Last episode
Rags to Riches
s12e10 · 2026-04-15
Running · US
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.
PBS Documentary
What it is
Since the premiere of his groundbreaking series African American Lives through the first season of Finding Your Roots, noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world's leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.
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Episode guide
21 this season · 131 totals06e01 Hollywood Royalty 2019-10-09 00:00
Hollywood Royalty
Three actors born into Hollywood royalty discover branches of their family trees that have been hidden from the public eye--and meet a cast of characters every bit as dramatic as the people they themselves have played on camera.
s06e02 Off the Farm 2019-10-16 00:00
Off the Farm
Two comic actors who grew up on farms in America's heartland--the descendants of generations of people who worked the land--retrace the journeys of their ancestors to see what they share with the men and women who literally laid the groundwork for their success.
s06e03 Homecomings 2020-01-08 01:00
Homecomings
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actor Sterling K. Brown, comedian Sasheer Zamata and musician Jon Batiste discover the unexpected places their ancestors once called home, providing new insight into the people and places that made them who they are today.
s06e04 This Land Is My Land 2020-01-15 01:00
This Land Is My Land
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the unexpected family trees of entertainer Queen Latifah and actor Jeffrey Wright, redefining their sense of the black experience — and challenging preconceptions about America's past.
s06e05 Beyond the Pale 2020-01-22 01:00
Beyond the Pale
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Jewish heritages of actor Jeff Goldblum, radio host Terry Gross, and comedian Marc Maron, uncovering previously unknown stories that show each share much more with their ancestors than a religious tradition.
s06e06 Secrets and Lies 2020-01-29 01:00
Secrets and Lies
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors Sigourney Weaver, Justina Machado, and Amy Ryan unearth surprising revelations about their family histories, forever altering how they see themselves.
s06e07 Science Pioneers 2020-02-05 01:00
Science Pioneers
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of Francis Collins, Shirley Ann Jackson, and Harold E. Varmus — three pioneering scientists who've made dramatic contributions to our understanding of the world, all the while knowing little about their own ancestry.
s06e08 Slave Trade 2020-02-12 01:00
Slave Trade
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with film director Ava DuVernay, actor S. Epatha Merkerson, and musician Questlove to the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery, upending their notions of African American history—and their own family trees.
s06e09 Italian Roots 2020-02-19 01:00
Italian Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and actors Marisa Tomei and John Turturro, introducing them to ancestors who made immense sacrifices to bring their families from Italy to America.
s06e10 Criminal Kind 2020-02-26 01:00
Criminal Kind
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Laura Linney and journalists Lisa Ling and Soledad O'Brien—telling them stories of tricksters, scoundrels, and outright criminals, who nevertheless laid the groundwork for their success.
s06e11 Fashion's Roots 2020-10-14 00:00
Fashion's Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. steps into the world of fashion and meets three icons of style — Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, and RuPaul Charles — introducing ancestors who were just as audacious as they are.
s06e12 DNA Mysteries 2020-10-21 00:00
DNA Mysteries
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.
s06e13 War Stories 2020-11-11 01:00
War Stories
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.
s06e14 Flight 2020-11-18 01:00
Flight
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.
s06e15 Breaking Silences 2021-01-06 01:00
Breaking Silences
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family secrets of journalist Gayle King, film director Jordan Peele, and comedian Issa Rae, introducing them to ancestors who raise profound questions about the shape and meaning of their family trees.
s06e16 Coming to America 2021-01-13 01:00
Coming to America
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, news anchor Norah O'Donnell and fashion designer Zac Posen explore their immigrant roots, retracing the journeys of their ancestors who arrived in the United States with little more than a dream--and revealing why that dream is still so inspiring today.