As modern technology continues to advance, the world seems to be getting smaller. There’s a popular theory that every person on the Earth is connected by six or fewer social connections. In the film industry this has been turned into six degrees of Kevin Bacon. In this version, one connects actors and their roles to Kevin in six steps or fewer. Kevin didn’t love this game when he heard about it, but turns out he might have bigger things to worry about.
During an appearance on the show Finding Your Roots Kevin found his wife Kyra Sedgwick is also his distant cousin. Kyra didn’t seem all that shocked. The couple were just happy they were not first cousins.
This all went down in 2013. On the episode the host Henry Louis Gates Jr. revealed a photo to Kyra. He introduced it by saying it was a picture of her ninth cousin once removed. “And his name is Kevin Bacon,” he stated.
Kyra was not all that surprised. “See. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it,” she exclaimed after hearing the news. “As long as we’re not first cousins, it’s fine.”
More from LittleThings: Kyra Sedgwick On How She Made Kevin Bacon Pursue Her Before She Finally Said Yes To A Date
Kyra opened up about the experience appearing on the show in 2017. "I figured I was going to be related to Kevin Bacon — I mean, most white people are related, ultimately,” she mused. “I wasn't surprised, honestly. Frankly, I figured that was part of the reason that they wanted to do both of us. I had to act surprised."
Kevin was in for more exciting news during the same episode. He is also related to another famous actor. “You and Brad Pitt are 13th cousins twice removed,” Henry revealed.
It got even better. “You and President Obama share a common ancestor named Anthony Woolhouse,” Henry stated. “You are 12th cousins, three times removed.”
“No kidding. I knew I wasn’t getting enough respect," Kevin replied.
Kevin and Kyra first met when she was 12 years old. She and her older brother approached him when he was out for lunch in New York City while appearing in an off-Broadway play Getting Out. Kevin does not remember this.
Kevin does remember working with Kyra on the 1988 film Lemon Sky. Sparks flew on set but Kyra made Kevin work for it. She eventually gave in and they started dating.
Kevin and Kyra were married on September 4, 1988. Their son Travis was born the following year. Their daughter Sosie Ruth was born in 1992. Despite finding out they are related, their marriage is just as strong as ever 35 years later.
