Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe Are Family? New Study Confirms the ‘Modern Marilyn’ Link

For years, comparisons between Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe have followed the actress from one red carpet to another. Every vintage curl, every old-Hollywood gown, and every bombshell-adjacent headline has fueled the ongoing question: is she the modern Marilyn?

Sweeney has embraced the buzz. At the Los Angeles premiere of ‘The Housemaid’ in December, she donned a plunging white Galia Lahav gown with a feathered skirt reminiscent of Monroe’s iconic wind-swept look in ‘The Seven Year Itch’. Two months later, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, she accepted a Virtuosos Award in a vintage Ceil Chapman gown that closely mirrored the dress Monroe wore on her first Life magazine cover in April 1952.

Now, the comparison has a genealogical basis. A new study from the genealogy platform MyHeritage, shared by TMZ and already viewed 2.2 million times, reveals that Sweeney and Monroe are 9th cousins, once removed. The two blonde stars share a branch of the same family tree.

The connection runs through their fathers. Sweeney’s father, Steven Sweeney, and Monroe’s biological father, Charles Stanley Gifford, are both descendants of Ezra Perry, an early English settler in Sandwich, Massachusetts, who lived from around 1625 to 1689.

The “once removed” aspect indicates that the two women are one generation apart on the family tree, placing their shared ancestor roughly 10 generations back, which allows for over 2,000 ancestor slots. This signifies a long-range connection.

MyHeritage states that the search was motivated by the ongoing comparisons. Roi Mandel, the company’s director of research, noted that the years of parallels drawn between the two actresses inspired researchers to explore their archives for a genuine bond. He described the discovery as a reminder that humanity is one vast, interconnected family tree.

This timing is particularly interesting, given how frequently the ‘Euphoria’ star has been linked to Monroe. The comparisons even reached a peak during her appearance at a Vanity Fair Oscars party, where CNN highlighted a striking resemblance to the screen legend. Sweeney’s stylist, Molly Dickson, later confirmed that the Santa Barbara look was intentionally inspired by Monroe’s famous magazine cover.

However, before anyone starts planning a family reunion, a few caveats are important to note. Sweeney was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1997, while Monroe passed away in 1962, meaning any family link is many generations back. Additionally, the finding is based on a records search through MyHeritage’s archives rather than a published DNA test, and Sweeney has not publicly confirmed the result.

MyHeritage has previously made celebrity cousin announcements, including reports that ‘Friends’ co-stars Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox are distant cousins, and linking Taylor Swift’s family tree to Louis XIV. Sweeney and Monroe now join that growing list of famous relatives.

Fans have long dubbed Sweeney a modern Marilyn, citing her blonde bombshell looks and old-Hollywood styling. This latest revelation adds an unexpected twist to that nickname, as the comparison now has genealogical backing alongside fashion.

Whether this cousin connection is merely a fun footnote or a sign that the Monroe energy truly runs in the family, it has already sparked new conversations online. With Sweeney’s passion for classic Hollywood glamour showing no signs of waning, future red carpet appearances are sure to be viewed through this new lens.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!