Have you ever watched your favorite celebrity and thought, "Wow, they’re so talented, gorgeous, and cool—just like me!" Well, maybe that’s because you are connected. Not spiritually or metaphorically, but genetically. Yep, the whole “we’re all distant cousins” thing isn’t just an excuse to hit on someone at a family reunion (ew); it’s backed by science.
So, what are the odds that your DNA is intertwined with Beyoncé’s or that Ryan Reynolds is your 10th cousin, twice removed? Let’s break it down.
How Family Trees Work (Spoiler: They’re Massive 🌳)
Every generation, your family tree doubles in size. You have:
- 2 parents
- 4 grandparents
- 8 great-grandparents
- 16 great-great-grandparents...
By the time you go back 10 generations, you’ve got over 1,000 ancestors chilling on the branches. Go back 30 generations (around 700–1,000 years), and the math explodes into the millions, meaning you share ancestors with just about everyone in your general area—celebs included.
The Stats: Are You Basically Brad Pitt’s Cousin?
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The General Population:
Statistically speaking, everyone on Earth is related within 50 generations. Yes, that’s about 1,200 years of lineage, but it also means you’re technically distant cousins with Beyoncé, The Rock, and the neighbor who stole your Amazon package. -
Close-ish Cousins (Within 10 Generations):
There’s about a 5% chance you share a common ancestor with your favorite celeb from the past 300 years. So, yes, there’s a possibility that Jennifer Lawrence’s great-great-great-great-grandma and yours were pals back in the day. -
Royal Bloodline Odds (Fancy, Fancy 👑):
Think you’ve got royal connections? 1 in 200 people are descendants of Genghis Khan, so if you’ve got a strong work ethic and a questionable thirst for world domination, maybe you’re one of them. -
Direct Celeb Relation:
Here’s where it gets tricky. The odds of being, say, Taylor Swift’s first cousin? Practically zero unless you’re already on her Christmas card list. But being a distant cousin? Totally plausible. Celebrities are humans too (or so they claim), and they’re just as tangled in this giant web of humanity as the rest of us.
How to Actually Find Out (Without Creeping on Ancestry.com Too Hard)
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Take a DNA Test
Services like 23andMe or Ancestry.com can connect you to relatives you never knew existed. Fair warning: there’s a small chance you’ll find a random distant cousin named “Elon” or “Miley,” but a huge chance you’ll discover a family scandal no one talks about. -
Dig Into Family Records
If you’ve got the patience to sift through old documents, you might stumble upon something juicy, like a shared ancestor who lived in 18th-century France—or just an ancestor who hoarded goats. Either way, exciting! -
Look for Common Traits
If you can belt a note like Adele or rock a Deadpool-level sense of humor, maybe it’s time to ask some questions at the next family dinner.
So, Are You Related to Your Fave Celeb?
The answer: Probably! It might take some serious detective work to prove it, but the odds are in your favor that your DNA has brushed up against someone famous along the way. And if not? Hey, you’re still the celebrity of your own life.
Now, go forth, my genetically connected friend, and drop this fun fact at your next party. Bonus points if you casually mention, “I think Brad Pitt’s my cousin, but like, I don’t want to make a big deal about it.”
Just don’t expect an invite to Thanksgiving. (But you’re always invited to shop our cool candles and fun merch instead. 😏)
