WQLN PBS NPR
8425 Peach Street
Erie, PA 16509

Phone
(814) 864-3001

© 2025 PUBLIC BROADCASTING OF NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Broadcast Schedule
Broadcast Schedule

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored 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.

Laurence discovers the identity of his great-great-great-grandmother.
Skip discusses Jane Gates, his oldest known ancestor up until now.
Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. 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; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Finding Your Roots Season 11
  • Finding Your Roots Season 10
  • Finding Your Roots Season 9
  • Finding Your Roots Season 8
  • Finding Your Roots Season 7
  • Finding Your Roots Season 6
  • Finding Your Roots Season 5
  • Finding Your Roots Season 4
  • Finding Your Roots Season 3
  • Finding Your Roots Season 2
  • Finding Your Roots Season 1
Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph & historian Lonnie Bunch.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of actors Debra Messing & Melanie Lynskey.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of married actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets musician Rubén Blades & journalist Natalie Morales.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry of notable chefs José Andrés & Sean Sherman.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the ancestry of actor Sharon Stone & model Chrissy Teigen.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Italian roots of Joy Behar & Michael Imperioli.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. connects Lea Salonga & Amanda Seyfried to their dramatic ancestors.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. solves mysteries for 3 everyday Americans chosen to be guests.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers the surprising roots of Michael Douglas & Lena Dunham.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps family trees of comedian Tracy Morgan & actor Anthony Ramos.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shares ancestry with actor Danielle Brooks & singer Dionne Warwick.
Sunny Hostin and Jesse Williams discover ancestors from very diverse places.
Bob Odenkirk and Iliza Shlesinger—two very funny people whose family trees brim with drama
Sammy Hagar and Ed O’Neill discover the dramatic stories hidden within their own roots.
LeVar Burton & Wes Studi grew up fatherless, haunted by questions about their family trees
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. unearths the hidden roots of Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser.
Explore the roots of Alanis Morissette and Ciara and their hidden connections to history.
Henry Louis Gates uncovers the lost roots of actors Billy Crudup and Tamera Mowry-Housley.
Journalists Jim Acosta and Van Jones uncover the ancestors who blazed a trail for them.
Henry Louis Gates reveals the unexpected family trees of Angela Y. Davis and Jeh Johnson
David Duchovny and Richard Kind trace their Jewish roots from Eastern Europe to the US.
Joe Manganiello and Tony Gonzalez discover close relatives whose names they’ve never heard
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the roots of actors Brian Cox and Viola Davis.
Cyndi Lauper, Jamie Chung and Danny Trejo uncover the stories of their immigrant ancestors
Comedians Carol Burnett and Niecy Nash discover scandals hidden within their roots.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes Claire Danes and Jeff Daniels on a journey into their roots.
We explore Edward Norton and Julia Roberts' roots, revealing their hidden connections.
Specials
Tips from the Finding Your Roots research team to assist in your own genealogy research!
Extras
Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Laurence discovers the identity of his great-great-great-grandmother.
Skip discusses Jane Gates, his oldest known ancestor up until now.
Sheryl's third great grandparents, a mixed race couple, got married in 1837.
Lonnie learns about his grandfather who served on a school committee for mainly Black students.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph & historian Lonnie Bunch.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of actors Debra Messing & Melanie Lynskey.
Melanie discovers a potential match for her great-grandfather.
Debra discovers her grandfather's earliest years in America after leaving Poland.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of married actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.
Kristen learns about her grandfather and great grandfather's generational trauma.
Dax hears about the life of his ninth great-grandfather who immigrated from France to Canada.
Rubén learns about the difficult life of his African ancestor in Panama on his mother's side.
Natalie learns about her maternal third great grandfather, Domingos.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets musician Rubén Blades & journalist Natalie Morales.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry of notable chefs José Andrés & Sean Sherman.
Sean learns of his ancestor who was sent to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
José discovers his paternal great-great grandmother was abandoned and given to nuns as a baby.
Sharon learns about the hardships endured by her mother and her paternal ancestors.
Chrissy learns the true roots of her grandmother Ruth, and details of her great grandparents lives.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the ancestry of actor Sharon Stone & model Chrissy Teigen.
Rita learns about her grandfather's criminal charges and trying adulthood.
Amy discovers records of her father's immigration from China and his many accomplishments.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Italian roots of Joy Behar & Michael Imperioli.
Joy Behar's grandparents move to America and forge a new life.
Michael Imperioli learns about his maternal great grandfather's death as a train worker in New York.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. connects Lea Salonga & Amanda Seyfried to their dramatic ancestors.
Lea Salonga discovers the roots of her maternal great great grandfather, Pedro Malhabor.
Amanda Seyfried's third great grandfather played the fife and fought for the Union to end slavery