.png)
5 days ago
2
They say it's lonely at the top, but a surprising number of celebrities have other famous relatives who can probably understand what their lives are like!
Here are 26 Black celebs who are surprisingly related:
1. Cardi B and GloRilla are cousins. On the podcast Big Boy's Neighborhood, Cardi said, "My grandfather, he used to like — I don't like to put my family business out there — but he used to push weight and everything, and there was this one time that, like, he lived in Tennessee or whatever. So, he ain't really told my grandma that, like, he was dealing with somebody over there, and then, like, he had, like, a kid out there, and, you know, like, that's GloRilla's dad and everything."
2. Yara Shahidi and Nas are cousins, and he inspired her to attend Harvard! On Sherri, she said, "I think the one thing people know about him just through, even his music, is just how smart he is, and he has such a deep passion for our culture and for education. And so, the first time I got to step foot on Harvard's campus was when he was announcing a fellowship for graduate students that were studying hip-hop because Harvard has this wonderful hip-hop archives started by Professor Morgan, and it was the first time that I saw Black and Brown students in an Ivy League environment. I was always a nerd, always straight A's, but I just didn't even think there was space to me at Harvard. But he had the foresight to to say — he called my mamma and said, 'Hey, I think that Yara would really enjoy coming.' And so we went."
"It was me, Mommy, his daughter Destiny, and I just remember it made such an impact on me that I worked so hard through high school to then be able to claim my spot at Harvard, but it started because of the experience he created," she said.
3. Not only are Tracy Morgan and Nas good friends, but they're also family! Recalling the surprising Finding Your Roots discovery, Tracy told the podcast Connect the Dots, "I turn the last page, and guess who's sitting there? Nas. Me and Nas is third cousins on my mom's side. Me and Esco. But me and Esco was always tight before that. I did a show years ago on Comedy Central, a special called One Mic, that was for Nas's mom that just passed away, and I named my special One Mic. So me and Esco always been tight...After the show, I called him up, and I said, 'Yo Esco.' He said, 'What up, Trey?' I said, 'Guess what?...I just did Find My Roots. Me and you related.' He started crying. I started crying, and I said to him, 'If you ever need me, I'm there, cuz.' He said, 'Cuz, if you ever need me, I'm there.'"
4. Saweetie and Gabrielle Union are cousins. Specifically, Saweetie's dad is Gabrielle's first cousin. Saweetie told Us Weekly, "Honestly, I didn't really connect with her until I was older, but I have to say, when I was a young girl, I would be so shy around her because she's always been so beautiful. So bright...She's always just had this really bright light about herself, so I'm happy to call her my cousin."
5. Saweetie is also related to MC Hammer. He's the father of one of her cousins. She told Billboard that he's "inspired [her] to be a hard worker" because he's "put [his] years in." She said, "So hopefully, I can follow in their path and make a legacy of my own."
6. Viola Davis and Luke Cage actor Mike Colter are cousins, but they didn't meet until 2019. He told The Talk, "We had never met, but our families have family reunions, and they talk about us, you know, and stuff. They're very proud of us and stuff. But we just very busy, you know, to your point about taking a day off work. In LA, you could be right next to somebody, same neighborhood — you're never home, you're filming somewhere, they're busy, life happens. And we just never got caught up. And I would see her in rooms sometimes...but eveybody's talking, you know. So eventually, I figured, we'd just work it out, and we connected. And we just made it happen. Took us about a week. We like, 'Let's get some coffee and talk,' and I met her mom and stuff. Good times."
7. Charlamagne Tha God is the cousin of Chlöe and Halle Bailey. When Chlöe appeared on Charlamagne's radio show the Breakfast Club, she sweetly confirmed they were related, saying, "It's real. I be proud, too. I be like, 'Yeah, that's my cousin!' Yes, I am [proud]."
8. Per Variety, Takeoff was the nephew of his Migos bandmate Quavo, who's only three years older. Though Quavo often referred to the third member of the group, Offset, as his cousin, Offset isn't actually biologically related to either of them.
9. According to People, Kerry Washington was a cousin of Gen. Colin Powell, the first Black US Secretary of State, through her mother, Valerie Washington. When Kerry gave the commencement address at George Washington University in 2013, she said, "As a proud alum of this institution, I celebrate you and I welcome you into the great lineage and legacy of GW. Today you join the ranks of...statesmen and women like my cousin, Colin Powell."
