Kyra Sedgwick says knowing her ancestor signed the Declaration of Independence 'means a lot' to her

Kyra Sedgwick is sharing why the upcoming 250th anniversary of America's independence is special to her.

During a recent appearance on "Today," the 60-year-old actress revealed that one of her ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence, telling the hosts that knowing that "means a lot."

"I mean, as an American, democracy means a lot to me. The Constitution means a lot to me. And the Declaration of Independence is obviously what it's based on, and I just think that it's a great honor and responsibility," she said. "William Ellery, he was a long way back there. Yeah, he was a lawyer, he was amazing. The original writers of that Declaration were pretty extraordinary."

She was on the show to promote her latest film, "Carolina Caroline," in which she plays the alcoholic mother of the main character.

Sedgwick shared that one of her ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. (Robby Klein/Getty Images for IMDb)

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The "Singles" star got her start in the entertainment industry as a teenager on the soap opera, "Another World," later appearing in films such as "Kansas," "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Lemon Sky," which is where she met her husband, Kevin Bacon.

After meeting on the set of the movie, Bacon and Sedgwick began dating, with the actress telling People in March 2023 that Bacon fell in love with her after a comment she made while out to dinner one night.

"It was a nice dinner. I opened the menu and said, ‘I can’t believe these prices, and he instantly fell in love," she laughed, adding, "I was like, ‘Oh my God! This place is really expensive!’"

The two dated for a few years before tying the knot in September 1988 and have since welcomed two children together: Travis, 36, and Sosie, 34.

Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon met on set in 1987, and tied the knot shortly after. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

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While on an episode of "Last Meals" in April 2025, Bacon shared why he and Sedgwick chose not to expose their children to fame when they were growing up, telling the outlet, his children did not "sign up" for the lifestyle that comes with being famous.

"When it came to promoting my own fame and taking my kids to premieres and making them watch my movies and showing them an article in the paper…we really didn’t do that," Bacon said. "We really avoided it. I think we really felt like it would be nice for them to have some…we knew how weird this life was."

Although the couple chose to keep their children out of the spotlight, they chose that path for themselves when they got older.

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Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick attend a premiere with their children. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Their son is the frontman of the industrial metal band CONTRACULT Collective, while their daughter followed in her parents' footsteps as an actress, starring in "Mare of Easttown," "13 Reasons Why" and "Smile." They have also attended red carpet events with their parents over the years.

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"I just felt like, let them figure out their own thing. So that’s the way we parented them. I keep telling them, ‘It had to have been hard for you. Please, tell me. I want to know. Sit with your therapist, it’s okay,'" he added. "You can get mad at me for this life that you were…and they just will not go there. They will not acknowledge that it was anything that was difficult about having one of them."