Everything is bigger in Texas — including the celebrities. As the second most populous state in America, it is no surprise that many of the country’s biggest stars from the world of entertainment and sport call the Lone Star State home. But which stars are the biggest?
BetTexas.com decided to pivot from our usual coverage of Texas sports betting and rank the state’s 15 most famous people. By using a weighted system between AhRefs.com Keywords Explorer and Google Trends, we discovered the most searched celebrities from Texas over the past 12 months. Although you don’t necessarily need to be born in Texas to make the list, we did narrow things down to include only individuals who spent the majority of their childhood and/or teen years in the state.
The results below are a showcase of the actors, musicians, athletes, and social media stars leading the online conversation in 2024.
Weighted Rank | Celebrity | Hometown City | Search Volume Over Past Year |
1 | Simone Biles, Olympic Gymnast | Spring, TX | 2.7M |
2 | Selena Gomez, Actress & Singer | Grand Prairie, TX | 2.6M |
3 | Travis Scott, Singer-Songwriter | Houston, TX | 2.4M |
T-4 | Patrick Mahomes, Current NFL Player | Tyler, TX | 2.0M |
T-4 | Dakota Johnson, Actress | Austin, TX | 2.0M |
6 | Pedro Pascal, Actor | San Antonio, TX | 1.9M |
7 | Amber Heard, Actress | Austin, TX | 1.8M |
8 | Beyonce Knowles, Singer-Songwriter | Houston, TX | 1.6M |
9 | Post Malone, Singer-Songwriter | Grapevine, TX | 1.5M |
T-10 | Scottie Scheffler, Golfer | Dallas, TX | 1.4M |
T-10 | Megan Thee Stallion, Singer-Songwriter | San Antonio, TX | 1.4M |
T-10 | Jennifer Garner, Actress | Houston, TX | 1.4M |
13 | Matthew McConaughey, Actor | Uvalde, TX | 1.2M |
14 | Usher, Singer-Songwriter | Dallas, TX | 1.1M |
15 | Jimmy Butler, Current NBA Player | Houston, TX | 847K |
1. Simone Biles, Olympic Gymnast, Spring, TX. Search volume: 2.7M. Hot off the heels of her dominating performance at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Simone Biles rates out as Texas’ most famous representative. With 11 Olympic medals and 30 trips to the podium at the World Artistic Gymnastic Championship, Biles has cemented her status as the international GOAT gymnast. If you’re interested in digging deeper into Biles' backstory, check out Part One of "Simone Biles Rising" on Netflix. The first two episodes of the sports docudrama aired in July, and on Oct. 25 the streamer is set to release Part Two, which includes two more episodes filmed during the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
2. Selena Gomez, Actress & Singer, Grand Prairie, TX. Search volume: 2.6M. In 2002, Gomez made her on-screen debut on the children’s series “Barney & Friends” — and she hasn’t left the limelight since. A true “multi-hyphenate,” the singer, actor, producer, TV personality and businesswoman has already ascended into Hollywood’s rarefied air, despite only recently turning 32 years old. This year alone, Gomez won an acting award at the Cannes Film Festival, her TV show “Only Murders in the Building” (which she stars in and produces) returned for its fourth season, and her cosmetic brand Rare Beauty was named as Time Magazine’s most influential company. Oh, and her total net worth exceeded $1 billion too.
3. Travis Scott, Singer-Songwriter, Houston, TX. Search volume: 2.4M. Rapper and music producer Travis Scott is number three on our list of the most famous Texans. Interestingly, the “SICKO MODE” singer's most popular music at the moment is actually a decade old. On Aug. 18, Scott rereleased his 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo on streaming and began selling a vinyl remaster directly from his website. Between streams and vinyl sales, Scott has managed to climb all the way to the top of the Billboard 200 charts.
T-4. Patrick Mahomes, Current NFL Player, Tyler, TX. Search volume: 2.0M. One would think that the reigning Super Bowl MVP’s appearance on this list is related solely to his on field performance, but Patrick Mahomes’ entry into Taylor Swift’s orbit is surely giving the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback a clout-boost. Ever since Swift began dating KC tight end Travis Kelce, she’s been spotted frequently at Chiefs games, often sharing a booth with Mahomes’ wife, Brittany. Needless to say, Patrick Mahomes and the rest of Kansas City Chiefs have found a new army of fans in the Swifties.
T-4. Dakota Johnson, Actress, Austin, TX. Search volume: 2.0M. Since her appearance in 2010’s "The Social Network," Dakota Johnson has landed a number of big screen roles, with Anastasia Steele in "Fifty Shades of Grey" being arguably the most prominent (or at least the noteworthy). But her most recent starring role as the titular character in the critically reviled Spider-Man spinoff "Madame Web" is likely the reason she’s charting so highly on our list. Although the film itself may have been a failure, Dakota Johnson’s evasive press tour, which included her admission that she still has not seen the film, has been a revelation in its own right.
