One of Hollywood’s favorite couples Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick once discovered that they’re actually distant cousins.
In an episode of PBS’s Finding Your Roots, the pair were surprised to learn they’re distant relatives.
Presenter Henry Louis Gates Jr. showed Sedgwick a photo of one of her cousins and revealed, “And his name is Kevin Bacon.”
Sedgwick, who had jokingly worried about being related to her husband before filming said, “See. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!”
She also added with relief, “As long as we’re not first cousins, it’s fine.”
The episode also revealed other surprising connections for Bacon.
He found out he’s a 12th cousin three times removed from former President Barack Obama and a 13th cousin twice removed from actor Brad Pitt.
“You and Brad Pitt are 13th cousins twice removed,” Gates told the Footloose star.
And there was more.
Gates added, “You and President Obama share a common ancestor named Anthony Woolhouse.”
“You’re 12th cousins, three times removed.”
Bacon then jokingly responded, “No kidding.”
“I knew I wasn’t getting enough respect,” clearly amused by these distant family ties.
Bacon and Sedgwick have been married for over 35 years, having met on the set of Lemon Sky in 1988.
Their love story blossomed into marriage later that year, and they now share two children: Travis and Sosie.
Despite the unexpected familial link, the couple’s relationship remains as strong as ever.
Kevin Bacon once admitted he didn’t like the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” at first, thinking it was meant to poke fun at him.
In a 2023 interview on the On With Mario Lopez podcast, he said, “I was horrified! Because I thought it was really a joke at my expense.”
Over time, though, he’s come to embrace the game’s lasting appeal.
He added, “It spread and spread, and I honestly thought it was gonna go away, but it just did not away.”
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