Henry Louis Gates Jr. recalls helping Kerry Washington uncover family secret
Henry Louis Gates spoke about “Finding Your Roots,” which premiered its 11th season last week on PBS, and how he helped Kerry Washington’s revelation about her father.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. is in the business of finding family secrets.
Gates, who has been the host of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots” since it premiered in 2012, has helped many celebrities uncover what’s hiding in their family tree. Sometimes, stars aren’t prepared for what Gates and his team finds out, as was the case with Kerry Washington.
The “Scandal” star published her memoir “Thicker Than Water” in 2023 that was sparked, in large part, by what she discovered when she told her parents she was interested in going on “Finding Your Roots.” Her parents’ strong reaction against it ultimately led to her finding out her dad was not her biological father, and that her parents had used a sperm donor to conceive her.
Gates spoke to TODAY.com about “Finding Your Roots,” which premiered its 11th season earlier this month, and how his part in Washington’s revelation came to be — despite her never appearing on the show.
Before Washington found out about her family secret, Gates recalls running into Washington outside of a hotel in Beverly Hills.
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