Did You Know? These Celebs Are From Lexington
Although it’s known for being the Horse Capital of the World, Lexington, Kentucky is the birthplace or current home of plenty of celebs from show biz, sports, and more. So if you’re looking to fan-girl on some famous folk from the Bluegrass State, we’ve got a list of our faves. We’re sure you’ll recognize some of these faces… and who knows, maybe you’ll see them around town.
Steve Zahn
You might know him from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Daddy Day Care, or National Security —Steve Zahn is an American actor who has been in a litany of TV shows and movies. Zahn lives on a 360-acre horse farm just outside Lexington, Kentucky, where he raises horses, goats, and sheep with his wife, Robyn Peterman, who is originally from Lexington. Staying true to his acting roots, the couple runs a nearby community theater where Zahn occasionally performs. Additionally, (and you’ll notice this pattern with other famous people on this list) Zahn is a huge University of Kentucky sports fan and often goes to games and events at the school.
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is a political activist and actress who has done humanitarian missions to Jordan, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and more, in addition to managing an active acting career. She’s been in many well-known titles including Star Trek, Double Jeopardy, and Norma Jean & Marilyn. Judd spent the majority of her childhood in Lexington and went on to study French, anthropology, and art history at the University of Kentucky. Like Steve Zahn, she remains an avid sports fan and often goes to UK basketball and football games.
Rex Chapman
Technically, Rex Chapman is from Bowling Green, but he’s super well known for his time playing basketball for the University of Kentucky in Lexington where he was Freshman of the Year. After being a star college athlete, he went on to play in the NBA for 12 seasons and currently serves as a broadcaster for University of Kentucky’s basketball games and as host of his own podcast, The Rex Chapman Show. Oh, and he’s huge on Twitter! He has over 1 million followers who love his motivational tweets!
Josh Hopkins
Josh Hopkins is an actor who you may know from Ally McBeal, Quantico, and Whiskey Cavalier, amongst many other TV shows and movies. Our personal fave? He starred in Alanis Morissette’s “Unsent” music video in 1999. He currently works with fellow Lexingtonian, Rex Chapman on the aforementioned podcast, which debuted in early 2021.
George Clooney
The former ER star and ultimate bachelor turned tequila brand owner and A-list movie star, George Clooney is perhaps Lexington’s biggest claim to fame. In fact, his mom was actually a city councilwoman here! The Clooneys eventually settled in Augusta, Kentucky, a bit north of Lexington and Clooney went on to study at Northern Kentucky University from 1979 to 1981. Clooney now holds properties in California, the UK (where his wife Amal Clooney is from), France, and Italy… so, it’s probably not too likely you’ll run into George while in Lexington… but never say never!
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
And last but certainly not least, we’ve got J Law. Technically, she’s from Indian Hills just outside of Louisville, but it’s only an hour drive from Lex and she’s one of the world’s highest payed actresses (and definitely the most fun) so we’re including her. You’ve seen her in The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook (of which she won the Oscar for Best Actress), and Netflix’s current satirical comedy, Don’t Look Up, amongst many, many more films. She has that dry sense of humor you feel like you’ve known forever and it wouldn’t surprise us at all if you caught her drinking a bourbon in town. If you see her, please let her know we want to be besties.
