Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour are related, Ancestry finds

WASHINGTON — Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” may have been influenced by a distant relative: longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. 

Ancestry revealed on Thursday that Streep and Wintour have more than just a few similarities: they are actually sixth cousins. After digging among the company’s 70 billion records and public family trees, Ancestry was able to tie the two cultural icons together. 

Streep and Wintour are sixth cousins, sharing a lineage between their fifth great-grandparents, Thomas Smith and Elizabeth Kinsey. Wintour and the Academy Award-winner were also both born in 1949. 

Their ancestors lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, according to Ancestry. That led to another cultural tie as it was 20 miles from Allentown, Pennsylvania, where Lauren Weisberger, the author of “The Devil Wears Prada,” grew up. Weisberger was also a former assistant to Wintour.

It has long been rumored that Miranda Priestly, portrayed by Streep, was inspired by Wintour. 

The former Vogue editor-in-chief, who stepped down last year after nearly 40 years in the prestigious position, previously commented on the similarities between her and the fictional character. 

 “It’s for the audience and for the people I work with to decide if there are any similarities between me and Miranda Priestly,” Wintour said, according to Ancestry. 

Streep and Wintour both have a busy May lined up as Wintour is set to host the Met Gala on May 4 and Streep’s “The Devil Wears Prada 2” premieres on May 1. 

Last year, Wintour announced she would step way from the editor-in-chief role and named Chloe Malle her successor. Wintour remains Vogue’s global editorial director and chief content officer for Condé Nast.