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10 celebrities with Utah connections

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10 celebrities with Utah connections


Welcome to Utah! Glad to have you here. If you’re famous, let us know!

OK, if you’re famous, you’re never going to do that. But odds are we know who you are and we know that you’re here.

As for you newcomers, you’re probably wondering why you hear people talking about Ty Burrell. The “Modern Family” guy. What the heck does he have to do with Utah?

Well, he married a Utah native. He lived here part time during the 11 seasons he was filming “Modern Family.” He co-owns (with various family members) Bar X and the Beer Bar in Salt Lake City, the Eating Establishment in Park City, and the Cotton Bottom in Holladay.

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He’s also a really good guy who worked really hard to help food service employees survive the pandemic.

He’s not the only celebrity who lives in Utah. The list includes:

Post Malone • Yep. The rapper (born Austin Richard Post) with all the tattoos makes his home in Cottonwood Heights. In a little 12,000-square-foot house that sits on seven acres.

He’s referenced the state in several of his songs, and flashed his Utah driver license in a Doritos commercial.

Malone moved here to escape the Southern California rat race, forsaking Beverly Hills for suburban Salt Lake City. Some of you can relate, no doubt.

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Robert Redford • He first bought land in Utah way back in 1961, before most of the state’s current residents were born. When he wasn’t making blockbuster movies, he bought the old TimpHaven ski resort, and renamed it Sundance, after his star-making role in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Then came the Sundance Institute, the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance catalog store and SundanceTV.

Redford sold the resort in 2020. And he’s put the 30-acre Horse Whisper Ranch, about 15 miles north of Sundance, on the market — so keep that in mind, if you’ve got an extra $4.9 million laying around.

Redford hasn’t sought the spotlight in Utah — he lives here to get away from it. But no celebrity more a part of the fabric of than the two-time Oscar winner.

Katherine Heigl • The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star and her husband, singer/musician Josh Kelley, have long lived on a 25-acre ranch in Oakley, about a 45-mile drive east of Salt Lake City. In addition to three children, the family includes a variety of pets — not just a whole lot of rescue dogs, but everything from goats to chickens to horses to donkeys.

Heigl has reportedly been spending less time at home in Utah as her career — long stalled when she was labeled “difficult” — has picked up. She recently starred in the Netflix series “Firefly Lane” and the movie “Fear of Rain”; and she’s got a couple of projects in pre-production — a miniseries about Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president of the United States, and a movie titled “That’s Amore!”

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However, widespread reports that she sold her Utah home were erroneous. Her mother/manager sold her home in Oakley.

Scott Wolf • He became a teenage heart-throb (in his 20s) in “Party of Five,” and his life took an unexpected turn when he joined the cast of the made-in-Utah TV series “Everwood” in 2004 and “fell madly in love with the place” when he got here.

Wolf, his wife, Kelly — who was a member of the “Real World: New Orleans” cast in 2000 — and their three children make Park City their home, and he commutes to acting jobs. Including his just-completed gig as the dad on “Nancy Drew.”

Mike Lookinland • He was Bobby on “The Brady Bunch” way back in the early 1970s, and he’s appeared in umpteen Brady sequels and reunions since then. He was pretty much a California kid, but his grandparents lived here and he was born in Utah while his parents were visiting for Christmas 1960.

He’s been pretty much a permanent resident of the state for more than 40 years. He worked as a camera operator on a number of local productions, including “Everwood,” “Promised Land,” “The Stand” and “Halloween 5.” These days, he owns and operates Just Add Water Custom Concrete in Midvale.

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Danny Ainge • Four decades ago while at BYU, Ainge won the Wooden Award as the best college basketball player in the nation, and when he wasn’t hooping it up, he was playing baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays. He spent 15 seasons in the NBA, winning a couple of championships with the Boston Celtics. And he won another as a top Celtics executive.

Now he’s back in Utah, and he’s taken a job as a Jazz executive.

By the way, if somebody — probably a Ute fan — tries to tell you that Ainge once bit a player during a game, that’s a lie. Tree Rollins of the Atlanta Hawks bit Ainge … but, by most accounts, Danny started the fight.

Tan France • A nice, Muslim, gay man from England — the son of Pakistani parents — moved to the United States, made a snap decision to move to Salt Lake City while visiting friends here, married a gay Wyoming cowboy and they settled down in Utah’s capitol city. And then Tan auditioned, on a whim, to be on “Queer Eye” and, much to his surprise, was chosen as a member of the cast.

Now he’s famous, has even more famous friends (like Courteney Cox and Brandi Carlisle), has been nominated for four Emmys (and the show has won 10), and he’s still one of Utah and Salt Lake City’s biggest boosters, talking up the state and the city at every opportunity.

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“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” • They’re sort of famous for being famous, but you should probably at least be familiar with the names of the stars of the Bravo reality show — currently Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Monica Garcia, Heather Gay, Meredith Marks and Whitney Rose.

