"FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR." CELEBRATES TENTH ANNIVERSARY SEASON WITH FIRST-EVER NON-CELEBRITY PARTICIPANTS IN ADDITION TO 18 NEW CELEBRITY GUESTS

Season Ten Premieres in January 2024 on PBS with 10 New Episodes

In Addition to Exploring the Family Mysteries of Three Members of the Viewing Public, New Episodes Dive Into the Ancestral Backgrounds and Stories of Well-Known Guests Valerie Bertinelli, Danielle Brooks, LeVar Burton, Ciara, Michael Douglas, Lena Dunham, Brendan Fraser, Sammy Hagar, Sunny Hostin, Tracy Morgan, Alanis Morissette, Ed O'Neill, Bob Odenkirk, Anthony Ramos, Iliza Shlesinger, Wes Studi, Dionne Warwick, and Jesse Williams

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Arlington, VA (October 4, 2023) - In the new season of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., 18 celebrities are joined by 3 non-celebrity guests, chosen for the series following a nation-wide casting call. The series unravels their deep ancestral histories and solves family mysteries in the tenth anniversary season of the historic FINDING YOUR ROOTS, hosted by celebrated scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. In recent years, the show has entered the mainstream cultural zeitgeist with questions on JEOPARDY!; Gates's guest appearance on THE SIMPSONS; mention on RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE as RuPaul had his newly discovered cousin Cory Booker appear; inclusions on scripted shows including WATCHMEN and AND JUST LIKE THAT... ; and countless mentions from celebrities in the press on the impact of the series. Season Ten continues to attract some of the world's biggest names in culture in 10 new episodes, premiering January 2024 on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App.

The acclaimed series continues its use of the latest DNA technology, along with genealogical detective work, to help new guests learn about their family's past, often answering decades-old questions, uncovering mysteries, telling stories of unknown ancestors, and sometimes altering a guest's life for the better. Season Ten includes actors Valerie Bertinelli ("One Day at a Time"), Danielle Brooks ("The Color Purple"), LeVar Burton ("Star Trek"), Michael Douglas ("Wall Street"), Lena Dunham ("Girls"), Brendan Fraser ("The Whale"), Tracy Morgan ("30 Rock"), Ed O'Neill ("Modern Family"), Bob Odenkirk ("Better Call Saul"), Anthony Ramos ("In the Heights"), Wes Studi ("The Last of the Mohicans"), Jesse Williams ("Grey's Anatomy"); comedian Iliza Shlesinger; musicians Ciara, Sammy Hagar, Alanis Morissette and Dionne Warwick; and journalist Sunny Hostin.

Following years of overwhelming requests from viewers, season ten will also feature three non-celebrity guests in the final episode of the season. These special guests were chosen as part of a nationwide search in 2022 that garnered over 9,000 submissions from hopeful fans. The campaign was launched on social media inviting viewers of the series to submit an application and video for consideration. Series producers were looking for someone with a family mystery they hoped they could solve. Although the search initially launched to find one lucky viewer, three dynamic guests were ultimately chosen. Host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sat down with each of them, presenting them their book of life, and shared what was discovered. The viewers will appear together in the final episode of the new season airing on April 9, 2024.

At the center of it all, guiding every discovery, is host and executive producer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University.

"The tenth season of Finding Your Roots is not only a milestone for the show. It signifies the bond we share with PBS and our viewers to tell stories that explore the fullness and diversity of humanity through the personal tales of our guests and their ancestors," said Gates. "The family trees we unearth this season are especially fascinating and full of lessons and surprises from one generation to the next. It is an enormous privilege for all of us who work on the show to bring it to public television. After all these years, I continue to be amazed by the discoveries we make that in various ways illuminate how connected we truly are."

Assembling the extensive family trees and ancestral narratives alongside Dr. Gates are DNA expert CeCe Moore (chief genetic genealogist for Parabon Nanolabs and host of ABC's THE GENETIC DETECTIVE) and genealogists Nick Sheedy, Akosua Moore and Kimberly N. Morgan, who together have solved hundreds of mysteries and reconnected innumerable lost relatives over the past two decades.

Throughout the first nine seasons of the acclaimed series, Gates and his team have made life-changing discoveries for many celebrity guests. Highlights include finding the long-lost biological family of Andy Samberg's mother (who had been adopted); Pamela Adlon learning the identity of her maternal grandfather; LL Cool J learning that his mother had been adopted (something she had not known); and Rebecca Hall learning of her maternal grandfather's African American background, which he had kept hidden (a discovery that inspired Hall's directorial debut, "Passing").

In addition to the hundreds of familial information uncovered for the notable guests, dozens of celebrity DNA connections have been made throughout the show's nine seasons, often a fan favorite part of the series. Memorable connections include Julia Roberts and Edward Norton; Larry David and Bernie Sanders; Andy Cohen and Scarlett Johansen; Bill Hader and Carol Burnett; Cory Booker and RuPaul; and Marisa Tomei and Julianne Moore.

