Are Eva Longoria and Meryl Streep Related? Here’s Why They Call Each Other “Cousin”
- Eva Longoria and Meryl Streep are distant cousins.
- They discovered this connection via 'Faces of America.'
- Their connection even left their co-stars baffled.
Imagine one day you discover that a Hollywood legend like Meryl Streep is your family. For Eva Longoria, that’s exactly what happened. Believe it or not, the Desperate Housewives star and the Mamma Mia! icon are distant relatives.
And while they come from completely different backgrounds—Streep being a global acting powerhouse and Longoria proudly representing her Latina roots—they’ve welcomed their unexpected family connection with open arms.
Magnolia Pictures)
So, how did these two stars find out they’re related? It wasn’t through a family reunion or old family stories. Instead, it came from a TV documentary that digs into celebrity ancestry.
Now, they love to call each other “cousin,” and their bond has become a unique story that keeps surprising everyone around them. Let’s take a deeper look into how Eva Longoria and Meryl Streep discovered their cousinship!
Is Eva Longoria truly related to Meryl Streep?
Yes, they actually are! Eva Longoria and Meryl Streep share a distant ancestor, which technically makes them cousins. This surprising family link was uncovered when the two participated in the PBS documentary Faces of America (via E! News).
The show, hosted by genealogist Henry Louis Gates Jr., uses DNA tests and family history research to reveal celebrities’ ancestral roots. Thanks to science and genealogy, the truth came out: they are distant relatives.
The two actresses didn’t meet until an event honoring Jane Fonda in 2014, after this big revelation. From that moment on, they started greeting each other as “cousin,” which became a fun, personal tradition between them.
Meryl Streep initiated a cousin bond with Eva Longoria
You might think Eva Longoria would run up to Meryl Steep the moment she learned they were related. But nope! She was too nervous. Years after the discovery, the two Hollywood beauties crossed paths at a Hollywood event.
Longoria hesitated to say anything, but Steep didn’t hold back. “I hear someone yell, ‘Cousin!’ and I turn around, and it’s Meryl,” the actress told Extra with a laugh. That moment broke the ice, and the two kept rolling with their unexpected family bond.
Since then, whenever they meet, they greet each other as “cousin.” It’s become their little inside joke and a way to celebrate the unique connection they share. Of course, it feels surreal to be related to someone as iconic as Meryl Streep.
Their cousin banter even spilled over onto the set of Only Murders in the Building, where the two stars had a chance to work together. More on that in the next section!
Eva Longoria and Meryl Streep’s bond confused the Only Murders in the Building cast
Now, here’s where things get even funnier. Both Meryl Streep and Eva Longoria are part of the cast of Only Murders in the Building. Streep joined the show in season 3 as Loretta Durkin, a struggling actress, while Longoria landed a role in season 4.
At the first table read for season 4, the 75-year-old introduced Longoria as her cousin to the rest of the cast. Selena Gomez, Zach Galifianakis, and Molly Shannon were all there, looking completely puzzled. Longoria told DuJour:
She tells the story and everyone’s so confused because I’m the most Latina person in the industry and she’s Meryl Streep.
In the show, Longoria plays a character who’s cast as a fictionalized version of Mabel (Selena Gomez’s character) in a film. She joked that the role was aged up to make her friendship with Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) seem less “creepy” (per Elle).”
But behind the scenes, it was all about family fun. Streep and Longoria’s cousin connection became the talk of the set and added a personal touch to their time working together.
