Emma Roberts celebrated Julia Roberts' 59th birthday with a sweet aunt-and-niece photo. Then the Instagram comments were split between well wishes and 'Wait, they're related?'
The American Horror Story actress took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of herself wrapped in a hug with Julia. 'Happy birthday Aunt Julia 👑 i love you beyond!!' Emma wrote alongside the photo.
While plenty of fans filled the comments with birthday wishes for the Pretty Woman star, others were fixated on a discovery they apparently just made. Despite sharing the same surname and being decades apart in Hollywood, some fans had no idea Emma and Julia were related.
Fans Are Just Finding Out Emma Is Julia Roberts' Niece
'I was today years old when I found @emmaroberts & @juliaroberts we're related 😍,' one stunned fan admitted. They weren't alone in the great discovery of the famous Roberts bloodline. 'Wait yall related?😮' another asked, while someone else wrote, 'Hold up, I just found out you two are related lol.'
'I was today years old.... how????' another fan commented. Someone else seemed to have had the pieces all along but had only just put them together, writing, 'it just dawned on me that they are related 😭.'
'Why have I never connected the dots,' another asked.
Meanwhile, longtime fans were simply amused that the family connection was still breaking news. 'I will never get over the fact they are related 😂❤️❤️,' one wrote, while another pointed out perhaps the biggest clue of all: 'Same smile! ❤️'
How Are Emma and Julia Roberts Related?
Luckily, this particular Hollywood family tree doesn't require a diagram. Julia is the younger sister of Emma's father, actor Eric Roberts, making her Emma's paternal aunt. Emma was born to Eric and Kelly Cunningham in 1991.
Emma has also been open about spending time with her famous aunt growing up. She previously recalled visiting Julia on movie sets as a child, giving her an early look at the industry she would eventually join herself.
That eventually led to Emma building a sizeable acting career of her own, with roles in Aquamarine, Nancy Drew, Scream 4, We're the Millers, Scream Queens, and multiple seasons of American Horror Story. OG fans may recall first seeing her in Unfabulous on Nickelodeon.
Julia Roberts Celebrates Her 59th Birthday
Meanwhile, Julia celebrated her 59th birthday on Wednesday, 28 October. The Oscar winner has spent nearly four decades on screen after breaking through in the late 1980s with films including Mystic Pizza and Steel Magnolias.
Her role opposite Richard Gere in 1990's Pretty Woman skyrocketed her status as one of Hollywood's biggest stars, while Erin Brockovich earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2001. Her lengthy filmography also includes My Best Friend's Wedding, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, and the Ocean's films. The range from heartwarming rom-coms to high-stakes heist films certainly speaks volumes on her success apart from her famous Mona Lisa Smile.
In Emma's comments, one fan suggested something that could make the family connection harder to miss in the future: 'please do a movie together.' Whether the aunt and niece ever share the silver screen is a plot twist to watch for, but until then, they'll always share that iconic Roberts smile.
