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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!

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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. Professor Gates utilizes a team of genealogists to reconstruct

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 2 - Great Migrations
    5.6/10(33 votes)

    #1 - Great Migrations

    S12:E2

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor Sanaa Lathan to ancestors who left the American South, boldly breaking racial barriers.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 5 - Love & Basketball
    5.6/10(32 votes)

    #2 - Love & Basketball

    S12:E5

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of basketball stars Brittney Griner and Chris Paul—uncovering ancestors who had extraordinary talents.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 9 - Song of the South
    6.0/10(24 votes)

    #3 - Song of the South

    S12:E9

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the family secrets of Danielle Deadwyler and Rhiannon Giddens, uncovering stories their ancestors once hid.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 7 - Family Harmonies
    6.1/10(30 votes)

    #4 - Family Harmonies

    S12:E7

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of musicians Lizzo and Flea—traveling across the globe to find stories of the ancestors who inspired their work.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 3 - Caribbean Roots
    6.3/10(34 votes)

    #5 - Caribbean Roots

    S12:E3

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Caribbean roots of actors Liza Colón-Zayas and Delroy Lindo—meeting ancestors who took enormous risks.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 6 - Westward Bound
    6.3/10(33 votes)

    #6 - Westward Bound

    S12:E6

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of talk show host Sara Haines and playwright Tracy Letts from the American west to surprising places back east.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 4 - The Road We Took
    6.4/10(33 votes)

    #7 - The Road We Took

    S12:E4

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. introduces actor Lizzie Caplan and comedian Hasan Minhaj to ancestors whose brave decisions forever reshaped their families.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 1 - American Dreams
    6.5/10(41 votes)

    #8 - American Dreams

    S12:E1

    America Ferrera and Darren Criss uncover their immigrant roots.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 8 - Artistic Roots
    6.5/10(39 votes)

    #9 - Artistic Roots

    S12:E8

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of director Spike Lee and actor Kristin Chenoweth, meeting ancestors whose creativity built their families.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Finding Your Roots Season 12 Episode 10 - Rags to Riches
    6.7/10(23 votes)

    #10 - Rags to Riches

    S12:E10

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Kate Burton and media mogul Barry Diller, meeting ancestors who made huge sacrifices to escape poverty.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Finding Your Roots Season 6 Episode 8 - Slave Trade
    6.8/10(48 votes)

    #11 - Slave Trade

    S6:E8

    Questlove, S. Epatha Merkerson and Ava DuVernay explore the unexpected places where their ancestors were scattered by slavery.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Finding Your Roots Season 1 Episode 5 - Rick Warren, Angela Buchdahl and Yasir Qadhi
    6.9/10(44 votes)

    #12 - Rick Warren, Angela Buchdahl and Yasir Qadhi

    S1:E5

    Pastor Rick Warren, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Sheik Yasir Qadhi are of three different faiths, all with complex family histories that profoundly shaped their religious beliefs. Our research of their roots unearthed a story about the spiritual foundations of this country, an unrelenting struggle to achieve our ideal of religious freedom and tolerance, but also the difficulties sometimes of holding onto one's faith and still feeling like an "authentic" American.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Finding Your Roots Season 11 Episode 2 - La Famiglia
    6.9/10(33 votes)

    #13 - La Famiglia

    S11:E2

    Exploring the Italian roots of television host Joy Behar and actor Michael Imperioli.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Finding Your Roots Season 2 Episode 4 - Roots of Freedom
    7.1/10(39 votes)

    #14 - Roots of Freedom

    S2:E4

    Actor Ben Affleck discovers his mother's past as a Freedom Rider in 1964, NAACP President Ben Jealous learns how far his great-grandfather would go to keep his family whole, and actress Khandi Alexander learns about her grandfather's death. This episode is not available from pbs because actor Ben Affleck had persuaded Gates to omit information about his slave-owning ancestors. In the investigation, PBS said that producers violated network standards by letting Mr. Affleck have “improper influence” and “by failing to inform PBS or WNET of Mr. Affleck’s efforts to affect program content.”

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Finding Your Roots Season 11 Episode 9 - Moving on Up
    7.1/10(23 votes)

    #15 - Moving on Up

    S11:E9

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets Sheryl Lee Ralph and Lonnie Bunch - two African Americans trace their ancestors, who overcame slavery and traveled from southern plantations to northern cities, forging prosperous families despite adversity.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Finding Your Roots Season 5 Episode 6 - Roots in Politics
    7.2/10(38 votes)

    #16 - 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Finding Your Roots Season 8 Episode 10 - Where Did We Come From?
    7.2/10(36 votes)

    #17 - Where Did We Come From?

    S8:E10

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journeys with Erin Burnett, Amy Carlson and André Leon Talley, three guests from diverse backgrounds, as they meet the ancestors who laid the groundwork for their success.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Finding Your Roots Season 11 Episode 5 - Family Recipes
    7.2/10(25 votes)

    #18 - Family Recipes

    S11:E5

    Exploring the ancestry of chefs José Andrés and Sean Sherman.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Finding Your Roots Season 11 Episode 1 - Larger Than Life
    7.4/10(44 votes)

    #19 - Larger Than Life

    S11:E1

    Research into the ancestry of singer Lea Salonga and actress Amanda Seyfried reveals relatives who survived heart-wrenching ordeals.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Finding Your Roots Season 2 Episode 2 - Born Champions
    7.5/10(40 votes)

    #20 - 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Finding Your Roots Season 2 Episode 3 - Our American Storytellers
    7.5/10(46 votes)

    #21 - Our American Storytellers

    S2:E3

    Ken Burns learns that his Southern ancestors include Confederate soldiers and a slave owner; Anderson Cooper learns that an ancestor on his father's side was killed by one of his slaves; and Anna Deavere Smith learns about her great-grandfather, who was a free black man and former conductor on the Underground Railroad.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Finding Your Roots Season 4 Episode 10 - Funny Business
    7.5/10(38 votes)

    #22 - 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.

    Director:Hazel Gurland-Pooler
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Finding Your Roots Season 8 Episode 3 - Activists Roots
    7.5/10(39 votes)

    #23 - Activists Roots

    S8:E3

    Henry Louis Gates, Jr. welcomes Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Anita Hill, two guests who made profound sacrifices for social justice, and helps them discover the ancestors who made sacrifices for them.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Finding Your Roots Season 11 Episode 3 - Stranger Than Fiction
    7.5/10(30 votes)

    #24 - Stranger Than Fiction

    S11:E3

    Traveling across China and the American South to reveal the ancestry of novelist Amy Tan and poet Rita Dove.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Finding Your Roots Season 2 Episode 5 - The Melting Pot
    7.6/10(38 votes)

    #25 - 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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Great Migrations" is the worst rated episode of "Finding Your Roots". It scored 5.6/10 based on 33 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/13/2026. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Love & Basketball".