Yes, we know this is a weird headline. But ‘DNA doesn’t lie!‘
The thought of having a long lost relative comes up for everyone at some point. DNA testing has not only deepened our understanding of our heritage but has also brought families together by uncovering previously unknown ethnic backgrounds for many individuals.
To add, discovering a connection to someone you admire can add an extra layer of excitement to the experience.
Just ask Terry Crews, who recently found out that Billy Crudup is his distant cousin.
The unexpected news was first delivered on the PBS show Finding Your Roots.
Both Actors Were Excited To Find Out They’re Related
On an episode of Finding Your Roots that aired in February 2022, Crews, 55, made a guest appearance on the show. During the episode, Crews learned more about his father and his traumatic upbringing.
Unfortunately, the trauma transferred over to the White Chicks actor’s own life, something that he has been very open about in previous interviews.
To everyone’s surprise, the results from the show sponsored DNA test revealed that 15% of his ancestors from the past five centuries were from European descent. Places like Scotland, Ireland, and England were some of the given locations based off Crews’ heritage.
Then later, it was Public Enemies actor Billy Crudup’s turn to learn about his heritage. The 55-year-old actor was thrilled after learning that his heritage descends from the likes of Nathan Boddie who according to historians, participated in a pivotal moment towards independence for the 13 Colonies by voting for the Halifax Resolves.
However, after the Almost Famous star found out that Crews was his distant celebrity relative, his excitement could not be matched.
“Get out of here! Are you kidding me?” Crudup exclaimed after Henry Louis Gates Jr., the show’s host, revealed the connection.
The Thin Ice actor then mentioned that his son is a big fan of Terry Crews, especially his role as Sergeant-turned-Lieutenant Terry Jeffords in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
”He was on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and when (my son) hears this, this will be by far the most exciting portion of this,” Crudup said.
Terry Crews and Billy Crudup Meet-Up In New York City
As explained on the show, Crews and Crudup have a matching segment of DNA on their 16th chromosomes. This suggests that at some point in the past 500 years, the two stars shared a common ancestor.
Gates explained, “The evidence is inscribed on your 16th chromosome and as the brothers say on the street, ‘DNA don’t lie.’”
“That’s incredible,” Crudup said. “The fact that the first (part) of his name is Crew, we’ve now got the Cru crew.”
To add to the crazy coincidence, both actors were both born in 1968 (only 22 days apart).
“He’s one of the best actors that I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and to know that I’m related,” Crews said about Crudup. “This is the man from Almost Famous, from Watchmen and, oh, so many brilliant The Morning Show… his talent is incredible.”
Terry Crews Calls The Experience ‘A Miracle’
After the surprising revelation, the two celebrities eventually “met” in New York City during Memorial Day weekend. The Everybody Hates Chris actor then shared his thoughts with Today about the experience in an interview that happened sometime in June 2023.
“The fact that we are blood relatives, to me, is a statement about what America is. It’s also a statement about humanity,” Crews said. “Because we all think, you know, he’s white, I’m Black. But the reality is we are true blood relatives.”
Crews continued: “The whole color difference is a myth. It’s all a myth, because you’d be shocked if you found out who you were really related to, who is really your cousin down the line. I think we are a true example of the misconception and breaking those misconceptions about true family and what family means. It was a miracle. I’m not gonna lie. It’s a true miracle.”
You never know who just might be your long lost relative!