Madonna and the Pope are distant cousins? The internet can't get enough of it
In a plot twist that feels straight out of a Dan Brown novel (minus the murder and secret codes), it turns out that Madonna—the Queen of Pop, is actually related to the new head of the Catholic Church.
According to none other than renowned historian and genealogy expert Henry Louis Gates Jr. , Madonna and Pope Leo XIV (aka Robert Prevost) are ninth cousins, several times removed.
This revelation comes from Finding Your Roots, the long-running PBS documentary series hosted by Gates. The show, which has previously connected celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper to historical surprises, took a deep dive into the new Pope’s lineage. And what do you know? Tucked somewhere in the tangled family tree is a 16th-century Québécois man named Louis Boucher de Grandpré, born in the 1590s. He’s the common ancestor linking the 66-year-old pop icon and the 69-year-old pontiff.
As Gates explained—and as The New York Times confirmed—this unexpected bloodline connection doesn’t stop with Madonna. Pope Leo XIV is also distant cousins with Justin Bieber, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and even Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. That’s one serious crossover between the Vatican and the Vanity Fair party guest list.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t just a fun celebrity trivia nugget. It actually tells us something bigger about the world we live in.
Genealogy—especially in this digital, DNA-testing age—is starting to reveal just how interconnected our stories are. It’s a reminder that lineage doesn’t care about public personas or controversies. Families are messy. History is messier.
It also speaks to how celebrity narratives have evolved. This isn’t just tabloid material. It’s part of a larger conversation about heritage, identity, and the complicated legacies we inherit—even when we have no idea they exist.
We probably won’t see a family reunion anytime soon (though the internet would absolutely lose its mind if they appeared in a selfie together). Still, it’s kind of comforting to know that even the most unlikely people might be connected in some small way. And maybe, just maybe, it’s proof that the past has a wild sense of humor.
So there you have it: Madonna and Pope Leo XIV are ninth cousins, several times removed. One changed pop culture. The other leads a billion Catholics worldwide. And somewhere, their shared ancestor from 400 years ago is probably watching this unfold and thinking, “I did not see this coming.”
Welcome to 2025—where Madonna and the Pope are family. Literally.
According to none other than renowned historian and genealogy expert Henry Louis Gates Jr. , Madonna and Pope Leo XIV (aka Robert Prevost) are ninth cousins, several times removed.
This revelation comes from Finding Your Roots, the long-running PBS documentary series hosted by Gates. The show, which has previously connected celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper to historical surprises, took a deep dive into the new Pope’s lineage. And what do you know? Tucked somewhere in the tangled family tree is a 16th-century Québécois man named Louis Boucher de Grandpré, born in the 1590s. He’s the common ancestor linking the 66-year-old pop icon and the 69-year-old pontiff.
As Gates explained—and as The New York Times confirmed—this unexpected bloodline connection doesn’t stop with Madonna. Pope Leo XIV is also distant cousins with Justin Bieber, Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, and even Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac. That’s one serious crossover between the Vatican and the Vanity Fair party guest list.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t just a fun celebrity trivia nugget. It actually tells us something bigger about the world we live in.
Genealogy—especially in this digital, DNA-testing age—is starting to reveal just how interconnected our stories are. It’s a reminder that lineage doesn’t care about public personas or controversies. Families are messy. History is messier.
It also speaks to how celebrity narratives have evolved. This isn’t just tabloid material. It’s part of a larger conversation about heritage, identity, and the complicated legacies we inherit—even when we have no idea they exist.
We probably won’t see a family reunion anytime soon (though the internet would absolutely lose its mind if they appeared in a selfie together). Still, it’s kind of comforting to know that even the most unlikely people might be connected in some small way. And maybe, just maybe, it’s proof that the past has a wild sense of humor.
So there you have it: Madonna and Pope Leo XIV are ninth cousins, several times removed. One changed pop culture. The other leads a billion Catholics worldwide. And somewhere, their shared ancestor from 400 years ago is probably watching this unfold and thinking, “I did not see this coming.”
Welcome to 2025—where Madonna and the Pope are family. Literally.
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