The most famous Housewife, Jen Shah, is no longer on the show because she’s in prison after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges.

Mary is just a “friend” in Season 4, not a fulltime Housewife. She’s back after getting fired at the end of Season 2 because she didn’t show up for the reunion episodes because, apparently, she didn’t want to talk about her own racist behavior. Or her marriage to her step-grandfather.

It’s not a requirement for residency, but feel free to pick a side in any of the intra-Housewife fights — Lisa vs. Heather, Heather vs. Whitney, Whitney vs. Whitney, Whitney vs. Lisa, Lisa vs. Meredith, Mary vs. everybody but Meredith … and so on.

And if you have an opinion about whether Jen deserved her federal fraud conviction and her sentence, well, there’s another topic of conversation.

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The Osmonds • Along with Redford, the Osmonds are perhaps Utah’s longest-running celebrities — the original Osmond Brothers started performing on national TV (“The Andy Williams Show”) six decades ago. And members of the first generation — Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy — still make their homes here, either part-time or full-time.

What with the dozens of second- and third-generation Osmonds, even those of us who have lived in Utah for a long time have a hard time keeping track of who’s who.

Tyler Glenn • He’s the lead singer of Neon Trees, which released its first album in 2010 and its most recent in 2020. He’s also released a solo album, and made a few headlines for things other than his music.

In 2014, Glenn — who grew up a Latter-day Saint — announced that he was gay. He later announced he’d left the church, and in 2016 released an album titled “Excommunication,” which very strongly illustrated his bitter breakup with his former faith. And that, of course, made headlines in his adopted home state.

Famous people from Utah • The list of celebrities who were born in Utah (or lived here for extended periods) includes singers David Archuleta, Jewel and Brendan Urie; actors Wilford Brimley, Matthew Davis, Laraine Day, Patrick Fugit, Anthony Geary, Merlin Olsen, Pat Priest, Marie Windsor, James Woods and Loretta Young; dancers Derek and Julianne Hough; “Jeopardy!” champion and host Ken Jennings; filmmakers Jared and Jerusha Hess; comedian Roseanne Barr; authors Orson Scott Card, Richard Paul Evans and Brandon Sanderson; sportscasters Jim Nantz, Alex Smith and Steve Young; model Chrissy Teigen; TV inventor Philo T. Farnsworth; and outlaw Butch Cassidy (born Robery LeRoy Parker).

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Juuso Välimäki talks equipment before 4 Nations Face-Off

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Juuso Välimäki talks equipment before 4 Nations Face-Off


Sidney Crosby’s infamous jockstrap made its first trip to Utah when the Pittsburgh Penguins were in town in January. It’s been (literally) tied to Crosby at the hip for more than 20 years and has seen approximately 1,700 games at various levels — not to mention countless practices, training camps, preseason games and off-season ice sessions.

It’s not that he can’t get a new one — the Penguins’ equipment managers, who are tasked with performing regular surgeries on the dying waistband, would be overjoyed if he did — it’s just that it’s comfortable for him. And if Sidney Crosby thinks it helps him play better, who can argue?

Utah Hockey Club defenseman Juuso Välimäki, who is representing his home country of Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off this week, also tends to hold onto his gear far longer than his equipment managers would like.

“I hate new stuff — everything,” he said. “I need a little bit of time to break the stuff in.”

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That was after a recent Utah HC practice, where he sported Finland-blue gloves and pants, which he’ll wear throughout the tournament.

“I know we’ll a have a couple of days (of practice) over there, but it might not be enough for me,” he told reporters.

Välimäki was also breaking in a new pair of skates that day. He’d used his old ones since the start of the summer, which is much longer than the average NHL player holds onto a pair.

The steel blades are replaced much more frequently than the boots themselves, but problems arise when the stitching that secures the toe cap in place starts to relent, allowing wind to hit the player’s foot as he skates — something that Välimäki experienced last season.

“I’ll usually play the year with one pair of skates, which is kind of crazy,” he said. “I remember (UHC head equipment manager Stan Wilson) last year had to throw my skates out after the season. He’s like, ‘you’re done.‘”

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“I know for a long time that I should change (my skates), but I just can’t wrap my head around it because they feel different and I just get in my head,” he said.

The process of breaking in equipment is different for everyone. Olli Määttä, for example, who is teammates with Välimäki both in Utah and on the Finnish national team, barely has to break it in at all.

“I think I need a day or two,” he said. “That’ll be fine. I’m sure we’re all a little different. It usually doesn’t take me much.”

Another Utah HC defenseman, Nick DeSimone, is the exact opposite of Välimäki.

“I don’t really mind new gear,” he said. “I love new skates. I’d probably wear new skates every two, three weeks if I could.”

