Meryl Streep and her Devil Wears Prada muse Anna Wintour share VERY distant relatives

Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour are famously synonymous with The Devil Wears Prada, thanks to the actress’ portrayal of Miranda Priestley which is largely believed to be inspired by the former Vogue editor.

Ultimately, Streep and Wintour, both 76, may have much more in common than a thinly disguised movie role.

Research conducted by Ancestry.com confirmed Streep – who looked the part in a leopard-print top for an appearance on The Late Show – and Wintour are actually sixth cousins and share fifth great-grandparents, Thomas Smith and Elizabeth Kinsey, who lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

The genealogy company made the discovery after examining ‘billions of historical records and public family trees,’ per People.

On an interesting note, Lauren Weisberger, who wrote the novel The Devil Wears Prada that was adapted into the hit film in 2006, grew up in Allentown, a mere 20 miles from where Streep and Wintour’s distant ancestors lived.

Weisberger worked as Wintour’s former assistant for ‘the longest 11 months of my life,’ per Adweek, before publishing her first book.

The news regarding Streep and Wintour’s common forebears comes ahead of the May 1 premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2, in which Streep reprises her role as the icy Miranda, 20 years after the original film bowed in theaters.

Streep’s Miranda is the ruthless editor-in-chief of Runway fashion magazine whose cool exterior and sophisticated taste in fashion rule the workplace.

Wintour was editor-in-chief of American Vogue for 37 years before she stepped down from that post in June 2025. She remains global editorial director of Vogue and chief content officer for Conde Nast.

Comparisons between the iconic Vogue editor and Streep’s Miranda have run rampant for years.

Wintour remained coy when speaking about it with the BBC in December 2024, saying it was ‘for the audience and for the people I work with to decide if there are any similarities between me and Miranda Priestly.’

Streep and Wintour have met a few times over the years since The Devil Wears Prada was released in 2006.

In 2017, the two had a friendly sit-down in the Vogue editor’s office. In a clip shared by the magazine, Wintour was seen asking the Oscar winner who was the most challenging woman she has played.

Streep, who at the time was starring in The Post, in which she played the late Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, replied, ‘Hmm … oh I should say!’

It was, of course, a reference to Miranda, but Wintour laughingly cut her off and said, ‘No, we’re not going there, Meryl.’

In September 2025, they both attended the Dolce & Gabbana Milan Fashion Week show at a time when Streep was filming The Devil Wears Prada 2.

Vogue shared a video of them warmly interacting at the event with a playful Streep telling Wintour, ‘This is my first fashion show.’

Wintour was also seen chatting with Stanley Tucci, who returns as Nigel Kipling in The Devil Wears Prada 2.

The sequel also features other original cast members including Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs and Emily Blunt as Emily Charlton, and some new faces including Justin Theroux, Lady Gaga, Kenneth Branagh, Lucy Liu and Simone Ashley.