You’d Never Guess These Celebrities Are Related!
Just because you grow up together, it doesn’t mean you won’t grow apart. The future funny ladies were superclose as kids in Illinois, and the View cohost even got Melissa her first on-camera role in her ’90s series Jenny. But these days, the Bridesmaids star says they are in “opposite worlds.” She even skipped out on Jenny’s wedding to Donnie Wahlberg!
Brandy and her little brother Ray J may have kept their affiliation with the gangsta rapper on the down-low during their UPN sitcom days (after all, Snoop was once on trial for — though eventually acquitted of — murder), but that’s not to say there’s any beef between these cousins. In 2006, Snoop explained that when the trio discovered they were related they initially decided to keep it a secret: “We never really told the world because we weren’t trippin’ off of that, but that’s my family.”
Who knew Deuce Bigalow is actually Elle’s dad? The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer has revealed that she dropped her famous father’s last name because she wanted to be known as her own person. “I worked hard and I did everything myself,” she explained. “People know who my dad is, but I think that my voice and my music speaks for itself.” True, but we’re sure Rob would be happy to put in a call if she ever wants to snag a Saturday Night Live musical guest appearance.
Prince Charles & Ralph Fiennes
Wait, Voldemort has ties to Kensington Palace? It turns out that Ralph, who portrayed Harry Potter’s greatest nemesis, and the expected future king of England are eighth cousins. Both direct descendants of King James II of Scotland, these Brits have already fared far better than him: The king was killed in 1460 at the age of 29 when a cannon he was standing next to exploded. Yikes!
Queen Elizabeth II & Hilary Duff
Apart from Meghan Markle, this Disney princess is the closest any American celeb will come to the real thing! The Younger star is an 18th cousin of the British monarch, which pretty much guarantees the queen a very comfortable couch to crash on should she ever make the trip out to Hollywood.
The Oscar-winning actress credits her older cousin with paving her way to success. While she was working as a model in New York in the early ’70s, Rip, already a Tony Award nominee, introduced her to his circle of Broadway friends and encouraged her to enroll in Lee Strasberg’s Acting Studio. Sissy’s career-defining role came just a few years later when she beat the odds to score the coveted lead in the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie.
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No wonder these Nasty Women put on a united front during the 2016 presidential election: They’re related! The Queen of Pop and, err, the Queen of Politics share 17th-century French ancestors who moved to Quebec and then came south, making them 10th cousins.
Everyone else may know him as Norm, but to Jason the Cheers star is simply Uncle George. “He’s always been very encouraging,” the Horrible Bosses star said of his famous relative. So what words of wisdom did George pass on to his nephew? “The advice he gave me is, ‘Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out.’ ” Not that it stuck: Jason left SNL in 2013 to pursue a film career and it may still be a while before the Oscars come calling.
Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman
These stars are one big, happy Italian family! The showbiz vets are all descendants of the Coppola clan: Sofia is the daughter ofFrancis Ford Coppola, Nicolas is the son of the director’s brother (he changed his last name when he began acting) and Jason is the son of his little sister. Only time will tell if their next generation will stay in the family business or turn out to be a boring bunch of doctors and lawyers.
Shirley MacLaine & Warren Beatty
No sibling rivalry here — at least not anymore. Although the sister and brother duo (née Beaty) are both screen legends in their own right (and each have an Oscar on their shelves), they didn’t find success at the same pace. When he was starting out, Warren was frustrated being known only as Shirley’s little brother. But when his star began to outshine his older sister’s, his good fortune didn’t exactly sit well with her either. Today, the actors are happy to support each other, but who knows how much prodding it really took from Mom and Dad over the years.
You can’t pick your family, but if you could, we’re guessing these BFFs still would have chosen each other. The Massachusetts-bred stars, who won an Oscar for cowriting Good Will Hunting, are childhood pals and 10th cousins, both descended from a bricklayer who traveled from England to the U.S. in the early 1600s.
