Bernie Sanders and Larry David Find Out They’re Cousins

“Finding Your Roots,” a documentary series exploring identity through genealogy that airs on PBS, is well known for its celebrity guests and the surprises they learn about their family history. An especially good example is episode 1 of season 4 when two guests discover they’re related!

During the 2016 US presidential campaign season, the famous “Curb Your Enthusiasm” comedian Larry David teamed up multiple times with “Saturday Night Live” to take advantage of the strong physical resemblance and mutual mannerisms that he shares with candidate Bernie Sanders. In a skit called “Bern Your Enthusiasm,” David amazed viewers with his ability to take over Sander’s persona.

While the Doppelgängers were already aware that they shared some things in common, such as being from Brooklyn, neither ever suspected that they may actually be related. “Finding Your Roots” surprised David and Sanders separately, presenting them with a book that contained a picture of their famous relative.

“I hope it’s a good athlete,” David says before opening his book that contains the identity of his cousin. Upon seeing he is related to Sanders, he exclaimed “What the hell!”

Sanders had a very similar reaction to the revelation. “You’re kidding, oh my—,” said Sanders. “That is unbelievable.”

Larry David said that he would now refer to the senator as “Cousin Bernie.” Sanders, meanwhile, noted that the accuracy of David’s impressions had suggested a bond between the two.

“People say to me, they talk about Larry David, and I say: ‘He does a better Bernie Sanders than I do!’” he said.

The shows host, Gates Jr., said that the fact that the two shared DNA was a shock. “They share identical DNA on chromosome 7, 9 and 11. That’s a lot,” he said. Men have 23 pairs of chromosomes; 22 of the pairs are identical. The amount of shared DNA suggests that David and Sanders are third or fourth cousins. “In retrospect, when you see all that DNA they share—my God, it’s a natural,” concluded Gates.