When Billy Crudup appeared on the Season 9 finale of Finding Your Roots, he learned that fellow actor, Terry Crews, is a distant cousin of his. Crudup was blown away at the discovery and was struggling to believe it was true, but it was confirmed thanks to an identical stretch of DNA on their 16th chromosomes.
To make the discovery that much sweeter, Crudup revealed that one of his sons is a huge fan of Crews. “When (my son) hears this, this will be by far the most exciting portion of this,” Crudup said during the episode – which aired on April 4. Being family is certainly one way to befriend your favorite actor.
And that’s exactly what happened. In an interview with TODAY, Terry Crews revealed that the distant cousins finally met – and Crudup’s son was there to meet one of his favorite actors. They ended up getting together in New York City – where Crudup lives with his son – during Memorial Day weekend.
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“The fact that we are blood relatives, to me, is a statement about what America is. It’s also a statement about humanity. Because we all think, you know, he’s white, I’m Black. But the reality is we are true blood relatives,” Crews told TODAY – calling it ‘one of the most satisfying, wonderful afternoons I’ve ever spent.’
While the two were together, they traded theories on how the last name Crews was derived from Crudup and couldn’t help but notice some of the similarities between the two actors’ backgrounds – not only were they born in the same year (1968), but they were born 22 days apart (Crudup is the older of the two).
“The whole color difference is a myth,” Crews added. “Because you’d be shocked if you found out who you were really related to, who is really your cousin down the line. I think we are a true example of the misconception and breaking those misconceptions about true family and what family means.”
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Terry Crews had his own experience on the Finding Your Roots show. He learned that 15% of his ancestors were from Europe and, coincidentally, hailed from some of the same areas as Crudup’s ancestors – the two allegedly shared an ancestor some 500 years ago.
Terry Crews Praises Billy Crudup for His Talent
Terry Crews and Billy Crudup might be related and might’ve been born just 22 days apart, but that’s not all they share in common – they’re both well-known actors with impressive resumes and are beloved in the Hollywood community. Crudup began his acting career in 1989, while Crews began his in 1999.
Crews is best known for his work in Brooklyn Nine Nine and Everybody Hates Chris, but has also made a name for himself as host of America’s Got Talent since 2019. Meanwhile, Crudup has won an Emmy and is best known for his work in Almost Famous (2000), Big Fish (2003), and Mission: Impossible III (2006).
“He’s one of the best actors that I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and to know that I’m related …” Crews said of Crudup during his interview with TODAY this week. “This is the man from ‘Almost Famous,’ from ‘Watchmen’ and, oh, so many brilliant ‘The Morning Show’ … his talent is incredible.”
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One has to wonder if these two will ever work together in the future. Now that they’ve formed a friendship and know that they’re related – albeit, distant relatives – who knows, maybe they’ll start coming up with some ideas. What we do know is the respect is there, which is always a good place to start!
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