Whoopi Goldberg learns she's related to NFL star Tony Gonzalez live on “The View”: 'That's my cousin?'

Goldberg later encouraged her new "Cousin Tony" to stop by the show: "We'd like to have you here at 'The View,' Tony Gonzalez, come on!"

Historian and professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. had a special surprise in store for Whoopi Goldberg when he visited The View.

Gates, who hosts the PBS ancestry program Finding Your Roots, shocked Goldberg on Tuesday when he revealed to the Hot Topics table that she has a famous "DNA cousin" and didn't even know it.

"When I started the series, it was called African American Lives and I only did African Americans," Gates explained about his show. "In the first series, I did Oprah [Winfrey], Quincy [Jones], Chris Tucker, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Whoopi, and we didn't have the sophisticated tests that we now use for DNA at that time."

When Gates then announced that Goldberg had another distant relative, she gave a hesitant look toward the camera. "Is it you?" She asked, to which Gates responded, "No, I wish it were… Tony Gonzalez is your DNA cousin."

Goldberg initially appeared confused by the reveal, until photos of the former NFL tight end were displayed. Placing a hand to her heart and giving the audience a stunned look, she replied, "That's my cousin?"

"He is smokin'!" Sunny Hostin exclaimed as the rest of their costars began to laugh. Goldberg, too taken aback to speak, gave a proud look as Sara Haines declared, "I'm coming over to your family dinner."

"How about that for a Christmas present, huh?" Gates asked. Goldberg simply shook her head and laughed in response.

Gonzalez played 17 seasons in the NFL and is widely considered to be one of the best tight ends in the sport's history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and now serves as a presenter and analyst for Prime Video's NFL broadcasts.

While Gates didn't specify how closely related Gonzalez and Goldberg are, Ancestry.com states that first cousins share a DNA match with one of a person's grandparents, "aunts and uncles, great-aunts and great-uncles, great-nieces and great-nephews, and so forth," while second, third, and fourth cousin involve more "distant relatives" like "second or third cousins, but also first cousins twice removed, second cousins once removed, and second cousins twice removed."

At the end of the broadcast, Goldberg encouraged her newfound relative to stop by the show sometime. "Cousin Tony, come see me here!" she exclaimed. "We'd like to have you here at The View, Tony Gonzalez, come on!"

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