That Church was a Queen”

56s

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.”

Erin Burnett Learns About Her Ancestors’ Rare Divorce

1m 27s

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.

Amy Carlson Loves Her Great-Great Grandparents’ Meet-Cute

42s

"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.

Erin Burnett Reads Her Great-Grandmother’s Baptism Record

1m 14s

“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.

Where Did We Come From? Preview

32s

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.

We’re Two Generations Removed From Potential Obliteration

1m 32s

Damon Lindelof reads an account of the atrocities committed by Nazi troops in 1941 when they invaded Bialystok, Poland, the hometown of his relatives, and created a Jewish ghetto.

Damon Lindelof Learns of the Horrific Fate of Relatives

2m 7s

"It's somewhat an affirmation of survival, in some strange way." Damon Lindelof learns that the World Holocaust Remembrance Center documents the killing of an entire family of his relatives by Nazis in the ghettos of Bialystok, Poland.

Regina King: “This is Pretty Fantastic”

1m 20s

“Even though he couldn’t read, and he couldn’t write, he could feel.” Regina King sheds tears of joy while reading the voter registration card of her third-great-grandfather, who registered only two years after slavery ended.

Leslie Odom, Jr.: His Ancestors Were People, Not Possessions

1m 38s

After hearing the dollar amount that some of his enslaved ancestors were appraised for at an auction, Leslie Odom, Jr. says that "to honor their presence and to honor the fact that they lived and that they weren't things... is deeply meaningful."

Joe Lane Becomes Nathan Lane

1m 11s

Nathan Lane, who was born Joseph Lane, explains how the stage name he had to pick to join the Actors’ Equity Union was inspired by the character Nathan Detriot from Guys and Dolls, one of his favorite roles.

Leslie Odom, Jr. on How “Hamilton” Changed His Life

1m 6s

Leslie Odom, Jr. wanted to be in the room where it happened – and he was! Here, he shares the impact his role as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton: The Musical” had on his life and how groundbreaking the play was in promoting colorblind casting on Broadway.

Leslie Odom, Jr.'s 5th Great-Grandfather Was a Slaveowner

1m 14s

Leslie Odom, Jr. wrestles with the realization that his 5th great-grandfather was a white slave owner after reading the will in which he bequeathed some of his belongings to his “illegitimate, colored” children.

Nathan Lane’s Grandfather Died in a Workhouse

51s

Nathan Lane gets the disturbing news that his great-great-grandfather died while living in a workhouse, an arcane system of labor in the UK that was basically a factory that exchanged dorms and food for hard labor. You literally lived at work.

John Leguizamo Learns About His 9th Great-Grandfather

1m 6s

“I can’t believe I got a ninth great-grandfather. What, are you gonna go to the beginning of time?” John Leguizamo is stunned by how far back his lineage has been traced.

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