Dylan Sprouse says he discovered that his and Cole’s parents share ancestors, calling himself and his brother “children of incest.” He described the discovery on the Oct. 20 episode of Wildmen.
Dylan says tracing his family tree led him to a marriage connecting his mom’s and dad’s families in the late 1800s, generations before his own parents got together. The 34-year-old actor said his parents had no idea about the connection.
Using Ancestry, Dylan had connected with relatives he’d never met on his dad’s side, which he described as fractured. Comparing family histories led him back to the California Gold Rush: He said both sides headed to California, with relatives who found gold bringing the rest of their family out from North Carolina.
“And then, they diverged, and then they married again [through] my mom and my dad, like, last generation,” he said. Dylan called his identical twin brother, Cole, to share what he’d found.
He said learning that his dad’s uncles were identical twins had raised his suspicions. He’d previously associated twins with his mom’s family, where he said there had been 7 sets in 4 generations.
Dylan summed up his interpretation of the family history by saying, “Long story short, Cole and I are children of incest.” He didn’t specify how closely his parents are related.