We Bet You Didn’t Know These Stars Were Related

They are family. Yes, really. We’re looking back at all of the stars you may have forgotten share a bloodline, including Ciara and Derek Jeter, Rob Schneider and Elle King and more surprising pairs

They are family. No, really. Beyond all their sisters, these stars can claim all sorts of extended kin.

And with all due respect to Kevin Bacon, there zero degrees of separation when it comes to these surprising Hollywood pairs.

Take Antonio Banderas and Dakota Johnson, who win our award for sweetest stepfather and stepdaughter as the twosome have remained super close even after Banderas split from Johnson’s mother Melanie Griffith in 2015 after a 20-year relationship.

They are far from the first familial reveal to make people say, “Wait, whaaaaaa?” Ciara learned last year that she can take her cousin Derek Jeter out to the ballgame. And paranormal-obsessed Vanderpump Rules‘ alum Stassi Schroeder had full body chills when she discovered that Gypsy Rose Blanchard is actually family

And then there’s the time Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen‘s fans were shocked to learn WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen is their younger sibling.

“I always felt that having older twin sisters was an advantage,” the actress told Harper’s Bazaar UK in a May 2022 profile. “I felt very clear about how I was going to navigate lots of things because of watching them. I also felt very protected.”

Though, of course, a well-known relative can be a blessing and a curse.

“I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business,” Emma Roberts told Flaunt magazine of having an actor dad in Eric Roberts and her being connected to her rather famous Aunt Julia Roberts. “People have opinions and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family. I’ve never gotten a job because of it, I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.”

As Maya Hawke noted, calling Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke Mom and Dad “means I’ll get a couple chances on their name and then if I suck, I’ll get kicked out of the kingdom. And that’s what should happen. So I’m just going to try not to suck.”

Solid life advice, tbh.

So as we mark yet another holiday weekend, we’re looking back at all of the celebrities you may have forgotten share ancestry.com data or a table at the family barbecue.

Let’s revisit some celebrity fam connections, shall we?

Lena Dunham & Larry David

On an April 2 episode of Finding Your Roots, host Henry Louis Gates Jr., revealed that Lena Dunham had a distant ancestor in common with Larry David on her mother’s side.

Stassi Schroeder & Gypsy Rose Blanchard

Genealogist Dr. Adina Newman, known on Instagram as My Family Genie, revealed Blanchard and the Vanderpump Rules alum are allegedly related on their paternal grandmother’s side dating back all the way to the 1600s.

Schroeder, a self-professed true crime fan, commented on Newman’s post, “Omg I’m unwell.”

Dakota Johnson and Antonio Banderas

The Mask of Zorro star was married to the Fifty Shades of Grey actress’ mother Melanie Griffith for 20 years before they ultimately split in 2015, but that doesn’t mean the stepfather and daughter’s bond has been severed.

Johnson got emotional when she presented an award to Banderas at the 2019 Hollywood Film Awards.

“I come from a family of many a marriage and I got very lucky,” Johnson, whose dad is actor Don Johnson, said. “I got a bonus dad who I realized that, over time, is actually one of the most influential people in my whole life,” she said. “When I was six years old, my mother married a man who brought an unbelievably bright light and a whole new world of creativity and culture—and one remarkably magical little sister into our family.”

Robyn Lively & Blake Lively

The Teen Witch star and the Gossip Girl alum are half-sisters who share the same mom, talent manager Elaine Lively.

Elle King & Rob Schneider

The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer is the SNL vet’s daughter, born from his relationship with former model London King.

Ludacris & Monica

The Fast & Furious star is cousins with the R&B singer thanks to her stepfather, Reverend Edward Best, who happens to be the rapper’s uncle.

Conan O’Brien & Denis Leary

The late-night host and the Rescue Me creator are third cousins.

Steven Spielberg & Jessica Capshaw

The onetime Grey’s Anatomy doc has called the legendary director stepdad ever since he married her mom Kate Capshaw in 1991.

Yara Shahidi & Nas

The Grown-ish star calls the rapper her second cousin. She was even the flower girl in his 2005 wedding with now ex-wife Kelis!

Lea Thompson & Zoey Deutch

The actress is the daughter of the Back to the Future icon.

Kiefer Sutherland & Sarah Sutherland

Not only did the Veep vet make a name for herself playing a famous daughter on the HBO comedy, but she’s also a famous daughter in real life. The erstwhile Jack Bauer star is her father.

Phil Collins & Lily Collins

Some Emily in Paris viewers were très shocked to discover Lily is the daughter of the English Grammy winner.

Amy Schumer & Chuck Schumer

The comedian and the New York Senator are actually related, as he’s the first cousin of her father.

Kate Middleton, Dakota Fanning & Elle Fanning

According to a 2014 People interview, a family historian from Ancestry.com claimed that the Fannings and the Princess of Wales are all descendants of King Edward III, who ruled England from 1327 to 1377, making them very distant relatives—21st cousins, to be exact.

Jonah Hill & Beanie Feldstein

The actors are actually brother and sister!

Niecy Nash, Danielle Brooks & Sterling K. Brown

Talent runs in this family, as the Reno 911! alum, Orange Is the New Black actress and This Is Us star are all cousins.

“We are blood related!” Nash wrote on Instagram January 2024, sharing a photo of the trio at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Third Annual Fundraising Gala. “REAL cousins!”

Jason Sudeikis & George Wendt

The SNL alum calls the Cheers icon Uncle George whenever he sees him. At least, we assume he does.

Stephen Dillane & Frank Dillane

Yep, Game of Thrones‘ Stannis Baratheon is the real-life dad of Fear the Walking Dead‘s Nick Clark.

Lily Allen & Sam Smith

The brunette beauty and the “Stay With Me” singer are third cousins. During a radio interview, Smith admitted that the pair have never met because their family is “huge.”