Dylan Sprouse says Ancestry search makes him and twin Cole 'children of incest
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The gist
Actor Dylan Sprouse said an Ancestry search showed his parents' families had intermarried before, calling himself and twin Cole "children of incest."
The remark was a joke on his podcast, and Cole brushed off the resulting headlines.
Background
Dylan Sprouse is an actor and former Disney star of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," and co-host of the "Wildmen" podcast with Brendan Columbus; his twin brother Cole also starred on that show and on "Riverdale." On the podcast, Dylan said an Ancestry genealogy search showed his mother's and father's families had already intermarried in California in the late 1800s, then diverged and married again with his parents. He said he grew suspicious after learning his father's uncles were identical twins, adding to seven sets of twins across four generations on his mother's side.
How it unfolded
- Oct 20, 2026On the "Wildmen" podcast, Dylan Sprouse said an Ancestry search showed his parents' families had intermarried in California in the late 1800s before diverging and marrying again with his parents.
- Oct 20, 2026Dylan said one set of relatives struck gold during the Gold Rush and moved the family from North Carolina to California, and that both sides settled in the state in the 1800s.
- Oct 20, 2026He said he became suspicious after learning his father's uncles were identical twins, adding to seven sets of twins across four generations on his mother's side.
- Oct 20, 2026Dylan said he called Cole with a picture and Cole responded "Not looking at that" and hung up, and summed up: "Long story short, Cole and I are children of incest."
- Oct 20, 2026Cole posted on Instagram Stories: "No media training on earth can prep you to read this clickbait headline at 10am."
- Oct 21, 2026NBC Los Angeles published its report on the podcast remarks.
Who’s saying what
- Public
- Dylan framed the finding as a joke about his family tree, saying of his parents, "They had no idea. So, then I'm looking at this, and I go, 'What the hell?'"
- Caution
- Cole responded to the coverage on Instagram Stories, saying no media training could prepare him to read the clickbait headline at 10am.
Still unverified
Dylan's "children of incest" characterization is his own claim and joke based on his Ancestry research, which NBC Los Angeles describes as a joking declaration; his account that a cyst on his aunt's shoulder contained teeth and hair is also his own claim.