Debra Messing and Amanda Seyfried are among the stars discovering shocking details about their family history in the upcoming “Finding Your Roots.”
The PBS documentary series kicks off its new season on Jan. 7 with an unexpected revelation: Harvard professor and host Henry Louis Gates Jr. uncovers secrets from the stars' family trees, surprising the women with his revelations on camera.
While Messing's family discovery was a major shock, Seyfried had even more to unravel when she discovered dark and sordid details about her own roots.
Interesting moments from season 11: people.
Seyfried was caught completely off guard when Gates revealed that a tragedy had occurred in her family: He shocked the famous actress by telling her that her great-grandfather had been murdered.
She tweeted “What!” but has not been heard since.
The teaser didn't reveal any details, so fans will have to watch the episode to find out what actually happened generations ago.
Gates also uncovered several DNA matches that showed family ties, and that's when Messing discovered she was related to well-known politician Bernie Sanders.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 06: Actress Debra Messing attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversation Screening of “Will & Grace” held at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Screening Room in Los Angeles, California on December 6, 2018. (Photo by Vincent Sandoval/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 13: Amanda Seyfried appears at the NBCUniversal Upfronts held at Radio City Music Hall on May 13, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer Griffin/GC Images) Getty Images
The teaser video promises many more surprises and features a star-studded guest list.
Kristen Bell, Laurence Fishburne, Dax Shepard, Joy Behar, Sharon Stone, Melanie Lynskey and Chrissy Teigen will also appear in the upcoming season, all with some pretty dramatic reactions to the information they discover.
Lynskey discovers he's related to Questlove, and Fishburne at one point exclaims, “This is better than any movie script or TV show I've ever read!”, but there's no clue as to what the big news was actually about. (Related article: “Stunned” Famous actress Julia Roberts takes DNA test and discovers she's been lying her whole life)
“It's breathtaking. It's breathtaking. I've been waiting over 60 years for this,” Fishburne said.
