Michigan
These celebrities graduated from the University of Michigan, football's latest national champion
The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Washington Huskies in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship Jan. 8, bringing home the school’s 10th title.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh, a University of Michigan alum, led his team through a 15-0 season.
Michigan finished its season with a 34-13 win against Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Harbaugh is one of the many notable Michigan alumni. The school is also the alma mater of the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, who played on the school’s football team.
MICHIGAN WINS COLLEGE PLAYOFF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OVER WASHINGTON
Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, was the quarterback for the team in the ’80s before playing in the NFL. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The University of Michigan was also the school of choice for a handful of students who became celebrities.
Below are five well-known celebrities who attended the University of Michigan before embarking on their successful careers.
- Tom Brady
- Madonna
- Lucy Liu
- Darren Criss
- Celia Keenan-Bolger
1. Tom Brady
Before he was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000, Tom Brady led Michigan to an Orange Bowl victory.
After taking over for injured starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, Brady began on a path to becoming one of the top players in NFL history.
Brady spent most of his time with the Patriots, before closing out his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins.
Before his long NFL career, Tom Brady was the quarterback for the University of Michigan. (Gilbert Flores)
Brady brought his Super Bowl win total to seven when he led the Buccaneers to a title in 2021.
2. Madonna
Madonna, a Grammy-winning global music sensation, attended the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1978, before she released her self-titled debut album in 1983.
Through her long career in the entertainment industry, Madonna found success as the bestselling female recording artist of all time and acting in movies like “A League of Their Own” and “Evita.”
Madonna continues her Celebration Tour that began in 2023 and continues into 2024.
Madonna attended the University of Michigan before becoming the bestselling artist she is now. (Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images)
MORGAN WALLEN, TAYLOR SWIFT AMONG MOST-ANTICIPATED CONCERTS OF 2024
3. Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu graduated from the University of Michigan in 1990.
Liu has appeared in many well-known films, including “Kill Bill: Vol 1” and two “Charlie’s Angels” movies.
Liu has done television work in shows like “Elementary.”
The popular actress has also done voice acting in her career, most famously for the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise.
Liu served as co-producer and narrator of the 2009 documentary “Redlight” and has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2004.
4. Darren Criss
Darren Criss is a proud alumnus with his “Go Blue” shoutout during his 2018 acceptance speech at the Emmy Awards.
Darren Criss rose to fame on the television show “Glee.” (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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Criss graduated from the university in 2009, just before his character Blaine Anderson first appeared during season 2 of the show “Glee.”
Criss has appeared in many Broadway shows, released several albums and won an Emmy and Golden Globe for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”
5. Celia Keenan-Bolger
Michigan alumnus Celia Keenan-Bolger is widely known for her Tony-winning portrayal of Scout Finch in the Broadway adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” based on the book written by Harper Lee.
She also had a role in the HBO show “The Gilded Age” and made an appearance in both “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” playing different characters in each show.
Following claims of toxic mold at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the Michigan Department of Corrections says testing did not show “evidence of systemic black or toxic mold conditions.”
MDOC says it hired Mold Quest International, a third-party contractor, to conduct testing in 2022 and in February and March 2026. Follow-up testing was conducted in May 2026. According to the report, the air quality was “normal at nearly all locations tested, and the limited HVAC vent locations that exhibited minor growth indicators have since been resolved via staff cleaning efforts.”
The report also noted that the “overall indoor air quality exposure at the facility, with respect to fungal contamination, falls within acceptable norms for facilities of this type.”
“The safety and wellbeing of the people in our care is our top priority and that starts with ensuring our facilities are clean, safe, and humane. That’s why we have taken several deliberate steps in recent weeks to improve conditions at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility,” MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington said in a statement. “When I committed to transparency and releasing the summary of environmental findings, I meant it. At the same time, I want to be clear that we recognize this is an ongoing responsibility. We will continue to closely monitor the conditions at the facility and conduct regular cleanings.”
This comes as women who were formerly incarcerated and Michigan lawmakers have been expressing concerns over conditions at the facility. A class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 alleged that the prison was “operating under a state of degradation, filth and inhumanity.” It was eventually dismissed, and then an amended complaint was filed.
In the last month, three women have died. Their causes of death are currently unknown, but an investigation is ongoing.
The family of Khaira Howard, who died on May 13, claims the 28-year-old was denied proper medical care while in prison. They claim red flags started almost immediately once she was transferred to the Washtenaw County facility. Meanwhile, two women who served sentences at the prison claimed waiting to see a doctor was just one barrier to getting healthcare.
The MDOC says it has taken “meaningful actions” at the facility to improve health and safety, such as bringing in additional healthcare staff, improving communication processes, and working to hire more full-time medical staff.
Note: The video above originally aired on June 9, 2026.
CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A Wisconsin man is facing felony charges in Chippewa County after Michigan State Police say he stole a vehicle in Green Bay and forced another man to travel with him to Michigan at knifepoint.
According to MSP, troopers were notified by Green Bay police on Tuesday, June 9, that a suspect who had allegedly stolen a vehicle was believed to be headed toward the Sault Ste. Marie area.
Troopers later located the stolen vehicle on M-28 near M-221 after it broke down, but the suspect was no longer with it.
A short time later, police were called to a Dollar General in Kincheloe after a man ran into the store and asked an employee to call 911, reporting that he had been kidnapped.
Investigators say the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Blaze Gugin, was found inside the Pizza Patch restaurant in Kincheloe and was taken into custody without incident.
Police allege Gugin stole the vehicle in Wisconsin and then threatened his adult male roommate with a knife, forcing him to travel from Green Bay to Chippewa County. After the vehicle broke down, investigators say the two hitchhiked to Kincheloe.
Gugin was arraigned June 10 in 91st District Court on charges of unlawful imprisonment and receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle.
His bond was set at $250,000 cash with tether and other conditions. He is scheduled to return to court June 22.
The owner of the stolen vehicle has been notified so arrangements can be made for its return.
The case remains under investigation.
NASA announced this week the four-man crew that will embark on the Artemis III mission, and one of those astronauts has ties to Michigan.
Mission specialist Andre Douglas, who served as a backup crew member for the recently completed Artemis II mission, received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan in 2012, according to NASA.
Douglas will now join fellow astronauts Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano and Frank Rubio. Bresnik will serve as commander with Parmitano as the pilot.
The crew is expected to launch into Earth orbit in 2027 to test rendezvous and docking procedures with moon landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin before the U.S. sends astronauts back to the moon in 2028.
“To get an opportunity to serve in the Artemis program as someone who kind of just came in the door not too long ago, it’s a huge honor,” Douglas told CBS News.
According to NASA, Douglas was born in Miami and grew up in Virginia, graduating from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake. Douglas received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2008. After earning his master’s degrees from U of M, Douglas later earned his doctorate in systems engineering from Georgia Washington University in 2021.
NASA selected Douglas to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class, and he reported for duty in 2022.
The Artemis III crew will carry out a mission similar to the Apollo 9 flight in 1969. During that time, three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit.
Note: The video above previously aired on June 9, 2026.
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