Finding Your Roots (2012)

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct the paper trail left behind by our ancestors and the world’s leading geneticists to decode our DNA and help us travel thousands of years into the past to discover the origins of our earliest forebears.

Finding Your Roots

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
as Self - Host
CeCe Moore
CeCe Moore
as Self - Genetic Genealogy Expert
Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter
as Self
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
as Self
Tom Colicchio
Tom Colicchio
as Self
Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett
as Self
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett
as Self
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz
as Self
Tony Kushner
Tony Kushner
as Self
Sally Field
Sally Field
as Self
Tina Fey
Tina Fey
as Self
Nas
Nas
as Self
Aarón Sánchez
Aarón Sánchez
as Self
Sting
Sting
as Self
George Stephanopoulos
George Stephanopoulos
as Self
Maya Rudolph
Maya Rudolph
as Self
Ty Burrell
Ty Burrell
as Self
Mia Farrow
Mia Farrow
as Self
Soledad O'Brien
Soledad O'Brien
as Self
Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
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Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay
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John Turturro
John Turturro
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Questlove
Questlove
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Lisa Ling
Lisa Ling
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Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
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S. Epatha Merkerson
S. Epatha Merkerson
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Laura Linney
Laura Linney
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Bill Hader
Bill Hader
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Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
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Lidia Bastianich
Lidia Bastianich
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Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
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Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o
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Téa Leoni
Téa Leoni
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Ann Curry
Ann Curry
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Kehinde Wiley
Kehinde Wiley
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Joe Madison
Joe Madison
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Donna Brazile
Donna Brazile
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Kara Walker
Kara Walker
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Bill Maher
Bill Maher
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Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly
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Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
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Sterling K. Brown
Sterling K. Brown
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Sasheer Zamata
Sasheer Zamata
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Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste
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Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Connick Jr.
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Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
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Cory Booker
Cory Booker
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John Lewis
John Lewis
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Geoffrey Canada
Geoffrey Canada
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Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
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Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
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Kyra Sedgwick
Kyra Sedgwick
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Angela Warnick Buchdahl
Angela Warnick Buchdahl
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Yasir Qadhi
Yasir Qadhi
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Rick Warren
Rick Warren
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Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.
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Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Sr.
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Naomi Foner
Naomi Foner
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Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal
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Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
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Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
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Ruth Simmons
Ruth Simmons
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Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
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Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta
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Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
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Margarett Cooper
Margarett Cooper
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John Legend
John Legend
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Barack Obama
Barack Obama
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Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes
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Linda Chavez
Linda Chavez
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Adrian Grenier
Adrian Grenier
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Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez
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Stephen King
Stephen King
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Gloria Reuben
Gloria Reuben
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Courtney B. Vance
Courtney B. Vance
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Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
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Rebecca Lobo
Rebecca Lobo
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Ken Burns
Ken Burns
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Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith
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Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
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Khandi Alexander
Khandi Alexander
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Ben Jealous
Ben Jealous
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Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai
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Carole King
Carole King
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Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra
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David Sedaris
David Sedaris
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Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba
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Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
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Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes
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Keenen Ivory Wayans
Keenen Ivory Wayans
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Norman Lear
Norman Lear
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Richard Branson
Richard Branson
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Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry
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Maya Lin
Maya Lin
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Patricia Arquette
Patricia Arquette
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John McCain
John McCain
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Sean Combs
Sean Combs
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LL Cool J
LL Cool J
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Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Cisneros
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Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
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Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
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Julianna Margulies
Julianna Margulies
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Azar Nafisi
Azar Nafisi
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Larry David
Larry David
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Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
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Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
