Celebrity sightings in Connecticut in August 2026

In August, celebrities were seen getting married and taking the stage with local fans.

Here is Connecticut’s celebrity news and gossip in August:

Meryl Streep, who has a home in Salisbury, has lent her support to environmental, arts and healthcare issues in Litchfield County.

That extends to the annual “Arts Connected” benefit in New Milford on Aug. 29. Streep was among the honorary host committee members lending their names in support of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council’s efforts to support and uplift the region’s arts community, according to a news release. Additional celebrities supporting the cause are Tim Daly, Téa Leoni, Diane von Furstenberg, Patti LuPone, Jack O’Brien, Sam Waterston and Paul Winter, according to the release.

This year’s “Arts Connected” took place at Buck’s Rock Camp in New Milford. It featured live performances from the internationally renowned dance group MOMIX, jazz duo Perfect Manhattan, roaming puppeteers, an African drum circle, fire spinning and live painters with Plein Air Litchfield, according to the release. – Tracey O’Shaughnessy

Those visiting Stew Leonard’s on Aug. 22 had the ability to meet a “Focker.”

Emmy Award-winning actor Ben Stiller visited the grocery store on Aug. 22 as part of his “Retail World Tour,” promoting the Stiller’s Soda line of beverages. Stiller previously visited the Stew Leonard’s store in Yonkers, N.Y., last December to promote Stiller’s Soda.

Stiller visited the store between 12:40 and 2:20 p.m., where he interacted with customers and influencers all while promoting Stiller’s Soda. Stiller’s Soda launched last fall with flavors that include lemon lime, root beer and Shirley Temple. The drinks are advertised as being low in sugar, containing all natural ingredients and added essential vitamins with no biotics, according to its Instagram. – Andrew DaRosa

A late-night legend popped into Hartford’s Parkville Market for lunch on Aug. 13.

Seth Meyers, host of “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and his brother, Josh Meyers, were featured on the food hall’s Instagram in August. The brothers, who host the podcast “Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers,” were traveling to their live show in Boston from Philadelphia the night before.

Seth Meyers is no stranger to Connecticut, living in an 18th-century Georgian-style country cottage in Litchfield County with his wife. The couple’s home was spotlighted in 2018 in Elle Decor. – Andrew DaRosa

More than three decades after acting alongside Katharine Hepburn in one of her final films, Annette Bening traveled to Old Saybrook, the Connecticut town Hepburn called home, to accept an award honoring her legacy.

Bening received the 11th annual Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center’s gala on Aug. 29. The center presents the award each year to an individual who embodies the spirit, independence and character of the legendary actress.

Bening noted that she looked up to Hepburn because she “had to fight” to “be who she was,” pointing to her toughness in an industry that often tried to control women, especially during the time of Hepburn’s career. But she also recalled that Hepburn was vulnerable at times. – Joseph Tucci

TikToker and Connecticut native Charli D’Amelio returned to her home state for a visit this summer.

TikTok user Gemma Huck shared a video in August of her and D’Amelio spending a day in Connecticut. The video was recorded “a month ago,” according to the caption of Huck’s video.

For their first stop, the duo reunited with one of their former Connecticut dance teachers for a meal at Stamford’s Colony Grill. D’Amelio ordered a hot oil, pepperoni and black olive pizza at the restaurant. – Jayden Nguyen

Many of the biggest stars in sports and entertainment piled into Greenwich in August, where NBA star Donovan Mitchell and Grammy winner Coco Jones got married.

Mitchell, who grew up attending the Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich and rose to national prominence as a high-school basketball star in Connecticut, returned to Fairfield County for his special day. Fellow NBA stars Bam Adebayo, Jaylen Brown and Jalen Brunson, along with NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, music star Ciara, were among the notable figures in attendance.

A longtime Adidas athlete, Mitchell fittingly wore a custom pair of the brand’s shoes that featured his engagement date to complement his all-white wedding outfit, according to The Cut. Mitchell and Jones shared their first dance to Musiq Soulchild’s “Love” at the private ceremony. – Declan Walsh

Forty-five years after attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in order to impress a Hollywood actor, John Hinckley Jr. opened up about the assassination attempt and life following his release from a psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C.