When he died in 2021, she posted a tribute on Facebook, writing, "Growing up, you were a phenomenal source of inspiration. Your accomplishments were tremendous. Your spirit was gloriously generous. From my family, our family, from my neighborhood, our neighborhood. Your legacy will continue to live on, in all of us. Rest In Peace Gen. Colin Powell."
10. Ludacris was a distant cousin of Richard Pryor. Ludacris told People, "He's like my fifth or sixth or seventh cousin, something like that? I never got a chance to meet him. But I'm a big fan of his."
11. Ludacris and Monica are also related. She reportedly told Hip-Hop Weekly, "We grew up together. My mum married his uncle over two decades ago. Before there was Ludacris and Monica, there was Christopher Bridges and Mo, and we were just always close."
12. On Find Your Roots, RuPaul found out that Senator Cory Booker is his DNA cousin. RuPaul said, "He looks like my kin! Actually, there's a sweetness about him that I've always loved and an intellect that is undeniable. But every time I've ever seen him, he reminds me of my cousin Eula."
Cory also made an appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race, where RuPal introduced him as "United States Senator and my cousin."
13. Janelle Monáe and Black-ish actor Marsai Martin are cousins. They met for the first time at a Golden Globes afterparty. In a joint interview with InStyle, Marsai said, "I was so eager to say hello because, as it turns out, we’re related." Janelle replied, "Yes, my love! We're cousins on cousins on cousins. You were with your mom, and she was naming members of my family, and I was like, 'Oh my goodness!' I don't meet many people who know about my small community in Kansas City, Kan. It was the best news because I'm such a fan of you and your role on Black-ish." Marsai said, "Well, I admire so much about you. I love that you always stay authentic with your style. On the red carpet, you're always in something that is totally different from everybody else."
14. Meghan Markle and MLB player Mookie Betts are distant cousins. Amateur genealogist Jim McNiff told the Boston Globe that Meghan's great-great aunt, Katie Betts, was married to Mookie's great-great uncle, Richard Betts. Meghan and Mookie met in person for the first time when she made a surprise appearance at the Red Sox game at the 2019 Invictus Games in London. Mookie told the Boston Globe, "I didn't know she was coming. I knew [Prince Harry] was coming. I told her about the story, and she laughed and gave me a hug. She didn't know about it. They probably didn't believe it. It's pretty cool it happened. I didn’t think I'd ever meet her, but I did."
15. According to NBC, Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker are second cousins once removed because their grandfathers were cousins. On Today, Lenny said, "We both have Roker. My mother was Roxie Roker, my grandfather, Albert Roker from the Bahamas. Has to be." Al replied, "All I know is I'm going with it. Kids think it's cool."
16. Grey's Anatomy actor Debbie Allen and The Cosby Show actor Phylicia Rashad are sisters. They shared the screen when Debbie guest-starred on the 1988 The Cosby Show epsiode, "If the Dress Fits, Wear It."
17. Shaquille O'Neal and comedian Bill Bellamy are cousins. Bill told The Jennifer Hudson Show, "There's a thing — why people be tripping like he just my cousin. I'm his cousin too! Right? Like, don't it go both ways? People should be saying, 'Yo Shaq, I can't believe you Bill cousin.' But the funny part, people forget that, like. I don't know why people forget that, like, we've been family forever, like, our whole lives. Like, you don't stop being cousins...He is so cool; like, we've done so many great things together. And I'm just very proud of what he's done after basketball. Like, he is just, just incredible, man. And he's super funny!"
18. When Find Your Roots host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. appeared on The View, Whoopi Goldberg found out that NFL player Tony Gonzalez is her DNA cousin. She said, "Cousin Tony, come see me here. We'd like to have you here at The View. Tony Gonzalez, come on!" A few weeks later, he visited the show, and cohost Ana Navarro joked, "I think this is probably the only cousin that could pop up that's not going to wanna be in the will." Tony replied, "I'll be in the will. I'll take that!" And to Whoopi, he added, "Can I borrow $5?"
19. Juice WRLD and Young Dolph were cousins. In an Instagram tribute after Juice WRLD's death in 2019, Young Dolph wrote, "Dam lil cuzz. i feel awkward as hell makin this post on social media. The world didn't know that u was my blood lil cuzin...Sh*t, i didnt even know it my own self until 2017 when your uncle told me at thanksgiving dinner. I didn't get a chance to fuck witchu how i had intentions to do and it's killin me...I can't believe u gone that fast waaay too early. WHY GOD?"
English (US) ·