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Carly Simon
Carly Simon
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Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
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Ted Danson
Ted Danson
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William H. Macy
William H. Macy
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Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen
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Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Janet Mock
Janet Mock
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Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
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Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
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Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Gumbel
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Tonya Lewis Lee
Tonya Lewis Lee
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Suzanne Malveaux
Suzanne Malveaux
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Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
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Ana Navarro
Ana Navarro
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Gaby Hoffmann
Gaby Hoffmann
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Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Charlayne Hunter-Gault
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Phil McGraw
Phil McGraw
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Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari
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Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer
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George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin
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Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg
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Felicity Huffman
Felicity Huffman
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Michael Kenneth Williams
Michael Kenneth Williams
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Christiane Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour
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Kal Penn
Kal Penn
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Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg
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Michael Strahan
Michael Strahan
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Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan
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Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio
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Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard
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Josh Meyers
Josh Meyers
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Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers
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Tig Notaro
Tig Notaro
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Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman
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Michael Moore
Michael Moore
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Chloë Sevigny
Chloë Sevigny
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Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu
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Marina Abramović
Marina Abramović
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Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
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Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
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Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy
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Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet
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Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
as Mitchell Pritchett (archive footage)
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
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Jeffrey Wright
Jeffrey Wright
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Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
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Terry Gross
Terry Gross
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Marc Maron
Marc Maron
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Steve Carell
Steve Carell
as Self / Michael Scott
Amy Ryan
Amy Ryan
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Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
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Justina Machado
Justina Machado
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Harold E. Varmus
Harold E. Varmus
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Shirley Ann Jackson
Shirley Ann Jackson
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Francis Collins
Francis Collins
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Diane von Fürstenberg
Diane von Fürstenberg
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Narciso Rodríguez
Narciso Rodríguez
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RuPaul
RuPaul
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Gayle King
Gayle King
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Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele
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Issa Rae
Issa Rae
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Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
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Norah O'Donnell
Norah O'Donnell
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Zac Posen
Zac Posen
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Glenn Close
Glenn Close
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John Waters
John Waters
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Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen
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Nina Totenberg
Nina Totenberg
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Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
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Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan
as Self
John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
as Self (archive footage)
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni
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Tony Shalhoub
Tony Shalhoub
as Self
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
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Kasi Lemmons
Kasi Lemmons
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Clint Black
Clint Black
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Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash
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Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
as Self (archive footage)
Vivian Liberto
Vivian Liberto
as Self (archive footage)
John Lithgow
John Lithgow
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Maria Hinojosa
Maria Hinojosa
as Self
Wes Studi
Wes Studi
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LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton
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Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
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Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli
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Ciara
Ciara
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Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
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Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
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Ed O'Neill
Ed O'Neill
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Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
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Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Shlesinger
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Sunny Hostin
Sunny Hostin
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Jesse Williams
Jesse Williams
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Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brooks
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Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
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Tracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan
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Anthony Ramos
Anthony Ramos
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Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
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Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham
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Season 4

