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Christopher Boan writes for LouisianaBets.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Top 15 Most Famous Louisiana Celebrities: Famous People From LA
The Bayou State might be in the middle of the pack nationally when it comes to population, but there’s no denying Louisiana punches well above its weight when it comes to the sheer volume of stars that have come from the Boot over the years.
Whether it be in music like Brittney Spears and Lil Wayne or actors like Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon or Tyler Perry, Louisiana holds its own when it comes to star power.
At LouisianaBets.com, we wanted to see what celebrities that were raised in the state are being discussed the most in the past year — ultimately concluding they would be the most well-known celebrities.
LouisianaBets.com, home to all things Louisiana sports betting, utilized a weighted system between AhRefs.com Keywords Explorer and Google Trends to look at the most searched Louisiana celebrities over the past 12 months. Once finding both statistics, they were averaged to determine the Top 10.
Louisiana celebrity was defined as a person who resided in Louisiana in their formative childhood and teenage years for over 10 years. Celebrity was broken down to include only actors/actresses, singer/songwriters, TV personalities, comedians, dancers, athletes and social media influencers.
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15 Most Popular Louisiana Celebrities Ranked
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Britney Spears Is Most Famous Celebrity From Louisiana
1. Britney Spears, Singer-songwriter, Kentwood. Search volume: 2.0M. The 42-year-old pop starlet hails from Kentwood, where she launched her solo career in the late 1990s by signing with Jive Records at the age of 15. Spears’ debut album “Baby One More Time” took America by storm in 1999, ushering in her pop star era that ran through 2011’s “Femme Fatale.” Spears reemerged from a conservatorship-clad controversy to sign a $15 million book deal in 2022.
2. Jared Leto, Actor, Bossier City. Search volume: 1.3M. The method acting star’s route to the big stage began in Bossier City, where he was born in 1971. Leto’s acting career began in earnest in 1992 when he starred in ABC’s “My So-Called Life,” before vaulting to stardom as the front man for indie rock band 30 Seconds To Mars and capturing an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 2014’s “Dallas Buyers Club.”
3. Reese Witherspoon, Actress, New Orleans. Search volume: 1.2M. The top actress in Louisiana for 2024 is a pro’s pro, with Witherspoon having acted professionally since 1991. She's had star roles in TV shows like “The Morning Show” on Apple TV+ and HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” Witherspoon’s big break came in 1991’s “The Man In The Moon.” She’s gone on to win an Academy Award for her role as June Carter Cash in 2005’s “Walk The Line.”
4. Lainey Wilson, Singer-songwriter, Baskin. Search volume: 1.0M. The 31-year-old country star grew up in Baskin before taking her talents to Nashville, where she released her first EP in 2019. It included the hit single “Things a Man Oughta Know,” which peaked at No. 1 on the American country music charts.
More Well-Known Louisiana Celebrities
5. Ian Somerhalder, Actor, Covington. Search volume: 814K. One of TV’s longest tenured veterans has made his way from “Dawson’s Creek” to “The Vampire Diaries” and “V Wars.” The 45-year-old Covington native has also appeared in several films over the years, with 2014’s “The Anomaly” being his most recent credited role.
6. Lil Wayne, Rapper, New Orleans. Search volume: 674K. The 41-year-old Big Easy native has made a name for himself on the stage since 1995, eventually becoming the top artist of Cash Money Records on the heels of his three “Tha Carter” albums, released in 2004, 2005 and 2008. Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., won a Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2008 and had a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Lollipop”). Wayne has sold more than 25 million albums and help start Young Money Entertainment, which has signed stars like Drake, Tyga and Nicki Minaj.
7. Addison Rae, Internet personality, Lafayette. Search volume: 637K. Few on TikTok have made the impact Rae has, with more than 88 million followers, which ranks fourth on the platform, thanks in large part to her 2021 EP “AR.” That record, along with her Netflix film “He’s All That” helped spring the Lafayette native into the fame stratosphere, giving way to her roles in 2023’s “Thanksgiving” and “Animal Friends,” which is slated to be released this year.
