In February, Sydney Sweeney arrived at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in an ivory Ceil Chapman gown. Photographers noticed the dress right away.
It closely resembled the one Marilyn Monroe wore on the cover of Life magazine more than seven decades earlier.
Monroe posed in that white, off-the-shoulder design for the April 7, 1952, issue. Dramatic ruching, a cinched waist and a decorative brooch at the neckline defined the look.
A new genealogy report now says the two women share more than a wardrobe. According to MyHeritage, a global family history platform, Sweeney and Monroe are related.
The company’s researchers pegged the pair as ninth cousins once removed.
Their trees meet at a man named Ezra Perry. He lived from approximately 1625 to 1689 and was an early settler in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
MyHeritage traced the connection along each actress’s paternal side.
Sweeney’s route runs through her father, Steven Sweeney. Monroe’s runs through her biological father, Charles Stanley Gifford.
Roi Mandel, the company’s director of research, described what set the project in motion. His statement was obtained by Fox News Digital.
“People have always drawn parallels between Sydney Sweeney and Marilyn Monroe, but seeing their paths align on a deeper level inspired us to look for a real bond in the MyHeritage archives,” Mandel said.
He then described the moment researchers located the common branch.
“Uncovering their shared branch was incredible,” Mandel continued. “It’s a powerful reminder that humanity is one vast family tree, and when we dig deep, we uncover how remarkably interconnected we all are.”
Fox News Digital contacted representatives for Sweeney seeking comment. Her team did not immediately respond.
The February gown was not a happy accident. Sweeney’s stylist, Molly Dickson, tracked down the vintage piece at Timeless Vixen, a boutique in Beverly Hills.
The actress added a brooch to the outfit, another detail that echoed Monroe’s styling.
Sweeney had already borrowed from Monroe’s closet once before.
At the December premiere of “The Housemaid,” she appeared in a white gown with a sweeping skirt. That silhouette recalled the famous dress Monroe wore during the subway grate scene in “The Seven Year Itch.”
Comparisons between the two women stretch back years.
Commentators have cited their blonde bombshell images, the Old Hollywood glamour attached to both, and the heavy public scrutiny that has trailed their careers and private lives.
Sweeney, a star of “Euphoria,” has leaned into that conversation on several red carpets.
Another reported parallel involves faith. Monroe converted to Judaism in 1956, shortly before she married playwright Arthur Miller.
Page Six reported that Sweeney is weighing a conversion to Judaism while she continues her relationship with Scooter Braun.
The outlet’s report describes her as considering the step as the couple thinks about their future.
Representatives for Sweeney did not immediately comment on the Page Six account either.
About 400 years separate the actresses from their common ancestor in colonial Massachusetts.
For the first time, the long-running comparisons between Sweeney and Monroe now come with a documented family connection attached.