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Season 5

Season 6

Season 6

Season 7

Season 7

Season 8

Season 8

Season 9

Season 9

Season 10

Season 10

Season 11

Season 11

Episodes season 1

  • 1x1

    Branford marsalis and harry connick, jr.

  • 1x2

    John lewis and cory booker

  • 1x3

    Barbara walters and geoffrey canada

  • 1x4

    Kyra sedgwick and kevin bacon

  • 1x5

    Rick warren, angela buchdahl and yasir qadhi

  • 1x6

    Robert downey, jr. and maggie gyllenhaal

  • 1x7

    Samuel l. jackson, condoleezza rice and ruth simmons

  • 1x8

    Martha stewart, margaret cho and sanjay gupta

  • 1x9

    John legend and wanda sykes

  • 1x10

    Adrian grenier, michelle rodriguez and linda chavez

Episodes season 2

  • 2x1

    In search of our fathers

  • 2x2

    Born champions

  • 2x3

    Our american storytellers

  • 2x4

    Roots of freedom

  • 2x5

    The melting pot

  • 2x6

    We come from people

  • 2x7

    Our people, our traditions

  • 2x8

    The british invasion

  • 2x9

    Ancient roots

  • 2x10

    Decoding our past through dna

Episodes season 3

  • 3x1

    The stories we tell

  • 3x2

    The irish factor

  • 3x3

    In search of freedom

  • 3x4

    Tragedy + time = comedy

  • 3x5

    Visionaries

  • 3x6

    War stories

  • 3x7

    Family reunions

  • 3x8

    The pioneers

  • 3x9

    The long way home

  • 3x10

    Maps of stars

Episodes season 4

  • 4x1

    The impression

  • 4x2

    Unfamiliar kin

  • 4x3

    Puritans and pioneers

  • 4x4

    The vanguard

  • 4x5

    Immigrant nation

  • 4x6

    Black like me

  • 4x7

    Children of the revolution

  • 4x8

    Relatives we never knew we had

  • 4x9

    Southern roots

  • 4x10

    Funny business

Episodes season 5

  • 5x1

    Grandparents and other strangers

  • 5x2

    Mystery men

  • 5x3

    Reporting on the reporters

  • 5x4

    Dreaming of a new land

  • 5x5

    Freedom tales

  • 5x6

    Roots in politics

  • 5x7

    No laughing matter

  • 5x8

    Hard times

  • 5x9

    The eye of the beholder

  • 5x10

    All in the family

Episodes season 6

  • 6x1

    Hollywood royalty

  • 6x2

    Off the farm

  • 6x3

    Homecomings

  • 6x4

    This land is my land

  • 6x5

    Beyond the pale

  • 6x6

    Secrets & lies

  • 6x7

    Science pioneers

  • 6x8

    Slave trade

  • 6x9

    Italian roots

  • 6x10

    Criminal kind

  • 6x11

    Fashion's roots

  • 6x12

    Dna mysteries

  • 6x13

    War stories

  • 6x14

    Flight

  • 6x15

    Breaking silences

  • 6x16

    Coming to america

Episodes season 7

  • 7x1

    To the manor born

  • 7x2

    The mole agent

  • 7x3

    No irish need apply

  • 7x4

    The shirts on their backs

  • 7x5

    Write my name in the book of life

  • 7x6

    Country roots

  • 7x7

    The new world

  • 7x8

    Anchored to the past

  • 7x9

    On broadway

  • 7x10

    Laughing on the inside

Episodes season 8

  • 8x1

    Hidden in the genes

  • 8x2

    Children of exile

  • 8x3

    Activists roots

  • 8x4

    Things we dont discuss

  • 8x5

    Mexican roots

  • 8x6

    Fighters

  • 8x7

    Incredible journeys

  • 8x8

    Songs of the past

  • 8x9

    Watchmen

  • 8x10

    Where did we come from?

Episodes season 9

  • 9x1

    Hidden kin

  • 9x2

    Salem's lot

  • 9x3

    Secret lives

  • 9x4

    Far from home

  • 9x5

    Rising from the ashes

  • 9x6

    Family: lost and found

  • 9x7

    Chosen

  • 9x8

    And still i rise

  • 9x9

    Anchormen

  • 9x10

    Out of the past

Episodes season 10

  • 10x1

    Born to sing

  • 10x2

    Forever young

  • 10x3

    Fathers and sons

  • 10x4

    Buried secrets

  • 10x5

    Hold the laughter

  • 10x6

    Far and away

  • 10x7

    The brick wall falls

  • 10x8

    Mean streets

  • 10x9

    In the blood

  • 10x10

    "viewers like you"

Episodes season 11

  • 11x1

    Larger than life

  • 11x2

    La famiglia

  • 11x3

    Stranger than fiction

  • 11x4

    Dreamers one and all

  • 11x5

    Family recipes

  • 11x6

    Latin roots

  • 11x7

    The ties that bind

  • 11x8

    The butterfly effect

  • 11x9

    Moving on up

  • 11x10

    Finding my roots

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