Carol Burnett learns which of her grandma's 5 husbands was her grandpa via DNA test

Imagine if "Mamma Mia" were solved by DNA rather than a Greek island-set wedding (accompanied by the music of ABBA), and you'd get Carol Burnett's recent appearance on "Finding Your Roots."

After years of wondering who her real grandfather was, the comedy legend finally got answers, thanks to the PBS show's combination of genealogy deep-dives and DNA tests.

Speaking to host Henry Louis Gates Jr., the 89-year-old explained she raised primarily by her maternal grandmother, Mae White, whom she'd called Nanny, since her parents struggled with alcoholism.

Burnett says her grandmother always told her she was married three times. Burnett's mother, Ina Creighton, had a different story, once saying White had been married six times.

As for which of those six husbands was Burnett's grandfather? That's the question.

Growing up, Burnett believed her grandfather was a man with the last name Creighton. But while writing her memoir over 30 years ago, Burnett’s first cousin suggested that her mother was actually the daughter of Nanny's second husband, a man by the last name of Melton.

On the show, Burnett recalls the confusing moment. “And I said, ‘Why would my Momma name me Carol Creighton Burnett if she was a Melton?' Which then made me think, 'Did my mother know that she wasn't a Creighton?'"

The comedian explains that she came on the show looking for details about her grandmother's love life and hoping to find out the true identity of her grandfather. "I'd love to know if I'm a Creighton or a Melton," she says.

Gates turned to historical and DNA records to crack the case. As it turns out, Burnett's mother was likely a Creighton, as she grew up believing. "I'm glad I know," she says.

Upon learning her grandmother was married at least five times, including three times between 1922 and 1926, Burnett compared her to Elizabeth Taylor, who married eight times.

When Gates asks if these revelations change the way that Burnett thinks about her grandmother, she offers the following response.

"No. Well, I didn't know she was quite as 'friendly' as they make her out to be but that's about the only thing," she says.

Burnett explains that she always knew her grandmother to be a flirtatious person.

"She was still flirting with people when I was grown up. I'm not really surprised. But it doesn’t change my feelings towards her because she was wonderful to me (and) there for me," she continues.

While speaking about her grandmother, Burnett also reveals that she was the inspiration behind the famous ear tugging move that the comedian would do at the end of every episode of "The Carol Burnett Show."

Burnett says it dates back to her very first TV job in New York. At the time, White asked her granddaughter to say hello to her while she was on air. When Burnett explained she couldn't exactly stop the show to say hello, they came up with a secret symbol.

"We figured out that I would pull my ear, which would mean, 'Hello Nanny. I love you. I'm fine,'" she says. "And I always say later on when I got successful it would be, 'Hello Nanny. I love you. I'm fine. Your check's on the way.'"

While appearing on "Finding Your Roots," Burnett also learns that she's a distant cousin of actor Bill Hader, who once said he had a "huge crush on Carol Burnett" during an interview tied to the release of long-lost episodes from "The Carol Burnett Show."

Burnett also discovers that she's eligible for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution organization since one of her ancestors served in the Continental Army alongside George Washington.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com