Famous American model Chrissy Teigen learns she has Romani roots, reacts with enthusiasm!
The American cookbook author, model and television personality Chrissy Teigen has learned she has Romani ancestors. The surprising revelation transpired during an episode of the program "Finding Your Roots", in which Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces celebrities' family trees.
Teigen reacted to the news with amazement and enthusiasm. She was congratulated on her newfound roots by the European Roma Institute for Arts And Culture (ERIAC), which offered her honorary membership and support in getting to know about her Romani identity.
In the most recent episode of Finding Your Roots, broadcast on 28 January by public broadcaster PBS, moderator Henry Louis Gates, Jr. investigated the family story that Teigen’s grandmother on her father’s side was Jewish. “In recent years you said you believed your grandmother Ruth was Jewish,” Gates said during the program.
“That’s an interesting story, so we took a closer look at it. We couldn’t find any records to verify it, though,” Gates told the celebrity.
Teigen responded with loud laughter. “Naturally, records aren’t always reliable. So we looked at DNA. Given that your father is a generation closer to you than your grandmother, we analyzed his genetic tests. If Ruth had been 100 % Jewish, we would expect your father to have 50 % Jewish DNA,” continued Gates, adding that neither the DNA test nor any of the records confirmed the family’s belief.
Teigen visibly stiffened and couldn’t believe her own ears. “You can’t imagine how proud I was to be Jewish. This is so… wow,” said the model, adding that the erroneous family story might have arisen because of her surname, but that she isn’t sure.
However, another surprise was in store for her. The moderator then told Teigen that she comes from the Romani community through her father’s line.
“They’re traditionally itinerant people who lived all over Europe for centuries,” Gates explained, adding that Romani people migrated from northern India to Europe approximately 1,500 years ago.
Teigen: “Wow, that’s so cool!”
“These are your people,” Gates informed Teigen during the interview. She reacted with enthusiasm: “Wow, that’s so cool! I love it!”
When Gates explained how Romani people frequently lived on the outskirts of society and faced discrimination, Teigen added: “That’s unreal.” Gates told her: “It was rough to be a Roma. For centuries they were discriminated against and they were even persecuted, just like the Jews were in Europe,” adding that an attempt to avoid persecution could have been the reason why part of her family emigrated to the USA.
“Of course. It’s so unreal,” Teigen responded.
ERIAC offers Teigen honorary membership and support
ERIAC responded to the American celebrity’s discovery of her roots by publicly congratulating her and offering her honorary membership. “We’re overjoyed to see Chrissy Teigen embrace her Roma heritage. ERIAC believes in the power of understanding the full spectrum of the Roma heritage—not just to know where we come from, but to see where we stand today and pass that wisdom on to future generations. We are honored to offer Chrissy Teigen honorary membership to ERIAC and excited to support her on this journey,” the organization posted to Facebook.
Who is Chrissy Teigen?
Christine Diane Teigen was born on 30 November 1985 in the state of Utah. Her mother, Vilailuck, is from Thailand and her father Ron has Norwegian roots – but now it has come to light that his family also has Romani ancestors.
Teigen became famous as a model. She was featured twice in a swimsuit on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Later Teigen became a television personality moderating the program “Lip Sync Battle” and an author of best-selling cookbooks. With her husband, the musician John Legend, she has four children and is involved in social issues including the rights of immigrants and women.
Teigen is famous for her openness on social media where she shares not just funny moments, but also discusses serious subjects such as mental health, motherhood and social problems. Almost 42 million fans follow the famous model on Instagram alone.
“Finding Your Roots” is a series on PBS that has investigated the family trees of its famous guests for more than a decade now. The renowned Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has investigated the origins of dozens of influential people from various backgrounds and taken millions of television viewers back into the past to discover the connections that bring us all together.
Teigen has now joined the many famous figures who have discovered new aspects of their origins as adults. Time will tell whether she will continue to engage with Romani culture or support for initiatives targeting the Romani community.
