The WORST episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? (US)

Every episode of Who Do You Think You Are? (US) ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? (US)!

Celebrities trace their family trees with the help of historians and experts.

Last Updated: 12/27/2024Network: NBCStatus: Continuing
star
6.50
2 votes

#1 - Allison Janney

Season 11 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/24/2022

Allison Janney traces her maternal family tree and uncovers a remarkable story that ties her to some of America's first British settlers.

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star
6.67
3 votes

#2 - Josh Groban

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/15/2015

Josh Groban traces his ancestors' roots to Germany and discovers a relative who was a deacon, music teacher & well known astronomer. But Josh's ancestors' predictions of cataclysmic doom put him in the crosshairs of the church.

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star
6.75
4 votes

#3 - Zachary Levi

Season 11 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/31/2022

Actor Zachary Levi's journey into his family's past unearths a story of trauma that has been passed down through generations.

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star
6.79
19 votes

#4 - Paula Deen

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/18/2012

Paula Deen lost both of her parents and has a lot of gaps in her family knowledge. A visit to her aunt in Albany, Georgia, provides Paula with information that takes her back 150 years in her family's history. As she digs deeper into her heritage she uncovers her ancestor's political ties and his connection to a dark time in America's history. Further exploration reveals a heartbreaking event that deeply impacted her ancestors during the Civil War.

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star
7.00
2 votes

#5 - Liv Tyler

Season 8 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/24/2017

Liv Tyler unravels the mystery of her father's maternal side, discovering ancestors who took part in famous American battles, and also learns shocking details that change the way she feels about herself and her family.

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star
7.00
2 votes

#6 - Angie Harmon

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/22/2015

Actress Angie Harmon discovers a daring ancestor who gave up his freedom to come to America, fought for his new country's independence, and risked everything at a pivotal point in America's history.

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star
7.00
2 votes

#7 - Sean Hayes

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/29/2015

Actor/Producer Sean Hayes searches for the cause of his estranged father's troubled past and uncovers a shocking trail of tragedy and crime that reaches back generations

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star
7.00
2 votes

#8 - Tony Goldwyn

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/5/2015

Beyond a family of Hollywood Legends, actor/director Tony Goldwyn explores his maternal lineage. He is introduced to a heritage of political activism; a couple ahead of their time proudly fighting for abolition, women's rights and westward expansion

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star
7.00
1 votes

#9 - America Ferrera

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/12/2015

America Ferrera searches for a connection to a father she barely knew, and discovers a great grandfather who led multiple revolts against the government and left an enduring mark on Honduran history.

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star
7.00
1 votes

#10 - Melissa Etheridge

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/26/2015

Melissa Etheridge digs into her French roots and finds a family shaken by a scandalous lawsuit; a turbulent relationship entangled with tragedy; and an adventuresome ancestor who prospered in colonial America

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star
7.07
30 votes

#11 - Josh Duhamel

Season 10 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/10/2018

Actor Josh Duhamel travels to England to investigate the extraordinary life of his twelve times great-grandfather and uncovers an astonishing, dark twist of interrogation and torture that rocks his belief system to the core.

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star
7.10
10 votes

#12 - Billy Porter

Season 11 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/10/2022

Billy Porter uncovers the truth about his great-grandfather.

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star
7.17
29 votes

#13 - Chelsea Handler

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/6/2013

Media mogul Chelsea Handler confronts a deep family secret: her Grandfather’s rumored Nazi past. As she dives into her family’s struggle to survive in a desperate time, the details uncovered will finally confirm or deny his affiliation to the dark regime.

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star
7.23
22 votes

#14 - Chris O'Donnell

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/20/2013

In memory of his late father, actor Chris O’Donnell investigates the paternal side of his family and finds ancestors on the frontlines of American history. Chris explores a patriotic legacy and a family devotion that extends deeper than he ever imagined.

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Sarah Jessica Parker
star
7.24
45 votes

#15 - Sarah Jessica Parker

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/5/2010

Sarah Jessica Parker is a celebrated icon in film and television as well as fashion, who recently served as a producer and reprised her Emmy Award-winning role as Carrie Bradshaw for the screen adaptation of the hit HBO series "Sex and the City." The actress took an emotional journey from coast to coast in search of her family's roots, crossing paths with the California Gold Rush and the Salem Witch Trials.

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star
7.29
28 votes

#16 - Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/30/2014

Award winning actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson thought he came from a "nice, boring family" until he digs into his ancestry and follows the life of his great-grandfather; a gilded age hustler that trouble seemed to follow at every turn.

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star
7.29
31 votes

#17 - Edie Falco

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/6/2012

Emmy Award winner Edie Falco sets off on a mission to learn the truth about her mother's family history and discovers a tragic event in her ancestor's life.

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Emmitt Smith
star
7.31
59 votes

#18 - Emmitt Smith

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/12/2010

Emmitt Smith is an NFL Hall of Fame running back who, since retirement, has devoted himself to business and giving back to the community. But recently, he decided to embark on a journey inward, tracing his family's past. It was a journey that took him beyond his wildest expectations, discovering not only his African roots, but his connections to slave owners in Virginia.

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star
7.31
86 votes

#19 - Megan Mullally

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/28/2018

Megan Mullally explores a shocking pattern of dysfunction in her father's line; she finds her two-times great grandmother was bravely defying societal norms in order to fight for her family's survival, while struggling to hang on to her own sanity.

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star
7.33
27 votes

#20 - Regina King

Season 10 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/17/2018

Actress Regina King investigates her maternal family tree and uncovers an ancestor who was a passionate civil rights activist in Alabama; a man who came out of slavery, endured horrific violence, but never stopped fighting for his people.

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star
7.35
48 votes

#21 - Blair Underwood

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/24/2012

Golden Globe nominated actor, director and producer Blair Underwood first became a household name for his portrayal of charismatic attorney Jonathan Rollins on the celebrated NBC drama, L.A. Law. Throughout his 25 year career, Blair has highlighted important African-American issues through his work with charitable organizations and by the roles he chooses. He is a five-time winner of the coveted NAACP Image Award. Blair lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their three children.

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star
7.43
21 votes

#22 - Bryan Cranston

Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/23/2015

Bryan Cranston's happy childhood shattered when his father abandoned the family when Bryan was just 11. Seeking answers, Bryan explores his paternal roots, finds a troubling pattern of desertion, a man of honor and an aunt he never even knew existed.

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star
7.43
23 votes

#23 - Trisha Yearwood

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/3/2013

Since her parents passed, country singer Trisha Yearwood knows little about her paternal side of the family. Her search for a deeper family connection takes Trisha to England, where she uncovers an ancestor’s history of crime, loss, and perseverance.

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star
7.44
25 votes

#24 - Cynthia Nixon

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/23/2014

Actress Cynthia Nixon searches for answers in her paternal line, and truth becomes stranger than fiction when a mystery of deceit and murder slowly unfolds in relation her 3x great-grandmother.

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star
7.46
28 votes

#25 - Ashley Judd

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/8/2011

Actress Ashley Judd discovers a connection to the first American settlers while investigating her ancestral past.

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