“This is incredible”: Lena Dunham “delighted” after discovering she is related to Larry David on Finding Your Roots

Popular writer and director, Lena Dunham, was shocked after she learned that she had a family connection to Larry David, as she appeared on this week’s episode of Finding Your Roots. During the episode, the host of the show, Henry Louis Gates Jr. revealed to Lena Dunham that Larry is her cousin from her maternal side.

Gates Jr. said:

“Larry shares multiple long identical segments of DNA with you and your mother. This means that you share at least one common ancestor, somewhere on your mother’s side of your family tree.”

As soon as Lena learned about her relationship with David, she was “delighted,” as she mentioned:

“No! My husband’s gonna freak out. It’s Larry David! The other LD. This is the hottest information I could have gotten. I could not have turned the page and been more delighted. This is incredible. You saved the best for last.”

Larry David is a popular American comedian and writer known for his sitcom Seinfeld, which he created with Jerry Seinfeld. Another of his other notable works include the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry also wrote for ABC’s late-night live comedy series Fridays for which he gained significant recognition.

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Lena Dunham was previously called a "younger version" of Larry David

In the episode aired on April 2, 2024, Lena Dunham received the shock of her life as she discovered that she is related to Larry David from her mother's side. While Dunham was left shocked yet ecstatic, the episode created a stir on social media, as the revelation left the masses surprised too.

Back in 2012, Lena Dunham was also compared to Larry and called the “younger version” of him. She spoke about the same to Esquire at the time, as she mentioned:

"People are ultimately threatened by young people taking positions of power, but there's also this feeling of ‘I could do that, too. People don't feel rabidly jealous of Larry David or Salman Rushdie because they don't think, ‘I could do that.' And with what I've done, I think a lot of people think, ‘I could do that in my sleep. If I'd just met one person along my path, I would have that TV show.'"

However, it was not just Lena Dunham who discovered a familial connection with Larry David on Finding Your Roots, Michael Douglas, too, discovered he was related to his Marvel co-star, Scarlett Johansson. Calling them “DNA cousins,” the show's host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., revealed that he was related to the actress by their DNA.

During the episode, Gates revealed that the studies showed that Douglas and Johansson share “identical branches of DNA on four different chromosomes”. At the same time, he also revealed that both celebrities have their maternal lines linking back to Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.

Similarly, other guests who appeared on various episodes of season 10, like Alanis Morissette, Anthony Ramos, Bob Odenkirk, Brendan Fraser, Ciara, and Danielle Brooks, also received shocking news about their relationships with other celebrities.

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Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a docuseries that started in March 2012 and is currently running season 10. The episodes feature various celebrities being presented with a “book of life,” which has been compiled by professional genealogists who provide the guests at the show with information about their ancestral history and give insights into their family connections.

As per Family Tree Magazine, researchers work for hundreds of hours to provide clear and authentic information to each of the guests appearing at the show. Researchers also make use of DNA profiling and other techniques to form a proper family tree of the guests.