Culture

Finding Your Roots

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

Laughing on the Inside

52m 11s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. provides comedians Lewis Black and Roy Wood, Jr. with accounts of hardship in their family trees which may have led them to each find humor in adversity.

Episodes

  • Laughing on the Inside: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Laughing on the Inside

    S7 E10 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. provides comedians Lewis Black and Roy Wood, Jr. with accounts of hardship in their family trees which may have led them to each find humor in adversity.

  • On Broadway: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    On Broadway

    S7 E9 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. investigates the family histories of Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin, discovering ancestors whose struggles laid the groundwork for their success.

  • Anchored to the Past: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Anchored to the Past

    S7 E8 - 52m 10s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. examines how journalists Gretchen Carlson and Don Lemon were able to overcome biases in their careers, drawing parallels to relatives who met profound challenges of their own.

  • The New World: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The New World

    S7 E7 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces ancestors of actor John Lithgow and journalist Maria Hinojosa who thrived in North America long before the birth of the United States.

  • Country Roots: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Country Roots

    S7 E6 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates Jr. uncovers the remarkably diverse backgrounds of country music icons Clint Black and Rosanne Cash.

  • Write My Name in the Book of Life: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Write My Name in the Book of Life

    S7 E5 - 52m 10s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Pharrell Williams and filmmaker Kasi Lemmons uncover extraordinary rare first-person accounts of their enslaved.

  • The Shirts on Their Backs: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Shirts on their Backs

    S7 E4 - 52m 10s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals the immigrant roots of actors Tony Shalhoub and Christopher Meloni, introducing ancestors who came to America to build a better life.

  • No Irish Need Apply: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    No Irish Need Apply

    S7 E3 - 52m 10s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the roots of actor Jane Lynch and comedian Jim Gaffigan, revealing the Irish American experience through their families.

  • Against All Odds: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Against All Odds

    S7 E2 - 52m 10s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces media personality Andy Cohen and radio journalist Nina Totenberg to ancestors who were determined to survive.

  • To the Manor Born: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    To the Manor Born

    S7 E1 - 52m 11s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the privileged lineages that claim actor Glenn Close and director John Waters as descendants, introducing ancestors who are as bold and independent as they are.

Extras + Features

  • Laughing on the Inside Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Laughing on the Inside

    S7 E10 - 30s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. provides comedians Lewis Black and Roy Wood, Jr. with accounts of hardship in their family trees which may have led them to each find humor in adversity.

  • On Broadway: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    On Broadway

    S7 E9 - 30s

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. investigates the family histories of Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin, discovering ancestors whose struggles laid the groundwork for their success.

  • Mandy Learns He Had Family Members in the Holocaust: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Mandy Learns He Had Family Members in the Holocaust

    S7 E9 - 2m 25s

    Mandy Patinkin believed for years that his family was not murdered during the Holocaust, through his conversation with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. he sadly learns that they were one of the victims.

  • Maternal Third Great Grandparents Freed from Slavery: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Maternal Third Great Grandparents Freed from Slavery

    S7 E9 - 1m 20s

    “Look what they did. Look at what they achieved.” Audra McDonald is moved to learn her maternal third great-grandparents survived slavery, started a family, and purchased land post-Civil War.

  • Mandy Explains His Favorite Line in Literature: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Mandy Explains His Favorite Line in Literature

    S7 E9 - 1m 14s

    As long as there is one person on Earth that remembers you, it isn’t over.” Mandy Patinkin explains his favorite line in literature from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” as it relates to his family discoveries.

  • DNA Match: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    DNA Match

    S7 E8 - 1m 35s

    Don Lemon finds out that he is a descendent of the white man who owned his maternal ancestors.

  • Don’s Dad and the Civil Rights Movement: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Don’s Dad and the Civil Rights Movement

    S7 E8 - 1m 24s

    Don Lemon discovers his late father was a trailblazer during the Civil Rights Movement, filing a lawsuit in Baton Rouge to desegregate the public transportation buses.

Schedule

  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Black Like Me

    Sunday
    Jun 27

    1 Hour

    Bryant Gumbel, Tonya Lewis-Lee and Suzanne Malveaux discover an unexpected ancestry which includes slaves, free people of color, Civil War legacies and European origins.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Black Like Me

    Sunday
    Jun 27

    1 Hour

    Bryant Gumbel, Tonya Lewis-Lee and Suzanne Malveaux discover an unexpected ancestry which includes slaves, free people of color, Civil War legacies and European origins.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Black Like Me

    Monday
    Jun 28

    1 Hour

    Bryant Gumbel, Tonya Lewis-Lee and Suzanne Malveaux discover an unexpected ancestry which includes slaves, free people of color, Civil War legacies and European origins.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Black Like Me

    Monday
    Jun 28

    1 Hour

    Bryant Gumbel, Tonya Lewis-Lee and Suzanne Malveaux discover an unexpected ancestry which includes slaves, free people of color, Civil War legacies and European origins.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Tuesday
    Jun 29

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Tuesday
    Jun 29

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Wednesday
    Jun 30

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Wednesday
    Jun 30

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Saturday
    Jul 3

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Saturday
    Jul 3

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Sunday
    Jul 4

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Sunday
    Jul 4

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Monday
    Jul 5

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Monday
    Jul 5

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Tuesday
    Jul 6

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    The Impression

    Tuesday
    Jul 6

    1 Hour

    Family histories of comic Larry David and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Ind., Vt.).
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Children of the Revolution

    Tuesday
    Jul 6

    1 Hour

    Lupita Nyong'o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro learn about the political choices of their fathers.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Children of the Revolution

    Tuesday
    Jul 6

    1 Hour

    Lupita Nyong'o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro learn about the political choices of their fathers.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Children of the Revolution

    Wednesday
    Jul 7

    1 Hour

    Lupita Nyong'o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro learn about the political choices of their fathers.
  • Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: TVSS: Iconic

    Finding Your Roots

    Children of the Revolution

    Wednesday
    Jul 7

    1 Hour

    Lupita Nyong'o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro learn about the political choices of their fathers.

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