Actress Julia Roberts learned something āfascinatingā about herself following a DNA test.
During a Wednesday appearance on PBSā āFinding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.,ā the host explained Julia Robertsā great-great-grandmother, Rhoda Suttle Roberts, married a man named Willis Roberts.
He added, āJulia carries Willisā last name. Willis passed away in 1864, over a decade before Rhoda gave birth to Juliaās great-grandfather John, leading to an inescapable conclusion.ā
Gates Jr. declared Willis Roberts could not have possibly been her great-great-grandfather.
She replied, āOh, wait ā but am I not a Roberts?ā
He went on to explain they later discovered a ācluster of matchesā that traced the actress back to a man named Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr.
āSo weāre Mitchellās?ā Julia Roberts asked.
Watch the video below:
Gates Jr. responded, āYouāre Julia Mitchell. You are not a Roberts, biologically.ā
Additionally, it was revealed that Mitchell had been married with children while having an affair with Julia Robertsā great-great-grandmother, Rhoda.
When asked how she is feeling, Julia Roberts replied, āOn the one hand, I ā truly ā my mind is blown. And it is fascinating. And on the other hand, thereās part of me that, when Iām calmer, can still wrap my arms around the idea that my family is my family. And I do prefer the name Roberts.ā
She then declared it was āan unexpected turn.ā
According to PBSā website, Gates has āhelped to expand Americaās sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion,ā for more than a decade.
He has āexplored 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.ā
