Newport's Famous Regulars: When Hollywood Had a Bar Tab Here

Published November 2, 2026

A group of people laughing and enjoying drinks at a bar with a coastal view in the background.

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NEWPORT BEACH | AROUND NEWPORT | NOVEMBER 2, 2026

Newport Beach has had more than its share of famous faces: old Hollywood legends, NBA stars, a pop princess, and even a Shark Tank investor. Some lived here, some owned waterfront homes, and others just came for a night out. That’s a pretty deep guest list for a beach town.

These weren’t all dive-bar regulars, of course. But their Newport connections are real, and some are stranger than fiction.

John Wayne, Rodman, and a doorman you wouldn’t argue with

John Wayne lived overlooking Newport Harbor and kept his yacht, the Wild Goose, nearby. He was well known around the Balboa Bay Club, where histories recall him playing cards and enjoying the waterfront.

He was also a Crab Cooker regular. According to a story told by the restaurant’s management, Wayne stopped going after President Nixon couldn’t get a reservation. The restaurant wasn’t making exceptions, not even for the president.

Apparently Newport had a no-VIP policy before it had valet parking.

Rodman arrives on the peninsula

Then came Dennis Rodman. In the late 1990s, the NBA star made Newport his summer playground, turning his Seashore Drive house into one of the peninsula’s most recognizable celebrity addresses.

He wasn’t just hiding behind the front gate. A 1997 Los Angeles Times profile followed his visits to Orange County bars, and by 2001 Rodman owned Josh Slocum’s on Mariner’s Mile.

From John Wayne’s harbor yacht to Rodman’s restaurant nights, Newport celebrity culture covered quite a range.

And the guest list kept growing

Woody’s Wharf, which opened in 1965, later had action star Chuck Norris as an owner. Its history recalls Jean-Claude Van Damme working as a doorman during the Norris years.

That’s one Newport entrance where arguing with the door staff probably wasn’t worth it.

Nicolas Cage owned a harborfront mansion from 2005 until its reported $35 million sale in 2008. A local boat-tour captain remembered Cage waving to people passing by. Newport’s celebrity tour apparently came with complimentary greetings.

Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank bought a Balboa Peninsula waterfront home for $7.95 million in 2018. For a Shark, that’s one way to get closer to the water.

Britney Spears was photographed visiting Newport’s Sutra nightclub in September 2007. Not exactly a longtime bar regular, but she definitely made the local nightlife guest list.

And comedian Adam DeVine, known online as @andybovine, proposed to Chloe Bridges aboard a boat in Newport Bay. If you’re going to ask a life-changing question, apparently the harbor makes a decent backdrop.

The cast keeps changing, but Newport’s blend of celebrity sightings and neighborhood hangouts has been running for decades.

Back then, if somebody famous walked in, you might actually finish your drink before reaching for a camera.

Sources: Balboa Bay Club and John Wayne; Crab Cooker recollections; LA Times: Rodman on Newport nightlife; OC Business Journal: Rodman’s restaurant; Woody’s Wharf history; Daily Pilot: Nicolas Cage; LA Times: Robert Herjavec; X17: Britney Spears Newport visit; Vogue: Adam DeVine’s Newport Bay proposal.

Newport’s Famous Regulars: When Hollywood Had a Bar Tab Here

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