AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Amarillo may be the 14th most populous city in Texas but, many celebrities have graced the area with their presence including Mario Lopez who is set to make an appearance at HODGETOWN on May 5 for a special meet and greet.

Take a look at this list of celebrities who made their way through Amarillo and Canyon and surprised many community members along the way.

Frankie Muniz

The “Malcolm in the Middle” star headed to Amarillo to grab some good ol’ Texas barbecue, writing in an X post on Sept. 15, 2023: “Made it to Amarillo from Bristol and I’m having Texas Roadhouse, cause I’m in Texas and it’s where I eat 3 days a week when I’m not in Texas.”

The Cast of “1883”: Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Sam Elliott

When a variety of pictures surfaced of Hill, McGraw, and Elliott in Amarillo in November 2021, social media went into a frenzy. The trio was reportedly spotted hanging out at The Barfield in downtown Amarillo during their filming schedule for the Yellowstone prequel “1883.”

In addition, local Dumas teen, Alex Bilbrey filmed a few scenes in the prequel and previously explained to MyHighPlains.com that he learned a lot from the veteran actors.

Will Ferrell

It didn’t take any “Kicking & Screaming” for Will Ferrell to come to Amarillo. The “Elf” star was seen at The Big Texan Steak Ranch eating the restaurant’s famous 72-ounce steak, along with Mexico Lindo and Clothez Exchange in March 2023 and MyHighPlains.com reported that Ferrell and his companies were traveling through the High Plains to film a documentary.

“The whole thing was very bizarre, even for us,” noted a representative of The Big Texan, “We couldn’t tell what was really scripted and was real.”

Rihanna

It was August 2020 when Rihanna was at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, according to a post from Rihanna’s Instagram account. The picture showed the global songstress posing next to one of the painted Cadillacs that read Donald Trump’s last name along with an “F”- word expletive.

Steve Burns

Famous for hosting the long-running children’s television program “Blues Clues,” Steve Burns has been spotted in Amarillo and Canyon several times. In March 2022, Burns was in Canyon to chat with West Texas A&M University students for the university’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

According to a Facebook post from The Shops at Wolflin Square, the Emmy-nominated actor was also in Amarillo in January 2024 grabbing a cup of coffee at the Palace Coffee located at 2646 Wolflin Ave.

Oprah Winfrey

Arguably the most famous celebrity that crossed Amarillo’s path was Oprah. MyHighPlains.com detailed on the 20th anniversary of the trial that the famed television host was in court for six weeks in 1998 as she defended herself in a battle with the cattle industry.

Winfrey was sued for $10 million after she allegedly disparaged the beef industry on her talk show in regards to mad cow disease. During the trial, Oprah continued to tape her talk show while in Amarillo.

In the end, a jury voted unanimously in Oprah’s favor.