Debra Messing makes a 'mind-blowing' discovery about her famous political relative

During a February 25 episode of Finding Your Roots, Debra Messing learned that she is related to Bernie Sanders while Melanie Lynskey discovered that Questlove is her distant cousin. Host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., revealed that both personalities had previously appeared on the PBS series.

Bernie Sanders is a US senator from Vermont. He is the longest-serving Independent member of Congress in American history after serving 16 years in the House of Representatives. Sanders appeared on Finding Your Roots in 2017, where he discovered that Larry David is his distant cousin.

Melanie Lynskey's DNA cousin, Questlove, is an American drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and member of the hip-hop band, Roots. Questlove also appeared on the series in 2017, where he discovered that he is the descendent of the last-known group of enslaved people who were brought from Ghana to Alabama.

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"What! Are you kidding me? says Debra Messing after finding out that she's related to Bernie Sanders

Debra Messing was surprised to find out that she's related to the 83-year-old politician and said,

"What! Are you kidding me? Bernie Sanders? No way! Oh my gosh...That is mind blowing."

The senator is Debra Messing's DNA cousin, who sought the Democratic Party's presidential nominations in 2016 and 2020. Bernie is serving his fourth term in the US Senate.

Gates revealed that Questlove is Melanie's DNA cousin with about 18% European DNA.

"Your father and Questlove, as well as Questlove's mother, share a long identical segment of DNA on your 15th chromosome."

When asked how surprised she was about hearing the news, Melanie said that she was "very surprised", and called the musician a "sweet guy." Ahmir K. Thompson, also known as Questlove, is the drummer and frontman for Roots, a hip-hop band.

Debra Messing is serving as an executive producer on a documentary, October 8. The documentary details the rise in antisemitic violence in the past year and a half. While talking to CNN about the film, Messing said,

This is not a film litigating the war in Gaza. What’s happening in Gaza is horrific. No one would disagree with that. But that’s not what this is about. This is about extremism versus democracy. It’s about what we’re seeing in the streets of America, on college campuses and on social media.”

The film is directed by Wendy Sachs and will premiere in Theaters on March 14.