Julia Roberts Discovers Shocking Family Secret After DNA Test
Julia Roberts, the world-renowned actress known for her roles in “Pretty Woman”, “Notting Hill” and “Erin Brockovich”, recently discovered that her last name isn’t entirely accurate.
During an episode of Ancestry’s “Finding Your Roots”, the 55-year-old actress was surprised to learn that her great-great-grandmother, Rhoda Suttle Roberts, had an affair with a married man after her husband, Willis Roberts, died.
Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor, explained that they found Rhoda’s marriage record in Georgia’s County archives.
It showed that she married a man named Willis Roberts, but Willis passed away in 1864, over a decade before Julia’s great-grandfather, John, was born.
Through DNA archives and genealogical work, Gates discovered that Willis could not possibly be Julia’s great-great-grandfather since he was already dead by the time John was born.
A visibly shocked Julia asked if she wasn’t a Roberts, to which Gates revealed that he examined her DNA to find a match for her biological great-great-grandfather.
They found a cluster of matches that tied Julia and her cousin to one man: Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr. Gates confirmed that Julia is indeed “Julia Mitchell”.
However, there was another scandalous twist to the story.
Gates shared that Henry was married to a woman named Sarah, with whom he shared six children, when he dated Julia’s great-great-grandmother.
Julia expressed that her mind was blown by the revelation, but she still considers her family as her family.
During the show, Julia also divulged another fact about her family.
Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, paid the hospital bill for Julia’s birth when her parents couldn’t afford it.
Her parents befriended the King family while living in Atlanta and running a theater school.
Coretta called Julia’s mother and asked if her kids could be part of the school because they were having a hard time finding a place that would accept them due to segregation in the 1960s.
Despite the shocking news about her ancestry, Julia mentioned that she prefers the name Roberts.
The actress admitted that it was an unexpected turn, but there is a part of her that can still wrap her arms around the idea that her family is her family.
The episode of “Finding Your Roots” shed light on Julia’s family history and revealed a surprising twist to her famous last name.
It was a fascinating discovery that left both the actress and viewers stunned.
