Exclusive: Lea Salonga Discovers Her Family’s Forgotten Past in FINDING YOUR ROOTS

In this exclusive clip from the Season 11 premiere of Finding Your Roots, Tony-winner Lea Salonga learns about her family’s surprising and previously unknown history of privilege and prosperity. Host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers stories of her grandmother’s once-comfortable life before tragedy struck, and a great-great-grandfather who served as a mayor in the 1870s.

Lea reflects on how this legacy was lost over generations and shares her mother’s contrasting experiences—growing up with moments of affluence before enduring financial following the death of her grandfather. Watch the clip now ahead of the Season 11 premiere tonight on PBS.

Lea Salonga is best known for her Tony Award-winning role in Miss Saigon. In addition to Tony, she has won the Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Theater World Awards, Time100 Impact Award from Time Magazine, and the Gold Legend Award from Gold House. Most recently, Lea starred in the West End production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical revue, Old Friends, and as Aurora in Here Lies Love on Broadway, which she also produced. She will soon appear in the Broadway transfer of Old Friends, beginning March 25.

In the new season of the Emmy® nominated series FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Lea Salonga and eighteen other celebrity guests sit down with Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to dive into their ancestral history and solve mysteries that have plagued their families when the series returns Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 7 PM ET on PBS.