Just call them the family ties that bind… and gag.
It’s the headline that has tongues wagging across political lines. According to a renowned genealogical organization, actor Brad Pitt and presidential candidate Barack Obama are related. And that’s not all, researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society say they can also prove that Pitt’s partner Angelina Jolie is a distant cousin of Obama’s fellow presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton.
According to genealogy experts, Pitt and Jolie are both ninth cousins of the candidates. But Clinton’s famous ties don’t stop there. Researchers say the former first lady is also related to Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette through French-Canadian descent on her mother’s side.
No word on whether Clinton will now be able to score free tickets to the singing superstars’ concerts now that she is technically part of the clan.
Other remarkable family connections uncovered by the respected genealogical organization include Obama’s relation to six U.S. presidents, including George W. Bush. Researchers say Obama and President Bush are 10th cousins, once removed, linked by Samuel Hinkley of Cape Cod, who died in 1662. Other Obama cousins include Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Civil War General Robert E. Lee.
If you think that’s incredible consider the discovery that Republican presidential candidate John McCain is a sixth cousin of first lady Laura Bush.
Genealogist Christopher Child told news reporters that while the presidential candidates often focus on pointing out differences between them, their kinship shows they are more alike than they think.
As for Obama’s relation to Pitt experts say they are ninth cousins, linked by Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769. Meanwhile, Clinton and Jolie are ninth cousins, twice removed, both related to Jean Cusson who died in St. Sulpice, Quebec, in 1718.
And you thought your family was dysfunctional…