6. Pedro Pascal, Actor, San Antonio, TX. Search volume: 1.9M. This Chilean born, San Antonio raised celeb spent nearly two decades taking bit parts and working odd jobs to support himself before finally landing his breakout role in “Game of Thrones” in 2014. Since then, Pedro Pascal has become one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars, with leading roles in hit series like HBO’s “The Last of Us” and the Star Wars spin-off “The Mandalorian.” Next up, Pascal will appear in "Gladiator 2," the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved 2000 Oscar winning film.
7. Amber Heard, Actress, Austin, TX. Search volume: 1.8M. Since losing her highly publicized defamation trial against ex-husband Johnny Depp, Amber Heard has been keeping a low profile. She’s reportedly living in Spain with her young daughter, with rumors swirling that she has quit acting altogether. Her most recent role was in 2023’s Aquaman sequel, in which she appears for only 20 minutes, with many speculating that her role was cut back significantly in response to fan backlash against Heard, who has drawn intense criticism online after naming Depp in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic and sexual abuse.
8. Beyoncé Knowles, Singer-Songwriter, Houston, TX. Search volume: 1.6M. Don’t tell the Bey-hive, but pop icon Beyoncé is only the eighth most famous Texas celebrity according to our metrics. But despite these rankings, Queen Bey still reigns supreme. Her latest album "Cowboy Carter" was released in Spring 2024 to rave reviews, with the country-inspired album defying genre expectations. It may have even scored her a sponsorship deal with Levi’s. The jeans maker recently teased an upcoming collab on social media, likely inspired by her track “LEVII’S JEANS” featuring Post Malone.
9. Post Malone, Singer-Songwriter, Grapevine, TX. Search volume: 1.5M. Speaking of Post Malone… The rapper and singer’s appearance on Beyoncé’s album is just one of several collaborations that have helped propel Posty’s 2024 success. Malone also appears on Taylor Swift’s album "The Tortured Poet Society," and the lead single off his own most recent album, “I Had Some Help” features country superstar Morgan Wallen. Following its release on May 10, the track became Spotify’s single-day streaming record holder for a country song.
T-10. Scottie Scheffler, PGA Golfer, Dallas, TX. Search volume: 1.4M. Scottie Scheffler is no stranger to a top ten finish. In 16 appearances during the 2024 PGA Tour season, the world’s number one ranked golfer finished top ten or better 14 times. He also recorded six wins total wins this year, including nabbing his second Green Jacket at The Masters. In total he earned over $62 million dollars on Tour this year. Next up, Scheffler will be representing Team USA at the Presidents Cup in Montreal.
T-10. Megan Thee Stallion, Singer-Songwriter, San Antonio, TX. Search volume: 1.4M. Following the release of her third studio album, titled "Megan," rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s lands in a tie for the tenth most famous Texas celebrity. Known for her sexually explicit lyrics and all-star collabs, featuring the likes of Beyoncé, Cardi B, and Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion has been one of the biggest names in hip hop since her single “Hot Girl Summer” was released in 2019. Currently, Megan Thee Stallion is headlining her first tour, with 36 shows across North America and Europe.
T-10. Jennifer Garner, Actress, Houston, TX. Search volume: 1.4M. Although Jennifer Garner has had no shortage of success since her breakout role on ABC’s "Alias" in the early 2000s, her presence on this list is most likely owed to a spoiler-worthy cameo she made on the big screen this summer. A seasoned actress in television and film, Garner recently starred in and produced the series “The Last Thing He Told Me,” which was recently renewed for a second season by Apple TV+.
13. Matthew McConaughey, Actor, Uvalde, TX. Search volume: 1.2M. Alright, alright, alright. Matthew McConaughey checks in at thirteen on our list of Texas celebs. In fact, he’s so beloved in the Lone Star state that rumors have been swirling for years that he may make a run at governor. Although he’s downplayed his political aspirations in the past, as recently as July the Oscar winner alluded to his interest in running for office.
14. Usher, Singer-Songwriter, Dallas, TX. Search volume: 1.1M. This past February, Usher wow’d America with an electric halftime performance at Super Bowl LVIII, busting out chart topping hits from his three decade long career, including “Burn,” “U Got it Bad,” and “Confessions Part II.” Arguably, the 21st century’s biggest name in R&B, Usher just kicked off a new tour which will see the Texas celeb play 58 shows between August 2024 and May 2025.
15. Jimmy Butler, Current NBA Player, Houston TX. Search volume: 847K. When the NBA returns on Oct. 23, it will be six-time all star Jimmy “Buckets” Butler’s 15th career season. After a first round post-season knockout in 2023-24, the Miami Heat will be relying on Butler to rebound in his sixth season with the club.
USA Today photo by Brett Davis.
Author
Jeff Parker is an entertainment writer for BetTexas.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with a Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.
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