Stars who are from the South

By Bryanne Salazar 8:11am PST, Jan 29, 2018

Either we've all time-traveled to the future or we're just really old because our favorite Southern pop star, Justin Timberlake, is turning 37 on Jan. 31, 2018. The Memphis, Tennessee-born singer and actor has been making us swoon since his early days on "The All New Mickey Mouse Club" and, of course, as a member of boy band *NSYNC. Now, along with being married to the prettiest gal in Tinseltown (we see you, Jessica Biel) and tackling fatherhood like a total boss, JT's also churning out new music with a new album, "Man of the Woods," due on Feb. 2 — two days before he'll headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. In honor of Justin's big moment, Wonderwall.com is celebrating him and more of the biggest stars who've got a little country in their veins. Keep reading to see which of your favorite celebs have Southern roots…

Former talk-show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey isn't just the future president of America (too soon?) — she also happens to be a Southern belle. Oprah was born in 1954 in the little town of Kosciusko, Mississippi. In 1976, Oprah moved to Baltimore, Maryland, before landing a hosting gig for a Chicago-based morning show. Since then, Oprah's been a proud Chicagoan, though she also lives part-time in California.

Matthew McConaughey has long been proud of his Uvalde, Texas, roots. Growing up the youngest of three brothers, Matthew once said there was a "certain honor of being a Texan" that has influenced who he is today. Maybe that's why the sexy star decided to raise his three children in the city of Austin, which is about three hours northeast of his former stomping grounds.

We bet y'all had no idea that Ellen DeGeneres was from the South. It turns out this dynamic talk-show host (who has some of the smoothest dance moves we've ever seen) hails from Metairie, Louisiana. When Ellen was a teenager, however, her mom remarried and moved the family to Atlanta, Texas, where the young comedian-in-waiting would graduate high school. For college, Ellen moved back to Louisiana but eventually dropped out to pursue her dream of a comedy career.

You wouldn't know it by his accent, but debonair actor, director and producer George Clooney was born in Lexington, Kentucky, which is known as the bluegrass capital of the world. As a child, George and his family moved throughout Kentucky and Ohio, thanks to dad Nick Clooney's career as a journalist. George even went to Northern Kentucky University before dropping out and pursuing his acting career.

Another Kentucky native in Hollywood is the indomitable Jennifer Lawrence, who was born in Louisville — home of the Kentucky Derby. That's pronounced "loo-a-vul" (please, don't ever pronounce the "s"). Jennifer claims she lost her Southern accent as a teen, but it still returns on occasion. She once told late-night host Stephen Colbert of her Southern drawl, "I'm told by boyfriends [it returns] when I'm yelling, and then probably, maybe when I'm drinking."

He might not exude Southern charm, but rapper Kanye West is a good ol' Southern boy at heart. Yeezy was born in Atlanta, but he didn't live there long. After his mother and father divorced when 'Ye was 3 years old, his mom brought him to Chicago, where he was raised.

Even "Pretty Woman" star Julia Roberts is from the South. Over the years, this Smyrna, Georgia-born actress has kept her Southern drawl on the down-low, but in 1989, she got to let her country pride shine when she took on the role of Shelby in the Louisiana-based dramedy "Steel Magnolias."

Handsome brothers Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson might roll with the big boys in Hollywood, but they're Texans at heart. Both of the Wilson brothers were born and raised in Dallas and still consider the Lonestar State their one true home. They're also die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans.

There's a good reason young Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake got along so well (and even dated for a time) — they both claim the South as their home. Britney was born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. While many Southern stars drop their accent to make it in Hollywood, Brit's always used hers with pride.

Hold our sweet tea, y'all. Even Johnny Depp is from the South. (How did we not know this?) The handsome (and now highly controversial) star hails from Owensboro, Kentucky, which is about two hours from Louisville. But Johnny actually didn't live in Kentucky for long. When he was 7, his dad moved the family to Florida.

"How can Reese Witherspoon be from the South?" said no person ever. America's sweetheart has never made her Southern roots a secret. She hails from New Orleans but grew up in Nashville. Today, Reese keeps a home in Tennessee to be close to her mom and give her own kids a dose of Southern comfort (the feeling, not the liquor).

