MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

‘I do prefer the name Roberts': Julia Roberts stunned as her DNA shows she is actually 'Julia Mitchell'

On 'Finding Your Roots', Julia Roberts, 55, found out her great-great-grandmother got involved with with a married man whose last name was Mitchell

MALIBU, CALIFORNIA: Julia Roberts is actually Julia Mitchell, at least that’s what Dr Henry Louis Gates Jr has reportedly found out after analyzing the actress’s family archives. The startling discovery was made after Roberts appeared in the PBS series ‘Finding Your Roots’, where the Harvard professor helped her understand her family history by looking through DNA archives and genealogical work.

As per the Daily Mail, the ‘Notting Hill’ star is the great-great-granddaughter of Rhoda Suttle Roberts, who got romantically involved with a married man named Henry MacDonald Mitchell Jr after her husband, Willis Roberts, died. The doctor reportedly told her, “Digging into Georgia's County archives, we discovered that sometime in the 1850s, Rhoda married a man named Willis Roberts. Julia carries Willis' last name. But Willis passed away in 1864, over a decade before Rhoda gave birth to Julia's great grandfather, John, leading to an inescapable conclusion.”

ALSO READ

Pretty Woman! Julia Roberts looks divine in pink at 'Ticket to Paradise' premiere with George Clooney

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN: George Clooney and Julia Roberts reveal the REAL reason they never dated

After giving the 55-year-old actress time to re-check the 1880 census and understanding that her great-great-grandfather Willis Roberts’ name was not there, Dr Henry reportedly said, “Willis Roberts could not possibly be your great, great grandfather. He was dead,” prompting an astonishing reaction from Roberts, “But am I not a Roberts?”

The 72-year-old historian then came to the DNA part after samples of Roberts and one of her cousins were taken to trace back their ancestry. He added, “We found a cluster of matches that tie Julia and her cousin to one man,” which was Henry MacDonald Mitchell Jr. The ‘Ticket to Paradise’ star then asked, “So we're Mitchells?” as the literary critic asserted that she is “Julia Mitchell”.

During the episode, it was also discovered that Henry was reportedly the husband of a woman named Sarah at the time and had six children. Besides, Rhoda and her alleged lover’s mother lived quite close to each other. Reacting to these findings, Roberts expressed, “Truly my mind is blown. It is fascinating. And on the other hand, there's you know part of me that you know that when I'm calmer, you know can still wrap my arms around the idea that my family is my family. I do prefer the name Roberts. This was a very unexpected turn.”

Meanwhile, the Roberts’ episode has attracted a lot of attention in the online community as well as a user tweeted, “Loved Julia Robert’s story…but holy cow, Edward Norton’s!!! Am excited to now watch the first 8 SEASONS!!!” A second person shared, “I know how she feels! Instead of the long introductions, can you please talk more about the DNA matches, like how many cMs the celebrities share and how distantly they're related. It would be cool to post a link to their trees so we can see if we're related.” A third one wrote, “One of the reasons why I love this series, you teach the importance of learning our family history.”

A fourth person stated, “Omg what a FANTASTIC episode!!!!! Love it!!!” while another shipped in with, “Some day I’d like to see you introduce 2 cousins to one another instead of a photo. I think it would be more dramatic. And, possibly if they’re close cousins how they’re related through what family lines.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.