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DNA Test Reveals Kevin Bacon’s Wife Is His Cousin: ‘We Are Connected’
Kevin Bacon has discovered he’s related to his wife Kyra Sedgwick after receiving some unsettling results from a DNA test.
For many celebrities, tracing their family history has become a popular way of connecting with the past – but the results don’t always come back as expected.
From royal bloodlines to surprising links with historical figures, DNA tests have a habit of rewriting everything people thought they knew about themselves.
For Kevin Bacon, a man famously associated with the idea that everyone is connected, the revelation turned out to be more literal than anyone could have imagined – and it involved the person closest to him.
Bacon and his wife appear on Finding Your Roots
The Footloose star appeared on the PBS Americas series Finding Your Roots, alongside his wife, Sedgwick.
Finding Your Roots has become known for delivering jaw-dropping moments, with host Henry Louis Gates Jr using extensive archival research and DNA analysis to uncover hidden chapters of celebrity family histories.
Previous guests have discovered links to enslaved people, royalty and long-lost relatives, often leaving stars visibly emotional as their personal histories are laid bare.
Bacon and Sedgwick’s relationship laid bare
You may recognize Bacon’s wife Sedgwick from the film Singles and the TV comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Bacon and Sedgwick have been married since September 4, 1988, and share two kids, Sosie and Travis.
But the pair got more than they bargained for when they looked back over their family trees.
Gates Jr delivered some shocking home truths to the famous pair.
Fans shocked by revelation
People have been shocked by the news, with fans taking to social media to air their disbelief.
One jokes: “The less fun version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon!”
Another pens: “One of the best Hollywood couples around and someone’s gotta try and bring them down. Not today internet!!”
“Their podcast on Spotify is hilarious. What an amazing couple,” adds a third.
While a fourth writes: “Beautiful couple growing old together! True love.”
The pair’s interesting family trees
On Finding Your Roots, Sedgwick began by expressing her fears about finding out she is related to her celebrity hubby.
And it seems her fears were founded.
Bacon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but his father’s line goes back 12 generations to a Quaker named Henry Comly.
His family is traced back to Bristol, UK, in the 17th century.
He then learns that King Edward I, the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ who fought William Wallace, is his 22nd great-grandfather.
“You and Brad Pitt are 13th cousins twice removed,” presenter Henry Louis Gates Jr tells him first.
And that’s not all.
“You and President Obama share a common ancestor named Anthony Woolhouse. You are 12th cousins, three times removed.”
Bacon jokes: “No kidding. I knew I wasn’t getting enough respect.”
Sedgwick’s ancestors are revealed to be one of New England’s most prominent families.
They were involved in the freeing of Massachusetts from British control and the creation of the American Republic.
At the episode’s crux, Gates Jr shows Sedgwick a picture of her ninth cousin once removed.
“And his name is Kevin Bacon,” he reveals, as Sedgwick recoils in horror.
Sedgwick exclaims: “See. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!”
‘It’s fine,’ say couple
However, soon after, Bacon’s actress wife assures her husband: “As long as we’re not first cousins, it’s fine.”
Bacon felt a little more philosophical about the discovery.
“It’s a beautiful concept that we are connected,” he says. “That we all, essentially, kind of climbed out of the same swamp. It’s fun to be at the forefront of that idea.”
In reality, being ninth cousins once removed places Bacon and Sedgwick far outside what most people would ever consider close family. For Bacon, the discovery simply reinforced a broader idea about human connection rather than undermining their relationship.
The couple remain one of Hollywood’s most beloved partnerships, proving that even a surprising family link is no match for nearly 40 years of love, laughter and shared history.
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