Finding Your Roots backdrop
Finding Your Roots poster
Documentary

The Worst Episodes of Finding Your Roots

Every episode of Finding Your Roots ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Finding Your Roots!

The Worst Episodes of Finding Your Roots

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has been helping people discover long-lost relatives hidden for generations within the branches of their family trees....
  1. Background image for Born Champions
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #1 - Born Champions

    S2:E2

    Billie Jean King, Derek Jeter and Rebecca Lobo learn about their family histories. King discovers that her grandmother was an orphan; Derek Jeter investigates his ancestors' lives as slaves; and Lobo finds out that an ancestor was forced to flee Spain because of his democratic ideals.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for The Melting Pot
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #2 - The Melting Pot

    S2:E5

    Chef Tom Colicchio learns the hardships his family endured in Northern Italy; chef Ming Tsai traces his roots back 2,000 years; chef Aarón Sánchez learns his Mexican roots include Spaniards, Africans and Native Americans.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for We Come From People
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #3 - We Come From People

    S2:E6

    Nas learns about his slave ancestors; Angela Bassett discovers that her family history includes an emancipation story; and Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Obama, learns about the free people of color in her family's past

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Our People, Our Traditions
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Our People, Our Traditions

    S2:E7

    Tony Kushner learns how the Holocaust impacted his ancestors; Carole King delves into the origins of her family name; and Alan Dershowitz discovers that an Hassidic synagogue started by his great-grandfather played a secret role in World War II.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for The British Invasion
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #5 - The British Invasion

    S2:E8

    Deepak Chopra, Sally Field and Sting’s ancestry demonstrates the extraordinary influence of the British Empire during the 18th and early 19th century.

    0 Comments
    View all
  6. Background image for Ancient Roots
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Ancient Roots

    S2:E9

    Tina Fey, George Stephanopoulos and David Sedaris, three quintessential voices in American life, descend from ancestors that were part of the wave of Greek immigrants that flooded America’s shores in the early decades of the 20th century.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Finding Your Roots

    READ
  8. Background image for Decoding Our Past Through DNA
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Decoding Our Past Through DNA

    S2:E10

    Secrets encoded in their genomes challenge these guests’ ideas about their families’ histories and their identities today. This episode features Jessica Alba, Anderson Cooper, Valerie Jarrett, Governor Deval Patrick and more.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for The Impression
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #8 - The Impression

    S4:E1

    Join Larry David and Bernie Sanders, who learn they have more in common than they thought.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Unfamiliar Kin
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Unfamiliar Kin

    S4:E2

    Guests: Carly Simon, Christopher Walken, and more. In this episode, three guests each learn about a grandparent whose real identity and background had been a mystery to them. Along the way, two of them also discover that their close relatives were on the wrong side of history.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Puritans and Pioneers
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Puritans and Pioneers

    S4:E3

    Guests: Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and William H. Macy. Three mainstays of modern-day Hollywood discover family legacies that predate the United States itself.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for The Vanguard
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #11 - The Vanguard

    S4:E4

    Guests: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Ava DuVernay and Janet Mock. Three guests who have helped to redefine Black America in the last decade find their identities challenged as they learn about their family origins.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for Immigrant Nation
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Immigrant Nation

    S4:E5

    Guests: Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd and John Turturro. In this episode, three guests explore the tremendous challenges faced by their immigrant forebears.

    0 Comments
    View all
  14. Background image for Black Like Me
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Black Like Me

    S4:E6

    Guests: Bryant Gumbel, Tonya Lewis-Lee and Suzanne Malveaux. Three African-American guests delve deep into their family trees, discovering unexpected stories that challenge our assumptions about black history.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for Children of the Revolution
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Children of the Revolution

    S4:E7

    Guests: Lupita Nyong’o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro. Three guests explore how their family trees were shaped by political turmoil and violence, discovering sometimes unexpected ancestry along the way.

    0 Comments
    View all
  16. Background image for Relatives We Never Knew We Had
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Relatives We Never Knew We Had

    S4:E8

    Guests: Gaby Hoffmann and Téa Leoni. Two guests whose lives have been shaped by family mysteries are introduced to biological ancestors they never knew they had thanks to genetic detective work.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Southern Roots
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Southern Roots

    S4:E9

    Guests: Questlove, Dr. Phil and Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Three guests of disparate backgrounds dig into their Southern roots, where slavery and its aftermath shaped families both black and white.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Funny Business
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Funny Business

    S4:E10

    Guests: Amy Schumer and more. Guests who have found fame mining their family stories for comedy learn about ancestors who overcame immense suffering.

    0 Comments
    View all
  19. Background image for Grandparents and Other Strangers
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Grandparents and Other Strangers

    S5:E1

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actor Andy Samberg and author 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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Mystery Men
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Mystery Men

    S5:E2

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps 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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Reporting on the Reporters
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Reporting on the Reporters

    S5:E3

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows journalists Christiane Amanpour, Ann Curry and Lisa Ling that the stories within their own family trees are every bit as compelling as the news stories they have been covering for the world.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Dreaming of a New Land
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Dreaming of a New Land

    S5:E4

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores with Marisa Tomei, Sheryl Sandberg and Kal Penn the tremendous challenges faced by their immigrant forebears. From Italy, Russia and India to America, their histories show success could take generations to achieve.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Freedom Tales
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Freedom Tales

    S5:E5

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. delves deep into the roots of two African-American guests, actor S. Epatha Merkerson and athlete and television personality Michael Strahan. Both discover unexpected stories that challenge assumptions about black history.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Roots in Politics
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Roots in Politics

    S5:E6

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the diverse family histories of politicians Paul Ryan, Tulsi Gabbard and Marco Rubio. They each see a shared vision of the great American melting pot reflected in their ancestors’ stories.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for No Laughing Matter
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #24 - No Laughing Matter

    S5:E7

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shows comedians Seth Meyers, Tig Notaro and Sarah Silverman that their family trees are filled with people whose struggles laid the groundwork for their success. Gates also reveals to each one news of an unexpected DNA cousin.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Hard Times
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Hard Times

    S5:E8

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family stories of filmmaker Michael Moore and actors Laura Linney and Chloë Sevigny—three people whose distant ancestors overcame great hardships in ways that resonate with their lives today.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Worst Episodes Summary

"Born Champions" is the worst rated episode of "Finding Your Roots". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/30/2014. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "The Melting Pot".