Zach Galifianakis might be the funniest actor in the world (true story) who was raised in a Greek Orthodox home (you didn't think Galifianakis was Italian, did you?), but he's also a Southern boy to boot. Zach was born and raised in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and even went to college at North Carolina State University, although he dropped out with only one credit left to graduate.

If you didn't know Beyonce was from Texas, then you're probably not a real fan. But we couldn't leave Queen Bey out of the lineup of Southern stars. She was born and raised in Houston.

While we all might consider comedian Chris Rock a New Yorker, the truth is he was a Southern boy to start. Born in Andrews, South Carolina, Chris wasn't in the South for long before his parents moved the family to Brooklyn. Today, Chris calls New Jersey home, which is just a hop, skip and a 10-and-a-half-hour drive to South Carolina.

Although "The Alienist" star Dakota Fanning has spent most of her life in Hollywood, she got her start in Conyers, Georgia — a city just 24 miles from Atlanta. Once Dakota began landing regular roles in Tinseltown, however, she packed up and moved to Los Angeles with her family (including sister and fellow actress Elle Fanning). Today, Dakota is back on the East Coast as she completes her college studies at NYU.

Comedian, author and actor Aziz Ansari has always used his Columbia, South Carolina, birthplace and Bennett, South Carolina, upbringing as fodder for his stand-up material. As someone who was born and bred in the Carolinas, Aziz has found people don't believe he's a country boy — at least until he mentions his unadulterated love of fried chicken and biscuits. It turns out Aziz's family is originally from the South too — Southern India, to be exact — from the state of Tamil Nadu.

She might sing pop music but Selena Gomez has some country twang in her heart. The young performer, who's once again dating Canadian Justin Bieber, was born in Grand Prairie, Texas, a community just 15 or so minutes away from Dallas. In February 2017, Selena put one of her homes, a mansion in Ft. Worth, Texas, up for sale, but a few months later decided to take it off the market.

Lil Wayne was born and raised in New Orleans. The talented rapper grew up in the Louisiana city's notorious Hollygrove area, which was known for its stark poverty and high crime rate. After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in 2009, Weezy made a $200,000 donation to help rebuilding efforts.

The lovely Jennifer Garner had a double whammy of Southern living — she was born in Houston, Texas, but later moved with her family to Charleston, West Virginia, where she was raised alongside her two sisters. Jennifer, whose movie "Love, Simon" premieres March 16, 2018, shared in 2015 that she wants her three kids "to grow up with Southern values," adding, "If I could do half as good a job as my mom did, I'd be pretty happy."

Another mighty Texan on our list is the multi-talented Jamie Foxx, who was born in the city of Terrell, which lies just half an hour east of Dallas. Jamie was raised by his grandparents, who adopted him when he was just 7 months old after his own parents' marriage crumbled and they proved unable to care for him. Clearly his grandma and grandpa raised him right because Jamie's one of the few stars in Hollywood who's won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a SAG Award (all for his acting) as well as a Grammy (for his hit music).

Julianne Moore can also stake her claim on the South! The vibrant redhead was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Thanks to her dad being in the military, however, Julianne moved around a lot as a child, ultimately graduating from high school in Germany.

Who knew that God himself was from the South? Just kidding — but Morgan Freeman is the closest thing we have to a higher being on Earth and just so happens to be from Memphis, Tennessee. Born in 1937 to a barber and a school teacher, Morgan was the youngest of five kids and moved with his family to Mississippi as well as Chicago, finally ending up back in Tennessee for the remainder of his childhood. Sticking to his roots, Morgan continues to live in the South to this day, choosing to make his home in Charleston, Mississippi.

Another not-very-shocking revelation is that Miley Cyrus, music star and daughter of country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus, is from the South. Young Miley took her first breath in Franklin, Tennessee, and spent her early life outside Nashville before heading to Hollywood to star in "Hannah Montana." Fun fact: Miley's birth name was Destiny Hope Cyrus, but as a baby she smiled so much, she earned the nickname "Miley." Today, the talented star lives in Malibu, California, with fiance Liam Hemsworth, but in 2017, she purchased a $5.8 million farm back home in Franklin too.

Last on our list of our favorite Southern stars is none other than hunky "Magic Mike" actor Channing Tatum. The muscle-clad star was born in Cullman, Alabama, and later moved to the city of Wetumpka before his family resettled in Mississippi. By the time Channing reached his high school years, his family had moved to Tampa, Florida.