It turns out Lena Dunham and Larry David share more than just initials and comedic talent.
Dunham, 37, was thrilled to discover that she is related to David, 76, through her maternal line on the Tuesday, April 2, episode of the PBS docuseries Finding Your Roots.
“Larry shares multiple long, identical segments of DNA with you and your mother,” the show’s host, Henry Louis Gates Jr., told Dunham. “This means that you share at least one common ancestor, somewhere on your mother’s side of your family tree.”
Dunham was thrilled by the discovery, to say the least.
“My husband’s going to freak out! It’s Larry David! The other L.D.,” the Girls creator said. “This is the hottest information I could have ever gotten.”
Dunham has been married to musician Luis Felber — who apparently shares her love of the Curb Your Enthusiasm star — since 2021.
“I could not have turned the page and been more delighted,” Dunham added. “This is incredible.”
Finding Your Roots, which premiered in 2012, investigates celebrities’ ancestral histories. Scholar and show host Gates Jr., 73, walks various public figures through their “Book of Life” on the show, sharing untold secrets and unexpected genealogical connections uncovered by experts.
Dunham was also shocked to discover that her eighth paternal grandfather, Stephanus van Cortlandt, was the first mayor of New York who had actually been born in the city. As a NYC native, Dunham was pleased to find out her roots to her beloved city stretch back to the 17th century.
The writer and director explained to Gates Jr. that she was raised in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City by her parents, artists Laurie Simmons and Carroll Dunham, and her upbringing greatly influenced her path to filmmaking.
“I always felt really connected to the fact that my parents got to do this amazing thing of going into a room and being creative for the day,” Dunham said. “My parents were always conscious, and made me conscious of what a gift that is. What a privilege it is to be able to do that with your life.”
The episode also featured an ancestral investigation of another child of artists: actor Michael Doulgas. Just like Dunham, the Fatal Attraction star discovered that he has his own unexpected cousin in showbusiness: Scarlett Johansson.
“That’s incredible,” Douglas, 79, responded when Gates Jr. revealed the surprising connection. “Well, I look forward to seeing Scarlett next time!”
Gates Jr. is no stranger to these shocking revelations. This season alone, Finding Your Roots saw Bob Odenkirk find out that he is King Charles III’s 11th cousin and Ciara learned that she is related to Derek Jeter. Past seasons have unleashed even bigger bombshells, including Kerry Washington’s discovery that she was conceived through a sperm donor and Ben Affleck’s controversial reaction to learning he is descended from slave owners.
Finding Your Roots airs on PBS Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
