Former Disney Channel star Dylan Sprouse has revealed that he and his identical twin brother Cole are 'children of incest' after tracing their family history. The 34-year-old actor, known for starring in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, made the claim while speaking on the Wildmen podcast, saying an Ancestry search uncovered that their parents' families had been connected for generations.
Family Discovery
Dylan explained that he used the genealogy service Ancestry to learn more about his father's side of the family, which he described as 'pretty fractured.' He said, 'I've found a lot of family members, weirdly, who I never met, because my dad's side of the family is pretty fractured. I started to talk to them, compare and contrast.'
During his research, he found a connection dating back to the California Gold Rush in the 1800s. Both sides of his family traveled west during that period, with one group striking gold and using the wealth to relocate relatives from North Carolina. The families became connected through marriage in the late 19th century before descendants went separate ways. Generations later, Dylan and Cole's parents met and married, bringing the branches back together.
Shocking Phone Call
The discovery prompted Dylan to call his brother. He recalled, 'I called Cole, I showed him a picture, I was like, "Dude, I just found out some fing crazy s***."' He became suspicious after finding identical twins among his father's relatives, having previously believed twins came only from his mother's side. 'We had seven sets of twins in four generations,' he said, adding, 'Because it's the same family!'
Dylan insisted neither parent knew about the connection. 'It's my dad and my mom. They had no idea. So, then I'm looking at this, and I go, "What the hell?"' He also shared an anecdote about an aunt who, he claimed, had absorbed her twin in the womb, with a cyst later found to contain teeth and hair. He concluded, 'Long story short, Cole and I are children of incest.'
New Chapter
The revelation comes as Dylan and his wife, Hungarian model Barbara Palvin, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Sylvie. The couple married in 2023. Speaking to E! News about fatherhood, Dylan said, 'She's smiling and laughing at my jokes, which is all a dad can really dream of.'
