Sydney Sweeney Is Actually Related to Marilyn Monroe — Here’s How
For years, fans have called Sydney Sweeney “our generation’s Marilyn Monroe.” This week, it stopped being a compliment and became a fact: the two stars are distant cousins, according to new family-history research from MyHeritage reported by Parade on 7 October 2026.
How Are Sydney and Marilyn Related?
MyHeritage traced both women’s family lines back to a shared ancestor — Ezra Perry (1625–1689), an early settler in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Sydney connects through her father’s side of the family (her dad, Steven Sweeney), while Monroe’s line runs through her biological father, Charles Stanley Gifford (per MyHeritage, via Parade).
In cousin terms, that makes them very distant relatives — separated by centuries, but on the same family tree.
Why Fans Saw It Coming
The comparison has followed Sydney for years. She has repeatedly channelled Old Hollywood on the red carpet, and earlier this year she recreated Marilyn’s famous Life magazine cover look at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (per Parade). Fans who saw a resemblance were, it turns out, looking at family.
A Full-Circle Moment
Nobody is suggesting destiny — Sydney built her career on talent, timing and relentless work, from Euphoria to producing and starring in The Housemaid, the biggest film of her career. But as footnotes go, this one is hard to beat.
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Genealogy research by MyHeritage, first reported by Parade on 7 October 2026. Sweeney Hub is an unofficial fan site.
