Genealogy study links Sydney Sweeney to Marilyn Monroe through 17th-century ancestor
Genealogy platform MyHeritage traced the family trees of Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe to Ezra Perry, an English colonist who settled in Sandwich, Massachusetts, in the 17th century.
Genealogical findings in Massachusetts archives
A genealogical investigation by the platform MyHeritage has identified an ancestral connection between actress Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe. The research establishes that the 29-year-old Euphoria star and Monroe, who died in 1962 at age 36, are ninth cousins with one generation of difference. Both actresses descend along their paternal lines from Ezra Perry, an English colonist who lived between 1625 and 1689 and settled in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Sweeney's father, Steven Sweeney, and Monroe's biological father, Charles Stanley Gifford, trace their ancestry directly to Perry. Gifford's paternity was confirmed in 2022 through DNA testing, after Monroe spent her early life registered under the name Norma Jean Mortenson Baker.
Archival motivation and research statements
Public parallels drawn between the two performers prompted the genealogy platform to examine historical records for a biological link. Roi Mandel, director of research at MyHeritage, explained the background of the inquiry in statements shared with Entertainment Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter.
People have always drawn parallels between Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe, but seeing how their trajectories aligned on a deeper level inspired us to look for a real link in the MyHeritage archives.
Mandel described the archival results as evidence of broader historical ties across families.
Discovering this shared family branch was incredible. It is a powerful reminder that humanity is a vast family tree and that when we dig deep enough, we reveal how extraordinarily interconnected we all are.
Red carpet references and public image
Sweeney incorporated visual nods to Monroe during multiple public appearances prior to the genealogical report. In November 2025, Sweeney attended the Governors Awards wearing a soft-wave bob hairstyle inspired by Monroe's look in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. One month later, at the December 2025 Los Angeles premiere of The Housemaid, she wore a custom Galia Lahav gown evoking the pleated white dress Monroe wore in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch. Sweeney continued the homage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, wearing an off-the-shoulder Ceil Chapman dress styled by Molly Dickson that replicated Monroe's outfit from the 7 April 1952 cover of Life magazine. Her partner, 45-year-old music executive Scooter Braun, referred to Sweeney as the modern Marilyn Monroe in media interviews, pointing to public commentary surrounding her appearances and advertising campaigns.
- Marilyn Monroe appears on the cover of Life magazine in a Ceil Chapman dress
- Monroe wears the white pleated halter gown in The Seven Year Itch
- Marilyn Monroe dies at age 36
- DNA testing confirms Charles Stanley Gifford as Monroe's biological father
- Sydney Sweeney displays a Monroe-inspired wavy bob at the Governors Awards
- Sweeney wears a Galia Lahav dress evoking Monroe at The Housemaid premiere
- MyHeritage traces shared ancestry between Marilyn Monroe and Dakota Johnson
- MyHeritage research identifies Ezra Perry as common ancestor of Sweeney and Monroe
Earlier lineage discoveries
The Sweeney inquiry followed an August 2026 investigation by MyHeritage into Monroe's extended lineage. That previous search linked Monroe to actress Dakota Johnson, identifying them as ninth cousins through Johnson's father, Don Johnson. Their shared ancestry stems from Richard and Charity Tydings, English immigrants who settled in Maryland during the mid-17th century. The Tydings family arrived in North America during early colonial settlement and lived across Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties. The lineage divided into separate branches through their daughters, creating a distant familial connection between the two performers.
