Up Next
Back to Show
Finding Your Roots
Born to Sing Preview
Henry Louis Gates , Jr. explores the roots of singers Alanis Morissette and Ciara — using DNA analysis and genealogical detective work to trace lineages that run from shtetls in Eastern Europe to Jazz Age Harlem. Along the way, Alanis and Ciara reimagine their families and meet the people who laid the groundwork for their success — including one ancestor who was at the center of a song.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:10
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the lineages that claim Andy Cohen and Nina Totenberg.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:11
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the lineages that claim Glenn Close and John Waters.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:10
Nancy Pelosi, Norah O’Donnell, and Zac Posen discover surprising roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:10
Gayle King, Jordan Peele, and Issa Rae discover surprising roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:40
Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Lidia Bastianich discover surprising roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:40
Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, and Kehinde Wiley discover surprising rates.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:45
Téa Leoni and Joe Madison discover surprising roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:46
Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, and RuPaul Charles discover surprising roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:16
Laura Linney, Lisa Ling, and Soledad O’Brien discover surprising roots.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:41
Jimmy Kimmel, Marisa Tomei, and John Turturro meet ancestors who made immense sacrifices.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:41
Ava DuVernay, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Questlove discover unexpected family histories.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:41
Francis Collins, Shirley Ann Jackson, and Harold E. Varmus learn their family histories.