Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

FINDING YOUR ROOTS: Fashion's Roots

Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., executive producer, host and writer of FINDING YOUR ROOTS.
Courtesy of Stephanie Berger
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., executive producer, host and writer of FINDING YOUR ROOTS.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport!

On "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.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS: From Cuba to Newark in Winter

ABOUT SEASON 6:

Advertisement

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.

RuPaul Discovers a Surprise Cousin

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.

Diane von Furstenberg Mother's Life Saved in Auschwitz

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.

Advertisement
FINDING YOUR ROOTS: Season 6 Preview

WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:

This episode is now 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 how to activate your benefit now.

Seasons 6-9 are available to stream on demand with KPBS Passport

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 +@HenryLouisGates on Twitter

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.