He also spoke about the actor in question, Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, who was attending New Haven’s Yale University at the time of the attempt.

Hinckley appeared on the Aug. 12 episode of “The Mark Joseph Show,” hosted by the eponymous author, columnist and film producer. Joseph is the producer of the movie, “Reagan,” which released in 2024 and starred Dennis Quaid as the former president. – Andrew DaRosa

Indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers released her third studio album, “Lost Weekend,” on Aug. 14 — six years after releasing the Grammy award-nominated “Punisher.”

Ahead of the album’s release, Bridgers brought the album to 25 planetariums across North America beginning on Aug. 10. Among those select few planetariums was Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Science Center and Planetarium in Bridgeport on Aug. 13 and 14. There were three showings each day.

Each album listening party was paired with a custom planetarium show designed by renowned photographer Babak Tafreshi. Bridgers did not perform at the listening party. – Andrew DaRosa

Ever wanted to know what happened behind the scenes in Stars Hollow? “Gilmore Girls” fans will get to see more of the show in a new documentary.

HBO Max will produce a new “Gilmore Girls” documentary featuring never-before-seen outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage and script pages, according to Variety. The untitled, authorized film currently has no release date.

The documentary will feature series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband and executive producer Daniel Palladino. Actor Lauren Graham, who starred as Lorelai in the dramedy, also will be featured in the documentary. The Palladinos will also serve as executive producers for the documentary. – Jayden Nguyen

For Cheshire’s CJ Ford, the trajectory of his night out seeing one of his favorite musicians changed thanks to a simple piece of paper. Adorning that paper were the words: “Can I sing Jesus Saves with ya?”

About 20 minutes after country star Riley Green, who was performing a sold-out show on Aug. 14 at the Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford, noticed the sign, Ford was on stage singing alongside him. Ford, 24, said that security picked him up from the crowd and brought him backstage before his big moment of the evening.

“It was pretty surreal, and I was in such a daze from the moment security came to get me that surprisingly I had zero nerves while I was up there. Just in utter disbelief,” Ford told CT Insider. – Andrew DaRosa

A Connecticut native starred in an August episode of “Password” on NBC.

“Password” is a game show hosted by actor Keke Palmer in which two teams, each comprised of one celebrity and one contestant, try to guess secret passwords using one-word clues for a chance to win up to $25,000. The first version of the show originally aired in 1961, and there have been several revivals, including NBC’s current version of “Password” that began airing in 2022.

Guilford native Lynn DellaPietra competed in the episode of the show with “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon. Actor Constance Wu also starred in the episode. – Jayden Nguyen

Greenwich resident and NBA All-Star Allan Houston was seen having lunch with his wife Tamara at Caren’s Cos Cobber at 31 East Putnam Avenue in Cos Cob in August. Houston serves as general manager for the Westchester Knicks. – Susie Costaregni

Greenwich’s own MLB great and former New York Mets third base coach Tim Teufel attended the Mets 40th World Series anniversary at Citifield on Aug. 1. Twenty two members of the 1986 Mets gathered at Citi Field in a ceremony honoring the 40th anniversary of the World Championship team including family members of the late Gary Carter, manager Davey Johnson, coaches Bud Harrelson and Bill Robinson as well as former general manager Frank Cashen. Former players including Keith Hernandez, Mookie Wilson, Darryl Strawberry, Norwalk resident Ron Darling and former Greenwich resident Lee Mazzilli were in attendance at the celebration. – Susie Costaregni

Randall “Randy” Burns, a 1960s folk revival musician who became a staple New England music icon, died Aug. 8 at the age of 78 in Melbourne, Fla.

Burns’ sister, Sue Burns Baker, announced his death on social media.

“Randy Burns, my big brother, folksinger, songwriter and friend to many from New Haven, Connecticut, born April 14, 1948, passed from this earth into the hands of God today, August 8, 2026,” the post read. – Andrew DaRosa