Short answer: No. Julia Roberts is not Jewish. She was born October 28, 1967 in Smyrna, Georgia to a Catholic mother, Betty Lou Bredemus, and a Baptist father, Walter Roberts, and was raised Christian. Since 2010 she has described herself as a practicing Hindu, and no reputable source documents any Jewish parentage, upbringing, or conversion.
What the record actually shows
- Born October 28, 1967 in Smyrna, Georgia. She is the daughter of a Catholic mother and a Baptist father, as The Daily Beast reported in its coverage of her religious background.
- August 2010: In an interview published in Elle magazine, Roberts said plainly, "I'm definitely a practicing Hindu," as reported by HuffPost on August 4, 2010.
- Same 2010 interview: She said the whole family goes to temple together to "chant and pray and celebrate," and on reincarnation offered, "Golly, I've been so spoiled with my friends and family in this life. Next time I want to be just something quiet and supporting."
- Her path to Hinduism ran through the guru Neem Karoli Baba, and the public reveal coincided with the release of Eat Pray Love (2010), which was partly filmed in India.
- January 2023: On PBS's Finding Your Roots (the "Hidden Kin" episode), DNA testing showed her biological great-great-grandfather was Henry McDonald Mitchell Jr., not a Roberts. "My mind is blown," she reacted, per PBS and Today.com coverage. The show also traced Swedish immigrant ancestors. Nothing Jewish surfaced in her family tree.
- Through August 2026: No interview, statement, or public appearance touches Jewish identity, Judaism, or antisemitism. Her documented charity work runs instead through UNICEF, Rett syndrome research, and environmental causes, per the charity tracker Look to the Stars.
Why people ask
The question is driven almost entirely by her husband, cinematographer Daniel Moder. The two met while making The Mexican (2001) and married on July 4, 2002 at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico, and they share three children, twins Hazel and Phinnaeus (born 2004) and Henry (born 2007), per the South China Morning Post's profile of the marriage. Searches for "daniel moder jewish" are themselves common, and people tend to assume from the surname Moder.
But no reputable outlet has documented any Jewish family background for Daniel Moder. His mainstream profiles say nothing about Jewish heritage, and a surname is not evidence of anything. What is on the record is Roberts's own 2010 account that the whole Roberts-Moder family practices Hinduism together, temple visits included.
Julia Roberts and Israel
Roberts has no documented record on Israel at all. No statements, donations, or signed letters, including either of the post-October 7 celebrity letters. The Israeli outlet Ynet grouped her with Tom Hanks, George Clooney, and Meryl Streep as A-listers who abstain from social media entirely, which reads as a blanket posture rather than anything Israel-specific. Full details in our companion piece Does Julia Roberts Support Israel?.
The bottom line
Julia Roberts is not Jewish. She was raised by a Catholic mother and a Baptist father, and since 2010 has described herself, in her own words, as "definitely a practicing Hindu." The rumor tied to her husband's surname has no documented basis, and nothing Jewish appeared even when PBS traced her ancestry on national television.
Celebrate your own story
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Related
Does Julia Roberts Support Israel? · Is Robert Pattinson Jewish? · Is Sandra Bullock Jewish?
Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