T-8. Frank Ocean & Tyler Perry, Singer-songwriter & actor/filmmaker, both from New Orleans. Search volume: 573K. There was a tie between one of the music industry’s up-and-coming solo singers and a famed actor and director for No. 8 in Louisiana in 2024, with Ocean and Perry splitting the spot. While both are from New Orleans, they took different paths to stardom. Ocean began his career as a songwriter for the stars before winning a Grammy in 2013 for Best Urban Contemporary Album for the work “Thinkin About You.” Perry, on the other hand, began his stage run in Atlanta, where he self-financed his first on-stage production “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” Since then, Perry has gone on to net north of $660 million off his “Madea” films, which were centered around a play he put together in Chicago called “I Can Do Bad All by Myself.”
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Other Famous People From Louisiana to Make List
10. NBA YoungBoy, Rapper, Baton Rouge. Search volume: 559K. The Louisiana-born rap artist has been a mainstay in the Billboard 200 over the last five years, beginning with his first single, “Bandit,” before charting several more times in between. Born Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, NBA YoungBoy has established himself as one of the most promising rap artists in America, despite the legal trouble that’s plagued him of late.
11. Theo Von, Comedian, Covington. Search volume: 530K. Observational humorist by trade and University of New Orleans educated, Von has become one of the nation’s premier stand-up comedians, hosting “The Past Weekend” podcast while also co-hosting “The King and the Sting” with buddy Brendan Schaub. Von’s road to stardom began on reality TV, where he appeared on MTV program “Road Rules” before hosting “Primetime in No Time” on Yahoo!
12. Ellen DeGeneres, Former TV host & Comedian, Metairie. Search volume: 526K. Few have represented The Boot for as long on the stage as DeGeneres has, with the Louisiana native hosting a host a popular daytime talk show for nearly 20 years. For her work, DeGeneres received 33 Daytime Emmy awards, while also taking home the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
13. DJ Khaled, Music Producer, New Orleans. Search volume: 489K. The man that’s well known for yelling catchphrases that typically include his name started his career as a New Orleans radio host before working with Fat Joe’s Terror Squad brand as a DJ. From there, Khaled's recorded several songs that have charted on the Billboard 200, including the hit song “All I Do Is Win” with T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross.
14. Zachary Levi, Actor, Lake Charles. Search volume: 468K. The man who made a name for himself as Chuck on the NBC television show … “Chuck” … has gone on to win a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. That track, “I See The Light” was made for the Disney animated film “Tangled,” giving Levi another feather under his professional cap. The Lake Charles native has also been nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Georg Nowack in 2016 Broadway play “She Loves Me.”
15. Justin Jefferson, NFL Player, St. Rose. Search volume: 410K. Few athletes have done more for their home state in their given sport than the former LSU star wideout, with Jefferson leading the Tigers to a national championship in 2019 on the heels of a jaw-dropping season where he hauled in 111 catches for 1,540 yard and 18 touchdowns (from Joe Burrow). Jefferson parlayed that success into a first round pick by the Minnesota Vikings. With Minnesota, he has made three NFL All-Pro teams and been named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2022.
That season, Jefferson led the league in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809). The 25-year-old enters the 2024 season with no long-term deal in place, meaning he well could come home again to play for the New Orleans Saints should the cards break in the right direction at the end of the 2024-25 NFL season, after he makes just over $19.7 million in the final year of his rookie deal with the Vikings. He'll also garner some MVP action on Louisiana sports betting apps as the season draws closer.
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Most Famous Celebrities from Louisiana FAQ
Spears hails from Kentwood, where she launched her solo career in the late 1990s by signing with Jive Records at the age of 15. Spears’ debut album “Baby One More Time” took America by storm in 1999.
Witherspoon is from New Orleans. She won an Academy Award for her role as June Carter Cash in 2005’s “Walk The Line,” and has gone on to star in many romantic comedies, as well as "The Morning Show" on Apple TV.
Yes, the Vikings wide receiver is from Louisiana. He also won a national title while playing at LSU alongside future fellow Pro Bowler Joe Burrow.
The 31-year-old country star grew up in Baskin before taking her talents to Nashville, where she released her first EP in 2019, which included the hit single “Things a Man Oughta Know,” which peaked at No. 1 on the American country music charts.
No, Taylor Swift was born in Pennsylvania but her family moved to Tennessee when she was 14.
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