George R.R. Martin makes a surprising discovery on Finding Your Roots
By Dan Selcke
A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin is appearing on tonight’s new episode of Finding Your Roots, the PBS show where Henry Louis Gates Jr. dives deep into a celebrity’s genetic history, tells them something about their family’s past they didn’t know, and then comforts them while they go, “Wait, really? Oh, wow.”
Martin’s episode is particularly revelatory, as the Finding Your Roots team reveals that he is not part-Italian as he thought, but rather a quarter Jewish. Watch an exclusive clip below!
Martin’s story is pretty interesting. His paternal grandfather Louis, an Italian, abandoned his grandmother Grace in their youth and started a new family, although Grace, a good Catholic, would not grant him a divorce. Martin didn’t have much of a relationship with Louis, but he took it on faith that they were biologically related…only they weren’t. According to the Finding Your Roots team, Martin’s actual paternal grandfather was not Louis but a Jewish man, suggesting Louis may have left Grace because she had an affair. “You’ve uprooted my worldview,” says a stunned Martin.
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Given that the final season of Game of Thrones will involve Jon Snow learning that the man he thought was his father isn’t his father, there’s some irony to Martin’s discovery.
If this didn’t already spoil it for you, you can watch Episode 501 of Finding Your Roots tonight, January 8, at 8:00 p.m. EST on PBS. Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg will also be profiled.
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