Julia Roberts shocked by family secret: DNA reveals she's no Roberts, but a Mitchell!
Julia Roberts, an American actress and producer, made her debut on the screen in the 1987 TV series "Crime Story." Her career skyrocketed after the initial success, and she has since played roles in films like "Pretty Woman," "Notting Hill," "Ocean’s Eleven," and "Eat Pray to Love." However, an unexpected twist in her family tree has come to light with recent DNA data about her ancestors.
Upon discovering the truth about her ancestors, Julia Roberts found herself in shock. The actress participated in an analysis of her family roots using the resources of Ancestry and Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. It was revealed that her real last name should be Mitchell, not Roberts. An unforeseen family scandal thus transpired.
Julia Roberts' actual last name isn't Roberts! DNA data reveals family secret
Julia Roberts was born on October 28, 1967, in Smyrna, Georgia, USA to Betty Lou Motes (née Bredemus) and Walter Grady Roberts. Recently, the identity of her great-great-grandfather was unveiled through DNA tests. It turned out that the actress' great-great-grandmother, Rhoda Suttle Roberts, had an affair with a married man following the death of her husband, Willis Roberts.
The historian explained that, after digging into the Georgia county archives, it became clear that Rhoda married a man named Willis Roberts in the 1850s–the name Julia bears.
It seems that Willis passed away in 1864, over a decade note before Rhoda gave birth to Julia's great-grandfather, John. This points towards the likelihood of an affair. Looking back at the records, Willis is missing from the 1880 census, though Julia Roberts' great-grandfather, John Pendleton Roberts, is registered in it.
Willis Roberts could not be your great-great-grandfather. He had already passed away," the historian shared with the actress.
A shocked Julia Roberts asked, "So I'm not a Roberts?" as she clasped her hands to her head. But if Willis wasn't the great-great-grandfather she thought he was, then who was? The identity of Julia's actual great-great-grandfather remains somewhat of a mystery. DNA testing was conducted using samples from the actress and one of her cousins in the hope of finding a match to their great-grandfather's father.
Dr. Henry explained that they managed to find several connections, linking Julia and her cousin to a certain man. That man was Henry MacDonald Mitchell Jr. On hearing this, Julia queried, "So we're the Mitchells?" Her name, it seems, is not Julia Roberts, but "Julia Mitchell".
An interesting twist to this story emerged when it was found that Henry MacDonald Mitchell Jr., was married to a woman named Sarah and they had six children. As they pieced together the star's lineage, it was found that Rhoda lived just four houses away from Henry's mother.
"I'm truly astounded. It's fascinating. Yet, there's a part of me that feels that my family is just my family," Roberts confessed.
