Michael Douglas believed that at 79 years old he had few things left to discover, but fate has confirmed that there is still a lot to experience by revealing that he is a distant relative of Scarlett Johannson.
Douglas did not discover that he is Johannson’s family thanks to personal research, but instead went to the television program Finding your Roots, a documentary program on the PBS channel that investigates the family tree and family history of all types of public figures: politicians , singers, actors and actresses, influencers, etc.
The show, hosted by acclaimed historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., delves into the history of each guest’s ancestors to uncover previously unknown facts and information.
Although there is not always the same success and notable and striking data is found, on this occasion they discovered that Catherine Zeta-Jones’ husband is a distant relative of Scarlett Johansson.
“Your genetic cousin is the actress Scarlett Johansson,” the presenter said before a stunned Douglas who asked if it was a joke and was left speechless. Moments later, the actor said he thought it was ”incredible”: “This is great.”
Henry Louis Gates Jr. then explained to the guest and the millions of viewers who followed the program from home that the actor and the protagonist of Marriage Story and Lost in Translation share “identical segments of DNA on four different chromosomes.” In addition, the expert provided more information and revealed that these identical stretches of DNA come from Johannson’s maternal side, which date back to “the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe.”
The show that investigates the roots of some of the best-known faces in the world has given a lot of talk throughout its ten seasons on the PBS network. Thanks to their work, the audience (and the protagonists themselves) have been able to know that Julia Roberts and Edward Norton Jr. are distant cousins, that Viola Davis shares genetic material with Anita Hill, that Bob Odenkir is related to King Charles III of England or that Seth Meyers is a distant relative of Kevin Bacon.
Viewers of the show have been very surprised that Scarlet Johannson’s name has come up again, since in the previous episode it was discovered that the actress shared ancestors with presenter Andy Cohen. At the moment, Ella Johannson has not given any statement on the matter.
