Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport!
On this episode, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the humble roots of comedic actors Melissa McCarthy and Eric Stonestreet, retracing the ancestral journeys that laid the groundwork for their success.
ABOUT SEASON 6:
Season 6 features 27 fascinating new guests who are game-changers in their fields, with family histories that illustrate the power and diversity of the human experience. Among them are actors Jeffrey Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Melissa McCarthy and Sterling K. Brown; groundbreaking director Jordan Peele, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; acclaimed journalists Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell; musicians Queen Latifah and Jon Batiste; legendary fashion designers Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez and Zac Posen; as well as a host of other luminaries, including Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Isabella Rossellini, Terry Gross, Marc Maron, Eric Stonestreet, Issa Rae, Amy Ryan and Justina Machado.
Some of the guests whose stories we will revisit this season include actors Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei; journalist Lisa Ling; radio talk show host Joe Madison; musician Questlove; and late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel. In sharing their stories, FINDING YOUR ROOTS uses every tool available, from cutting-edge DNA research to old-school genealogical sleuthing, to reveal long-buried secrets.
Spanning the globe, the series compiles family trees that trace throughout the United States and Canada; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Germany, Poland, Ireland, Russia and more. Episode to episode, audiences will meet guests’ ancestors who were businesspeople and bootleggers, war heroes and criminals, farmers and immigrants, the persecuted and the persevering under the most extraordinary circumstances. Together, the arc of each guest’s family personalizes history while emphasizing the human connections that unite us.
EPISODE GUIDE:
• “Hollywood Royalty” with Isabella Rossellini, Anjelica Huston, Mia Farrow
• “Off the Farm” with Melissa McCarthy, Eric Stonestreet
• “Homecomings” with Sterling K. Brown, Jon Batiste, Sasheer Zamata
• “This Land is My Land” with Queen Latifah, Jeffrey Wright
• “Beyond the Pale” with Terry Gross, Marc Maron, Jeff Goldblum
• “Secrets And Lies” with Sigourney Weaver, Amy Ryan, Justina Machado
• “Science Pioneers” with Harold Varmus, Francis Collins, Shirley Jackson
• “Slave Trade” with Questlove, S. Epatha Merkerson, Ava DuVernay
• “Italian Roots” with Marisa Tomei, Jimmy Kimmel, John Turturro
• “Criminal Mind” with Laura Linney, Lisa Ling, Soledad O’Brien
• “Fashion’s Roots” with Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, RuPaul
• “Breaking the Silences” with Gayle King, Jordan Peele, Issa Rae
• “DNA Mysteries” with Ann Curry, Téa Leoni, Joe Madison
• “War Stories” with Kehinde Wiley, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader
• “Flight” with Lupita Nyong’o, Lidia Bastianich, Scarlett Johannsson
• “Coming to America” with Nancy Pelosi, Norah O’Donnell, Zac Posen
WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:
This episode is currently available on demand with KPBS Passport.
Seasons 6-9 are available on demand with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn more and activate your benefit now.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Explore and share your family histories via social media, using the hashtag #FindingYourRoots.
FINDING YOUR ROOTS is on Facebook. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is on Facebook, Instagram.
CREDITS:
A production of McGee Media, Inkwell Films, Kunhardt Films and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the writer, host, and executive producer. Dyllan McGee and Peter Kunhardt are executive producers. Dalton Delan and John F. Wilson are executive producers in charge for WETA. Bill Gardner is the executive in charge for PBS. Sabin Streeter is the senior producer. Hanna Olson is the series producer. Sabin Streeter and Krista Whetstone are directors.
