19 Unbelievable Celebrity Family Connections That Predate Fame

A listicle compiled by BuzzFeed and AOL.com details 19 surprising and seemingly unbelievable family and pre-fame connections between major celebrities, according to the outlets. The report collects stories of high school friendships, secret cousinships, and shared childhoods that predate the stars' rise to fame.

These connections reveal a smaller, more interconnected Hollywood than fans might assume, linking figures from comedy, music, and politics through shared histories long before their public personas were established.

What Are Some of the Most Surprising Connections?

The listicle, titled "19 Pre-Fame And Family Celebrity Connections That Sound Completely Made Up, But Are 100% True," includes several revelations that have been confirmed by the celebrities themselves over the years.

• Cameron Diaz and Snoop Dogg attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in California together.
• John Krasinski and B.J. Novak played on the same Little League team and attended Newton South High School in Massachusetts.
• Maya Rudolph and Gwyneth Paltrow became friends at age seven after their fathers met in college.
• Larry David and Bernie Sanders are distant cousins, a fact revealed on PBS's Finding Your Roots.
• Sabrina Carpenter is the niece of Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson on The Simpsons.
• Denzel Washington privately paid the tuition for Chadwick Boseman to attend a summer acting program at Oxford.

How Did These Connections Influence Their Careers?

In several cases, these early relationships directly shaped the celebrities' career paths. John Krasinski credits B.J. Novak with giving him his first acting role in a satirical school production. "He asked me to be one of the leads. I remember saying that I couldn't act, but B.J. said, 'Just trust me, I think you're funny,'" Krasinski recalled.

Similarly, Maya Rudolph has said Jack Black, a few grades ahead of her at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, was instrumental in launching her comedy career. "My drama teacher put us together, and he was my improv coach for an improv competition we did," Rudolph told Drew Barrymore in 2024. "He got me into the improv class, and he took me to my first Groundlings show."

The Stories Behind the Headlines

Many of the connections involve humorous or poignant anecdotes. Cameron Diaz has joked that she was "pretty sure" she once bought marijuana from Snoop Dogg in high school, to which Snoop responded he might have sold her "some of that white girl weed."

The connection between Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert was forged in the Chicago improv scene, where they were roommates. They once performed a sketch called "Waiters Who Are Nauseated by Food," which Colbert said helped get them hired on The Dana Carvey Show. "I was a waiter, and I used to read the specials list when I was hungover from the night before, and pretend to be nauseated from my other waiters," Colbert said.

In a more serious vein, Chadwick Boseman revealed the life-changing generosity of Denzel Washington during a 2019 AFI tribute, detailing how Washington paid for his Oxford program after being asked by Phylicia Rashad.

Why This List Resonates Now

These stories circulate periodically but gain new traction in listicle form, reminding audiences that even the most iconic figures have ordinary, interconnected pasts. The list underscores how personal networks and chance encounters in youth can form the bedrock of future professional collaborations and lifelong friendships in the entertainment industry.

The Connection Between Sabrina Carpenter and Nancy Cartwright

The listicle also confirmed the family link between singer Sabrina Carpenter and voice actor Nancy Cartwright. Cartwright, who voices Bart Simpson on The Simpsons, is Carpenter's aunt. She publicly confirmed the relationship, recalling meeting her niece when Carpenter was eight years old. "I met her when she was eight. Her folks brought the three girls out to my house, and they stayed with us," Cartwright said. She noted Carpenter's early ambition, stating, "She wanted a Disney contract, and she said, 'I want to do that' since she was little."