Exclusive: Debra Messing Discovers Family Document in FINDING YOUR ROOTS

In this exclusive clip from PBS's Finding Your Roots, actress Debra Messing discovers her grandparents' marriage certificate for the first time. Host Henry Louis Gates Jr. shares with her the historical document, which records the marriage of Morris Messing, originally from Poland, and Millie Rothblat, born in London, England. The couple wed in Manhattan, New York in 1936.

As the Smash star takes in the document, she reflects on the significance of seeing her family's history preserved on paper, offering a new connection to her roots. Messing joins eighteen other celebrity guests as they sit down with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in the 11th season of Finding Your Roots, diving into their ancestral history and solving mysteries that have plagued their families. The new episode premieres February 25th, 2025 at 8PM ET on PBS.

Through Gates’ discerning touch, his guests learn what every family history shares—love, courage, and sacrifice—and how our histories transcend borders, merging to form an American root system fortified by its diversity. Along the way, viewers are transported from coastal Africa to the Mississippi Delta; from shtetls in the former Russian Empire to the ancestral lands of the Lakota Nation; from villages in the Philippines to a pirate enclave in Puerto Rico—all IN SEARCH OF the stories that will bring our guests’ ancestors to life. What’s more, this new season also includes a special reveal: the solution to a mystery that has haunted Gates’ own family for generations.

Debra Messing is an actress known for her many roles onscreen which include Grace Adler in Will & Grace and playwright Julia Houston in NBC's Smash. Other screen credits include the TV film Dirty Dancing, 13: The Musical, and The Mysteries of Laura. She was recently seen onstage in off-Broadway's s. MEET. FAN.

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