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Utah center Barrett Hayton is on Välimäki’s side. He estimates that most of his body equipment (shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin pads and pants) is about five years old, meaning he may have used some of it his entire NHL career to date.

Hayton is also particular about his sticks.

“I can kind of feel when it’s a little long (or a) little short,” he said.

As a kid, he had a stick with a P28 curve, which is common to find at retail sporting goods stores. He’s stuck with it all the way to the NHL.

Josh Doan has also stuck with the same stick most of his life, but it’s not because he stumbled upon it at a store one day — it’s because it’s the same one his dad, Arizona Coyotes legend Shane Doan, used.

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Warrior, the company that supplied Shane Doan’s sticks during the latter part of his career, would send Josh mini versions of his dad’s sticks: same make, model, curve and lie. The only differences were the size and the flex.

Josh had to diverge in junior, college and the AHL because his teams had brand deals with other manufacturers, but now that he’s playing in the NHL, he’s switched back to that same Warrior stick.

Now, to answer the inevitable question: If Shane Doan were to suddenly return to the NHL after an eight-year hiatus, could he just use his son’s sticks?

“He’d have to flex up a bit — he likes a stiffer stick,” Josh said. “But ya, he could come out and use mine and perform pretty easily.”



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Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Preview

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Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Preview


Utah Jazz will face off against Lebron, Luka, and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. This is a rare home and away series, both teams’ most recent game was in LA. Now, they’ve relocated to Utah, where the Jazz will try to avenge their loss.

That might be really hard to do, especially considering how Monday night went. The Jazz lost 113-132, and it wasn’t that close. The Lakers, who have won 12 of their last 14, were already surging before getting gifted the 25-year old top-5 player, Luka Doncic. After coming off 6 weeks of rehab, Luka played below his standard during his Lakers debut on Monday. He rarely has two mediocre games in a row. Despite how Luka performs, the Lakers still have reenergized Lebron James on their team.

While this game might be hard to win, the Jazz have an opportunity to learn from their wrongs and play a much better game on Wednesday night. Isaiah Collier gets to go for another double-double, Walker Kessler gets to continue his breakout season, and Lauri and John get to continue being some of the more underrated forwards in the league.

Regardless of what happens, this young Jazz team gets to play some incredible talent. They will no doubt benefit from playing and learning from some of these Lakers on the court.

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Injury report

Out – Collin Sexton (left ankle sprain)

Out – Taylor Hendricks (right fibula fracture)

Out- KJ Martin (conditioning)

What to watch:

Who: Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers

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When: Wednesday, February 12th @ 7 pm MST

Where: Salt Lake City, Utah

How: 97.5 FM, Jazz+, KJZZ



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Luka Doncic makes LA Lakers debut in a 132-113 win over Utah Jazz

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Luka Doncic makes LA Lakers debut in a 132-113 win over Utah Jazz


Five-time All-NBA guard Luka Doncic begins Los Angeles Lakers career just over a week after his blockbuster trade from Dallas Mavericks.

Luka Doncic produced 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in his Los Angeles Lakers debut and LeBron James added 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists as the newly formed star duo led the way to a 132-113 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.

Austin Reaves logged 22 points and nine rebounds and Rui Hachimura added 21 points as the Lakers extended their winning streak to six games while coming out on top for the 10th time in the past 11 games. Jordan Goodwin scored 17 points in his second game with Los Angeles on Monday.

Doncic, acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster deal on February 2, played for the first time since Christmas Day, having recovered from a left calf strain. The Slovenian guard was on the court for 24 minutes and shot 5 of 14 from the floor, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range.

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Lauri Markkanen and John Collins each scored 17 points and Jordan Clarkson added 16 as the Jazz saw their road losing streak reach nine games. Johnny Juzang scored 14 points as Utah lost its third consecutive game overall and fell for the 12th time in its last 14 contests.

Collins, who had 11 rebounds, joined Isaiah Collier, who amassed 13 points and 10 assists, each posted a double-double for Utah.

Doncic had one turnover and one missed shot just over two minutes into the game before making his first basket in a Lakers uniform on a 3-pointer with 8:05 remaining in the opening quarter.

The Lakers led 37-25 after one period and were well in control by half-time, going into the locker room up 72-47. Reaves had 15 points before the break, James added 13 and Doncic had 11. The Lakers shot 60 percent over the opening two quarters, while the Jazz were at 40 percent.

Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter with a 100-75 lead and cruised to their third victory in three tries against Utah. The teams face each other for the final time this season on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.

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The Lakers’ only reason for concern came early in the fourth quarter when James went to the locker room briefly due to abdominal discomfort. He returned to the bench with just over eight minutes remaining but remained out for the rest of the game.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, right, celebrates with teammate forward LeBron James during the first half of an NBA basketball game, February 10, 2025, in Los Angeles [Mark J Terrill/AP]



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