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'SNL' alum Bill Hader discovered that he is descended from European royalty

Jethro Nededog   

'SNL' alum Bill Hader discovered that he is descended from European royalty
EntertainmentEntertainment2 min read

Bill Hader Finding Your Roots PBS preview.JPG

PBS

Bill Hader with "Finding Your Roots" host Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Bill Hader recently found out that he is descended from not just royalty, but some major historical players.

The "Saturday Night Live" alum discovered the news while having his lineage and DNA researched by the PBS docuseries "Finding Your Roots."

In Business Insider's exclusive preview from the episode that airs Tuesday night, host Henry Louis Gates, Jr., hands the Tulsa, Oklahoma, native a lengthy diagram of his family tree, one that the host describes as "one of the most extensive European ancestries that we've ever been able to piece together."

"Wow," Hader says upon seeing the document.

Bill Hader Finding Your Roots PBS preview ag

PBS

When Gates points out that the actor is descended from Kind Edward I of England, Hader is unable to stifle his giggles.

"Charlemagne, the famed leader of the Holy Roman Empire," Gates points out another name. "Bill Hader, you're looking at your 40th great-grandfather."

"I'm just blown away. I mean, the conqueror of Europe," Hader replies. "I couldn't even get the coffeemaker to work this morning."

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Hader explores both funny and tragic stories of his family's surprise tradition of combat soldiers, and an unsurprising history of slave ownership.

Joining Hader on this "Finding Your Roots" episode are fellow funnymen Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear. It airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.

 Watch BI's exclusive preview with Hader below:

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