New Hollywood of the South? The top 16 actors living in Nashville
As the film and TV scene blossoms in Nashville, Music City may earn the nickname the new " Y'allywood ," competing for the "Hollywood of the South" association with Atlanta, Georgia.
More A-list actors are moving to town as longtime community fixtures like Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman vouch for Nashville as a new film hotspot.
Musical theatre legend Kristin Chenoweth , "Modern Family" actress Ariel Winter and '90s sitcom star Melissa Joan Hart are among the entertainers who call Tennessee home.
From new arrivals to longtime Tennessee residents, here are 16 actors and actresses living in the Nashville area.
Reese Witherspoon
"Legally Blonde" actress Reese Witherspoon purchased a "fixer upper" in Nashville in 2014. Following a divorce in 2023, Witherspoon solidified her full-time return to Nashville.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Nashville, Witherspoon considers herself a Southern girl at heart.
"It was a combination of beauty and strength that made Southern women 'whiskey in a teacup,' Witherspoon writes in her 2018 memoir . "'We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside,' she said, 'but inside we're strong and fiery.'"
More: Reese Witherspoon shares Nashville favorites for first-time visitors
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman moved to the Nashville area with country singer Keith Urban , her ex-husband, around 2007.
They first settled near Franklin. In 2008, they purchased a home in the gated community of Northumberland, a more than 10,000-square-foot estate. The couple's daughter, Sunday Rose, was born that same year. In 2010, the couple welcomed their second daughter, Faith Margaret.
Despite her recent high-profile divorce from Urban, Kidman plans to remain in Nashville.
More: Who is Nicole Kidman? What to know about the Nashville actress
Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Previously based in New York and L.A., "Father of the Bride" star Kimberly Williams-Paisley moved to the Nashville area in the early 2000s.
Williams-Paisley married country singer Brad Paisley in 2003. The couple welcomed two children in 2007 and 2009. The family resides on a farm in Franklin, where they have lived for more than 20 years.
More: Kimberly Williams-Paisley on '9-1-1: Nashville' and her TV resurgence
Ariel Winter
"Modern Family" actress Ariel Winter relocated from L.A. to outside of Nashville in 2022 for a quieter lifestyle.
Winter purchased a home in College Grove , about 30 miles outside of Nashville, with her partner, fellow actor Luke Benward . They live together with their six dogs.
Kristin Chenoweth
Broadway actress Kristin Chenoweth moved to Nashville around 2023 after many years of splitting time between New York and L.A.
The Tony Award winner, known best for originating the role of Glinda in "Wicked" on Broadway, worked as a singer and dancer in Opryland's "Way Out West" show in 1988, the summer after her first year of college.
After recording an album in Music City in 2011, Chenoweth's love for Nashville grew. Following COVID-19, she moved back to Tennessee.
More: Why Kristin Chenoweth feels right at home with the Nashville Symphony
Kirsten Storms
"General Hospital" actress Kirsten Storms left L.A. for Nashville in 2025 with her daughter, Harper.
"I'm very excited to be making Tennessee my home! I can't wait to return to GH once Harper and I are settled in our new town," Storms said on Instagram .
"I plan on documenting as much of this new journey on my social media as I can. It's always been a dream of mine to move to a place like this, it's hard to believe it's really happening."
Chrissy Metz
Actress and singer Chrissy Metz , best known for her role as Kate Pearson on NBC's "This Is Us," moved from L.A. to Nashville around 2020.
"I was in L.A. for 21 years, but my family is in Florida, where I'm from, and during the pandemic, I could drive to them from here," Metz shared with People in April 2025.
"It's just a better quality of life here. Everything is 15 minutes away, and it's just so much less stress."
Melissa Joan Hart
Sitcom star Melissa Joan Hart and her family relocated from Connecticut to Nashville in October 2020.
"Happy Nashville Anniversary to us," Hart posted on Instagram in 2023 . "And a big hug to all the friends, neighbors, teachers and people who have made it such a wonderful place to raise our family."
Jana Kramer
Actress and country singer Jana Kramer moved from California to Nashville with her family in 2019.
Kramer told People that the move was a "fresh start" after news of her ex-husband Mike Caussin 's infidelity in 2016.
"We moved to L.A. a couple years ago from Nashville because there were so many triggers in Nashville," Kramer said, describing how it felt to see places where he had cheated. "We were like, all right, we just need to move away from this place and just kind of recharge, see where things are heading and then we'll kind of go from there."
Though Kramer and Caussin eventually divorced, she moved back to Tennessee with her children and new husband, Allan Russell.
Laura Prepon
"Orange is the New Black" star Laura Prepon left L.A. and New York for Nashville, buying a home in the area in 2024.
After splitting with her husband Ben Foster in 2025, the ex-couple reportedly agreed to sell the home they bought together. The newly single Prepon has said she will remain in the Nashville area to raise her two children.
Nate Bargatze
Comedian and actor Nate Bargatze is a born-and-raised Nashvillian who grew up near Old Hickory.
Now, he's one of the highest-grossing stand-up comedians in the world. He is known for his deadpan, monotone delivery and clean comedy style. Bargatze lives in Brentwood with his wife, Laura, and their daughter, Harper.
More: Nate Bargatze named The Tennessean's first Entertainer of the Year
Kirk Cameron
Actor and producer Kirk Cameron moved his family from California to Tennessee in 2024.
Cameron told the Washington Examiner he left California because the state was "creating so much division" and he wanted a place with a "healthy freedom mindset."
"It's shocking how many Californians are here. And when I see them in the grocery store, I tell them, 'Don't California our Tennessee,'" he said.
Kellan Lutz
Actor and model Kellan Lutz , best known for his role as Emmett Cullen in "The Twilight Saga," announced he settled in Nashville in 2023. Lutz lives in town with his wife and two kids.
"The way the industry is right now, currently I can work and live wherever and then just fly to do movies. And at least my wife has a support system here when I'm gone," Lutz told Fox News .
"We also have our faith, and we pray a lot, honestly. Our prayer life is one of the strongest things for us," he added, emphasizing how the culture in Nashville is a better fit for his family.
Ben Foster
Actor Ben Foster, best known for movies "3:10 to Yuma" and "Hell or High Water," moved from L.A. to Nashville with his ex-wife Laura Prepon around 2024.
"(My ex-wife and I) had two children and my parents are very close with my children. They've moved close to Nashville. After the pandemic, I had a cognition that I didn't need to live on either coast, quite frankly," Foster told The Hollywood Reporter .
"I love horses and I ride. I love live music. I dig country music. There's been a shift from both coasts and I've found that it's gentler for me, at least, to hub there. Nashville is just a different way. I'm enjoying it."
Luke Benward
Actor and singer Luke Benward relocated to the Nashville area from L.A. with his girlfriend Ariel Winter in 2022.
Benward, known for appearances in Disney Channel shows and Netflix films, reportedly sought a quieter life away from paparazzi.
Stephen Dorff
Actor Stephen Dorff , who is best known for his roles in "Blade," "Somewhere" and "True Detective," announced earlier this month that he is selling his sprawling 70-acre Tennessee compound in Leiper's Fork for $10 million.
While it's unclear when Dorff first moved to town, he spent time in Nashville in February 2015 to film a movie about an aspiring country music star. It remains to be seen if Dorff is leaving the area or simply relocating to a new home.
So keep your eyes open, Nashvillians.
These big screen stars may be frequenting your favorite coffee spots, yoga classes and Music City bars.
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist at The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com.
Curious what The Tennessean's music team has been listening to lately? Check out our playlist below , featuring all local artists.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, actors living in Nashville