The public can explore and share their family histories via social media using the hashtag #FindingYourRoots on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, via Facebook.com/FindingYourRootsPBS and @HenryLouisGates, and on the series companion site, pbs.org/FindingYourRoots.

FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Ten is a production of McGee Media, Inkwell Media, Kunhardt Films and WETA Washington, D.C. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the writer, host, and executive producer. Dyllan McGee and Peter Kunhardt are executive producers. John F. Wilson is the executive producer in charge for WETA. Bill Gardner is the executive in charge for PBS. Sabin Streeter is the senior producer. Natalia Warchol is the series producer. Deborah Clancy Porfido is the supervising producer. Kevin Burke is the producer. Robert L. Yacyshyn is the line producer. Sabin Streeter and Krista Whetstone are directors.

Corporate support for season ten of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Ancestry(R), Johnson & Johnson and AARP. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Candace King Weir and by members of The Inkwell Society and by public television viewers like you.

An electronic press kit for FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Ten, including downloadable photos for promotional use, is available on PBS Pressroom.

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About McGee Media

McGee Media was founded by award-winning filmmaker Dyllan McGee to produce documentary content that is innovative, compelling, and immersive. Every story is born from a vision of a fairer and more equitable world. Whether it is the sweeping history of the African-American experience, or the intimate personal stories of the hundreds of women who made up the feminist movement, McGee Media uses television, film, and digital media in radical new ways to inform and inspire. Recent projects include Emmy nominated FREDERICK DOUGLASS: IN FIVE SPEECHES (HBO), NOT DONE: WOMEN REMAKING AMERICA (PBS), THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG (PBS), and BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE (PBS) as well as MAKING BLACK AMERICA, RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (PBS), AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (PBS), MAKERS (PBS), FINDING YOUR ROOTS (PBS), ONCE & FOR ALL (AOL), FIRST IN HUMAN (Discovery), and RANCHER, FARMER, FISHERMAN (Discovery).

About Inkwell Media

Inkwell Media was founded by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to produce sophisticated documentary films about the African and African-American experience for a broad audience. The six-part PBS documentary series THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS (2013) earned the 2013 Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award. Inkwell has co-produced FREDERICK DOUGLASS: IN FIVE SPEECHES (2022), FINDING YOUR ROOTS, Seasons 1-9 (2012-2023), MAKING BLACK AMERICA (2022), THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG (2021), RECONSTRUCTION: AMERICA AFTER THE CIVIL WAR (2019), AFRICA'S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS (2017), BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK: AND STILL I RISE (2016), BLACK IN LATIN AMERICA (2011), FACES OF AMERICA (2010), LOOKING FOR LINCOLN (2009), AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 (2008), OPRAH'S ROOTS (2007) and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006).

About Kunhardt Films

Kunhardt Films specializes in documentary films about the people and ideas that shape American history. Most recently completed is the 4 part Apple TV+ documentary series, LINCOLN'S DILEMMA. Previous documentaries include the 3-part HBO series, OBAMA: IN PURSUIT OF A MORE PERFECT UNION and feature documentary, A CHOICE OF WEAPONS: INSPIRED BY GORDON PARKS. Past productions include Emmy and Peabody award winning, TRUE JUSTICE: BRYAN STEVENSON'S FIGHT FOR EQUALITY (HBO, 2019); JOHN MCCAIN: FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (HBO, 2018); KING IN THE WILDERNESS (HBO, 2018); THE NEWSPAPERMAN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BEN BRADLEE (HBO, 2017); BECOMING WARREN BUFFETT (HBO, 2017); JIM: THE JAMES FOLEY STORY (HBO, 2016). Other films include LIVING WITH LINCOLN (HBO, 2015); NIXON BY NIXON: IN HIS OWN WORDS (HBO, 2014); FINDING YOUR ROOTS (PBS); MAKERS: WOMEN WHO MAKE AMERICA (PBS); THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: MANY RIVERS TO CROSS; (PBS); and GLORIA: IN HER OWN WORDS (HBO, 2011). Kunhardt Films was founded in 1987 as Kunhardt Productions. It is run by Peter Kunhardt and his two sons Teddy and George in Pleasantville, New York.

About WETA

WETA is the leading public broadcaster in the nation's capital, serving Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia with educational initiatives and with high-quality programming on television, radio and digital platforms. WETA Washington, D.C., is the second-largest producing station for public television in the United States, with news and public affairs programs including PBS NEWSHOUR and WASHINGTON WEEK WITH THE ATLANTIC; documentaries by Ken Burns and Florentine Films, such as THE AMERICAN BUFFALO and THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST; series and documentaries by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., including GOSPEL and MAKING BLACK AMERICA: THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE; performance specials including IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE and THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG; and health content from Well Beings, a multiplatform campaign. More information on WETA and its programs and services is available at www.weta.org. Visit www.facebook.com/wetatvfm on Facebook or follow @WETAtvfm on Twitter.

About PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 42 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 15 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, and 56 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS's broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV - including a PBS KIDS channel - and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.