LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 148th Kentucky Derby brought its fair share of celebrities to town for a weekend of glamorous parties and the fastest two minutes in sports. From music superstars to famous actors and premier athletes, here’s who walked the red carpet and partied the night away at some star-studded celebrity galas in Louisville on Kentucky Derby Eve.
Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala
Less than 24 hours before Janet Jackson thrilled fans at her Lynn Family Stadium concert, the R&B and pop legend Friday night made an appearance at Louisville’s most iconic pre-Derby bash, the Barnstable Brown Gala.
Jackson, who arrived to a crowd of adoring fans camped out near the party entrance, rarely makes public appearances. Dressed in all-black, the “All For You” singer posed for red carpet photos in a leather trench and matching platform boots, before admitting her trademark shyness was getting the best of her and making a quick exit.
Her red carpet appearance was a major moment for the historic gala, which, in its 33rd year, is known for its star-studded guestlists.
“It’s fresh, it’s exciting, it’s everything I hoped it would be,” hostess Patricia Barnstable-Brown told The Courier Journal ahead of the party.
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Friday’s celebration, which benefits the University of Kentucky’s Barnstable Brown Diabetes and Obesity Center, was the first since 2019, having paused during the pandemic.
Those able to snag tickets to the gala, which Barnstable-Brown throws at her Highlands mansion, were able to rub shoulders with big-name celebrities throughout the night.
And the A-listers seemed just as excited as their fans to experience the Derby magic.
“I’ve never been to the Derby before, so growing up in the South and it being such an incredible sporting event all over the world, I’m looking forward to actually getting to go,” said Darius Rucker, Grammy-winning country artist.
Indeed, the most exciting two minutes in sports lured the world’s most decorated Olympic athlete, swimmer Michael Phelps. After striking out on several bets at Kentucky Oaks earlier Friday, Phelps and his wife, model Nicole Johnson, hoped for better luck on Derby day.
“We have a few inside scoops,” said the Olympic record holder, adding that Saturday would be his second Derby and Nicole’s first.
Looking glamorous in a long black cut-out dress embossed with gold stars by New York City-based brand LoveShackFancy, Nicole said she was excited to be back at a major sporting event.
“I’m normally watching (Michael) race,” she said. “So it’s cool to see these horses. … It’s a different type of race, but it’s still what I got to enjoy watching him.”
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“Dirt Road Anthem” singer Jason Aldean was joined by his wife, Brittany Kerr. Aldean said the pair, like the Phelps, had also spent the day at Churchill Downs for Oaks. Before walking into the gala, he wasn’t too sure he’d take to the mansion’s stage to perform.
“I’ve been drinking all day — drinking and gambling,” he joked to The Courier Journal when asked if he’d sing at the gala, which is known for its impromptu celebrity performances. “… It can make for some fun or some moments that live on YouTube forever.”
Aldean must have found his bearings. He performed a cover of John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” to a roaring crowd inside the party later in the night.
New Edition, Richie Sambora, Chase Rice, Taylor Dayne and Rucker also thrilled the crowd with fan favorites.
Up-and-coming country artist Brittney Spencer soaked it all in.
Spencer, who would perform the National Anthem the next day at the 148th Run for the Roses, glowed in a vintage green dress.
“This is honestly a dream,” Spencer said.
Unbridled Eve Derby Gala
Outside the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel, one special dog led the way in front of actors, artists, athletes, entertainers, retired jockeys and other guests walking the red carpet Friday night during the return of the Unbridled Eve Derby Gala.
The dog was none other than Ethan, whose story of being found abandoned last year severely malnourished outside a Kentucky Humane Society property in Louisville, subsequent recovery and adoption by humane society employee Jeff Callaway and family captured the hearts of people around the country.
The gala, hosted and co-founded by sisters Tammy York Day and Tonya York, had a broader impact through its charity work, benefiting Blessings in a Backpack, the Louisville-based nonprofit that provides meals to food-insecure schoolchildren around the country on weekends.
Blessings in a Backpack CEO Erin Kerr said during the pandemic, the number of children facing weekend hunger rose from about 13 million to about 18 million.
“Because of support of organizations such as Unbridled Eve, we’re able really to step up and meet that increased need,” Kerr told The Courier Journal.
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The musical entertainment, which included The Sugarhill Gang, Linkin’ Bridge — the Louisville a capella group performed a rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home” — B-52’s lead singer Kate Pierson and R.E.M. co-founder Mike Mills, along with numerous bars set up outside the ballroom, had guests on their feet and out on the dancefloor.
Among the first-time Unbridled Eve guests and Derby-goers, this year was Jennifer Robertson, whose roles have included Jocelyn Schitt in the Emmy-winning show “Schitt’s Creek.”
“Everyone here is incredibly nice. I was just saying, you guys are borderline Canadian with the niceness,” Robertson, born in Vancouver, told The Courier Journal.
Robertson added if Jocelyn Schitt, Mayor Roland Schitt’s wife in the popular sitcom, attended the Kentucky Derby, “the hat game would be really something” and the character would treat her Derby party guests to her version of a Hot Brown — one made with Velveeta cheese.
As for her horse pick, Robertson was choosing Tawny Port to win Saturday’s Run for the Roses, explaining,
“If I was a news reporter, that would be my name. I would be Tawny Port, Channel Five News.”
Watch:Melissa Joan Hart met her husband at a Kentucky Derby party
Actress Melissa Joan Hart, known to many ’90s kids for her starring role in “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” met her now-husband when visiting Louisville for the Kentucky Derby in 2002 (they married the following year).
Twenty years later, Hart was back in town for her fourth Derby Day and a night of fun — and some karaoke — at the gala. “I had a T-shirt for a while that said, ‘Get lucky in Kentucky,’ so that stands true,” Hart said.
Steve Wilson’s Derby Eve bash 21c Museum Hotel
Drag queens, DJs, and Louisville’s own Jack Harlow captured the spotlight at Steve Wilson’s Derby Eve bash, which annually takes over the art gallery at the 21c Museum Hotel downtown.
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Wilson founded the boutique hotel chain with his wife Laura Lee Brown, and the pair has been known to produce one of the most revelrous events each Derby season.
But in addition to a good time, this year’s party also served as a charitable celebration — with guests contributing to a fundraiser for Western Kentucky communities hit hard by a series of deadly tornadoes in December.
“This is what Derby should be about,” said Teddy Abrams, music director of the Louisville Orchestra, who attended the event. “Yes, it’s a great party, but it should really be about funneling all this energy and financial resources into the things that need to happen to make our state better.”
“Anything that helps us care for our Western Kentucky brothers and sisters, that’s an important thing to do,” he added.
Harlow, who released his sophomore album Friday, briefly took to the gallery’s stage to perform 21C/Delta — a 2020 song that references Wilson’s hotel.
Watch:Jack Harlow gets the party started at Kentucky Derby Eve party
“Thank you all for coming out tonight. This is for a really good cause, it’s super important,” Harlow said to cheers from the crowd. “It’s like he said, there’s a lot of people out there who are less fortunate than us, so let’s keep that in mind, but let’s have a great night.”