Barack Obama shares a surprising family link with a famous actor—one many internet users probably didn’t know. Exploring family trees can uncover some unexpected ties, proving the world is smaller than we think.

Celebrities and Strange Family Ties
In Hollywood, bizarre family connections aren’t rare. For example, Madonna and Pope Leo XIII share ancestry, much to Madonna’s surprise. Even Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick’s relationship has an interesting backstory. Similarly, Obama has his own unexpected relative in the entertainment world.

Obama and Brad Pitt: Ninth Cousins!
Back in 2008, before the presidential election, Obama appeared on The View where Joy Behar asked him about his famous relative. The answer? Brad Pitt, the star of Fight Club.

Obama replied, “I guess we’re ninth cousins, something removed—or something,” and joked, “I think he got the better-looking side of the gene pool.” This isn’t just a joke—both men descend from Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769, making them ninth cousins.

Genealogist Christopher Child explained to The Guardian that shared ancestors are more common when families come from the same region—in this case, the South.

More Political-Hollywood Family Links
Obama isn’t alone. Hillary Clinton and Angelina Jolie (who was married to Brad Pitt until their recent divorce) are also ninth cousins. Researchers at The New England Historic Genealogical Society traced both to Jean Cusson, who d**d in Quebec in 1718.

Clinton’s French-Canadian roots connect her distantly to singers Madonna, Celine Dion, and Alanis Morissette.

Child noted, “It shows lots of different people can be related—people you wouldn’t necessarily expect.”