Joe Manganiello Learns His Biological Grandfather is Mixed Race Black Man

*“Magic Mike” star Joe Manganiello recently found out his paternal grandfather is a biracial man mixed with Black. 

Manganiello appears on an upcoming episode of “Finding Your Roots” and was shocked to discover that his paternal grandfather, an Italian man, isn’t related to him, The YBF reports. 

“My family and I had a betting pool of what it is, like what’s so bad that you can’t announce it on the episode?” Manganiello told a TV critics meeting Thursday, The Associated Press reports. The host of the PBS program, Henry Louis Gates Jr., informed Manganiello that his “grandfather was a Black man of mixed race,” said Manganiello.

“That was fascinating,” he added. 

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“Joe Manganiello marveled at the years-old mysteries in his family that were solved through DNA by researchers on PBS’ ‘Finding Your Roots,’ including a revelation involving the actor’s paternal grandfather.” https://t.co/p6VZ7r5drk

— Henry Louis Gates Jr (@HenryLouisGates) August 2, 2022

Gates told the actor, “You are zero percent genetically related to anyone named Manganiello in the world.”

Here’s more from The Associated Press:

The show’s research traced back to the actor’s fifth great-grandfather who was a slave who became free before slavery was abolished in Massachusetts, where Manganiello’s father was born outside of Boston. His father’s family came from Italy.

Manganiello found out his distant relative joined the Continental Army and fought alongside other Blacks for the colonies against the British in units that were non-segregated.

“None of us would have guessed that if we’d had 10 years of guessing,” the actor said. “If Manganiello’s not my last name, what is?”

The 9th season of “Finding Your Roots” will feature 21 celebrities learning about their ancestry.

In addition to Manganiello, TV Series Finale reports that the other celebrities set to appear are Jim Acosta, Carol Burnett, Jamie Chung, Brian Cox, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Angela Davis, Viola Davis, David Duchovny, Tony Gonzalez, Jeh Johnson, Van Jones, Richard Kind, Cyndi Lauper, Tamera Mowry, Niecy Nash, Edward Norton, Julia Roberts, and Danny Trejo.

The new season will premiere January 3, 2023 on PBS, and stream on PBS.org and the PBS Video app.

Check out the trailer for “Finding your Roots” season nine below.

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