The fifth season of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. begins Tuesday, January 8, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
The 26 guests in this 10-episode season include actors, political figures, journalists, artists, authors, TV hosts, and comedians.
Episode 1, Grandparents and Other Strangers: Professor Gates helps Andy Samberg and George R. R. Martin answer some family mysteries when DNA detective work uncovers new branches of their family trees. The DNA analysis upends family history and reveals new relatives.
Episode 2, Mystery Men: Actors Felicity Huffman and Michael K. Williams discover a wealth of hidden family history. Both grew up knowing little about their biological fathers, and seeing their lost ancestry restored proves deeply empowering.
Episode 3, Reporting on the Reporters: Journalists Christiane Amanpour, Ann Curry and Lisa Ling learn that the stories within their own family trees are every bit as compelling as the news stories they have been covering for the world.
Episode 4, Dreaming of a New Land: Marisa Tomei, Sheryl Sandberg and Kal Penn uncover the tremendous challenges faced by their immigrant forebears. From Italy, Russia and India to America, their histories show success could take generations to achieve.
Episode 5, Freedom Tales: Actor S. Epatha Merkerson and athlete and television personality Michael Strahan. Both discover unexpected stories that challenge assumptions about black history.
Episode 6, Roots in Politics: American politicians Paul Ryan, Tulsi Gabbard and Marco Rubio each see a shared vision of the great American melting pot reflected in their ancestors’ stories.
Episode 7, No Laughing Matter: Comedians Seth Meyers, Tig Notaro and Sarah Silverman discover their family trees are filled with people whose struggles laid the groundwork for their success. Professor Gates also reveals to each one news of an unexpected DNA cousin.
Episode 8, Hard Times: Filmmaker Michael Moore and actors Laura Linney and Chloë Sevigny learn their distant ancestors overcame great hardships in ways that resonate with their lives today.
Episode 9, The Eye of the Beholder: Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, iconoclastic performance artist Marina Abramović and painter Kehinde Wiley find their identities challenged — and affirmed.
Episode 10, All in the Family: This episode is about the family stories of actor Ty Burrell, and radio host Joe Madison, along with a look at how a summer camp for children is using genetic genealogy to help young people better understand their burgeoning identities.
