13 Unforgettable Celebrity Sightings That Happened in Idaho in 2023

Do you know how you'd handle yourself if you bumped into a celebrity while going about your every day business in Idaho?

You may want to think about it, because it's happening more and more frequently! Here's a look back at 13 of the biggest celebrity sighting in Idaho that happened in 2023.

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Mark Wahlberg

To say that Boise lost their minds when Mark Wahlberg showed up back in April is an understatement! News spread quickly that the Father Stu actor had been spotted at The Wylder, Form and Function, the downtown WinCo and one of Boise’s upscale hotels. Wahlberg visited the fancy Albertsons on Broadway to do a promotional appearance for his Flecha Azul Tequila. He shared a Reel from that visit on Instagram and he just so happened to run into JL Skinner in the parking lot. The two of them shot a video trying to convince Bill Belichick to pick the Boise State star in the draft. Skinner eventually ended up on the Denver Broncos, but it was a cool moment!

J.J. Watt

This may have been the cutest celebrity sighting in Idaho all year long! Back in May, J.J. Watt was shopping at a Target store in North Idaho. A little boy named Kingston got a call from a friend who knew Watt was one of his favorite players, so Kingston grabbed a football and ran to the store, hoping to run into Watt. He made it in time. It turns out these two have a history! Kingston caught one of Watt’s pre-game catch balls when the Cardinals played the Seahawks.

Henry Winkler

By now, most Idahoans know that the Fonz is an avid fly fisherman and that he LOVES sharing photos of his catches on social media. Idaho happens to be one of his favorite places to fish. While we’re not sure EXACTLY where his favorite spot is (and we certainly don’t want to spoil it, even if we did,) we do know that he’s a fan of The Lodge at Palisades

Kim Kardashian

It seems like a trip to Couer d’Alene is now a yearly tradition for Kim Kardashian and her oldest daughter, North West. The paparazzi caught the two of them jet skiing in Northern Idaho back in July. The U.S. Sun claims that Kim owns a five-bedroom, six bathroom lake house in Harrison  that she purchased three years ago. 

Kristen Bell + Dax Shepard

This wasn’t the first time Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard vacationed in Idaho, but it was the most memorable. Why? Because she was the one who posted the picture of the party of mega-celebrities that Jimmy Kimmel hosted at the South Fork Lodge in Swan Valley, which he bought back in 2020. If you flip to the third slide of her post, you’ll see some VERY famous faces like Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Jason Bateman, Adam Scott, John Mulaney and Jimmy Fallon.

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Jimmy Kimmel

Speaking of Jimmy Kimmel, he actually stopped by the Paramount Theater in Idaho Falls to catch a screening of Barbie. The theater is about 45 minutes away from his lodge and we thinks it’s kind of cool that he chose to support the locally owned and operated theater instead of the theater owned by mega-chain, Regal in Ammon.

Kendall Jenner + Bad Bunny

Gozzer Ranch Golf & Lake Club in Harrison seems to be a favorite of almost everyone in the Kardashian-Jenner family. People Magazine reported that she and the Puerto Rican rapper vacationed there in July. Unfortunately, the day before we sat down to write this article, many sources reported that the two of them had split.

Aaron Paul

Aaron grew up here, so we shouldn’t pretend like seeing him isn’t a common occurrence. His Treefort visit with Breaking Bad co-star, Bryan Cranston, was highly publicized. The duo took over the old Greyhound station to pour drinks made with their Dos Hombres mezcal during Treefort and also stopped at Humpin’ Hannah’s and Western Proper (now House of Western.) 

But this sighting in July? That one came out of nowhere! Paul jumped behind the bar at Cross Grains Brewhouse near Gate B14 at the Boise airport to pour Dos Hombres drinks before catching his flight.

Bert Kreischer

The fact that “the machine” was in Boise surprised absolutely no one. He was scheduled to perform as part of his Fully Loaded Festival at ExtraMile Arena on July 14. What people didn’t expect was to see Kreischer and his tourmates floating the Boise River before the show. Kreischer ended up losing his phone in the river while they were floating, but connected with Boise’s famous “River Robin Hood,” Rocky Detwiler. Sure enough, Detwiler found the phone!

The Jonas Brothers

This was the first of many Jonas Brothers sightings in Boise this year! We all knew that the Jonas Brothers were bringing their Five Albums, One Night tour to the Ford Idaho Center in December but what we didn’t see coming was a secret acoustic set they’d perform a few months beforehand. They were the surprise concert for sponsors and VIPs at the Albertsons Boise Open back in August.  During that visit, Joe stopped by Form & Function…just like Wahlberg had done months earlier.

Dana White

The UFC CEO came to Boise for the Idaho State Liquor Division Spirits Trade Show in September. White’s name is synonymous with UFC, but he’s also a brand partner in Howler Head Bourbon Whiskey. While he was in town for the show, he signed bottles of the banana flavored bourbon at a State Liquor Store on Vista.

Mark Wahlberg (Again)

Marky Mark just can’t stay away from Boise! He ALSO attended the Idaho State Liquor Division Spirits Trade Show to promote his tequila. This time around, he also stopped to visit one of the F45 locations. He’s the “Chief Brand Officer” for the gym chain and has designed workouts for them as part of “Wahlberg Week.” He’s admitted to popping into studios whenever he gets the opportunity. 

The Jonas Brothers (Again)

When the Jonas Brothers came back to town for their Nampa show, they basically staged a photo shoot in Downtown Boise. People bumped into them all over the place. The photos that made their timeline? This photo in the alley near the Idanha and the boys enjoying a coffee outside The District Coffee House on 10th.