Joe Manganiello Finally Solves His Family Mystery | Finding Your Roots | Ancestry®

Have you ever felt like you’ve traveled back in time while learning about your family history? Tell us about your experience!

It makes me somehow sad to think that just within a few generations, most of us are just forgotten...

Armenian,German,African American, (Anglo British Isles?) Italian in Name only His story was Epic !

As an Armenian, this was very touching. We have many stories like this in our family as well. 💔

One of the most complicated family histories ever unraveled on the show. And what a sweetheart of a man!

What Dr. Gates does is a) the most precious gift these individuals will ever receive; and b) the precious gift to our country to see itself honestly

I watched the full broadcast. Both sides of Mr. Manganiello's family background was so fascinating, the Armenian-German side from his mom, then the African American and Italian side from his dad. What's striking about his African American side? His fifth great grandfather was a black man who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was a free long before most slaves in the U.S. became free. That obviously affected the future of his descendants, including the one who became Mr. Manganiello's great-grandfather. I can easily spend days binge watching Finding Your Roots on PBS.

Family resemblance is just amazing thing to see when looking at the faces of your ancestors.

As an Armenian, I find it sad that so many commenters have never heard of the genocide. Pleased that this video has brought enlightenment.

From spending decades not even knowing your grandfather's name to seeing a picture of him😱 I'm not crying... I'm BOO-HOOING 😭 Wow! Just WOW. That is so awesome. I'm so happy for Joe.

To quote Joe Manganiello, "WOW, WOW, WOW!" Tonight's show was truly exceptional! I was crying one moment, gasping in shock the next, to laughing with great joy. What a rollercoaster of emotion for all of us and I can't begin to imagine the emotions that Joe Manganiello and his family are experiencing. I also loved learning of his Armenian heritage, as far too many people are not aware of this horrific period in history! Every show is entertaining and almost always it is educational, but tonight was exceptional and I applaud the guests, Tony Gonzalaz and Joe Manganiello for sharing their stories. Well done gentlemen. 💖 BRILLIANT SHOW, thank you. I love the show, Finding Your Roots, and watch it every week. It's become my favourite show on tv and Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a brilliant man and superb host. (🇨🇦)

His family history of both parents was very interesting

In many ways I sincerely feel that Dr. Gates is doing the Lord's work. I truly feel being able to connect to one's past is something that we all should strive for. Joe received a treasure with that photo of his ancestor.

Joe’s story was one of the most interesting stories on Finding Your Roots. I think what was discovered on both sides of his family was surprising to him.

I nearly just cried happy tears for Joe. This show & the process are amazing 🙏

I didn't know the details of his ancestry. But it makes sense now. He looks like an Armenian! Great picture of his relatives! You've done a great job finding his Great grandfather!

This was a very moving show. He is a very emotionally intelligent man and put his finger exactly on what he was feeling and what it meant to him, and to his family. Not italian at all, as I thought. I was expecting, like Dr. Gates said, to travel up his italian family tree. The story of what his Armenian grandmother went through, the mass murder of her family by the Turks, the loss of her 7 children, the liaison with a german officer who fathered a nazi. How he saw the dark irony of the connection immediately, both sides of a genocide. And then the freedom fighting for american independence that makes him a SAR (son of the american revolution.) Joe, man, that was some stirring history lesson. I really felt that for you and I'm glad you know now.

This was so moving❤. God bless the team at Finding Your Roots! The pain our ancestors experienced plays such an important role in shaping who we become. Rose, a survivor of the one of the biggest atrocities committed in recent history, has shaped Joe into the human being he is today by surviving and sharing her story with her descendants. May all those whose family histories sadly share horrible events like Joe’s ancestors find out about their plight and honor them, thanking them for their sacrifice. This episode brought tears to my eyes. My own maternal aunt was married to a gentleman whose family narrowly escaped the persecution of the Nazis, with only his mother and a few siblings able to arrive in the US. My cousins always honored their German Jewish family roots, and all of us remember and cherish our cousins by marriage, never forgetting their plight.

WOW!! So moving!! The Beutinger genes are STRONG in Joe!! DNA is amazing!!

What I love the most is his truly affectionate reaction at learning this, his longing to visit his great-granddad's hometown, etc. This was the most heartwarming of it all. Of course, it would be even nicer to have more detailed info on each case, seeing him learn more about his other ancestors, the female ones and their amazing sagas as women in those even more troubled times when women had to fight even harder for their most basic rights.