November was a big month for actors with Connecticut ties, with “Wicked: For Good” dominating the box office and “Stranger Things” premiering the start of its final season. The month was also highlighted by the Jonas Brothers rocking out at Mohegan Sun.
Here are some of the celebrity sightings in or around Connecticut in November:
CT actor stars in final season of ‘Stranger Things’
“Stranger Things” premiered Volume 1 of its fifth and final season on Netflix in late November. Volume 2 is set to be released on Christmas and the series finale will premiere on Dec. 31, with screenings of the finale also being held in over 350 theaters between the United States and Canada, according to Teen Vogue.
The show is centered on a small town that uncovers a mystery involving “secret experiments” and “terrifying supernatural forces,” according to its description on Netflix.
Connecticut native Gaten Matarazzo plays Dustin Henderson, one of the sci-fi horror show’s main characters. Matarazzo was born at New London’s Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in 2002 and lived in Mystic for only two months of his life before moving to Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J, according to previous reporting. – Joseph Tucci
Jonas Brothers celebrate ‘A Very Jonas Christmas Movie’ with Mohegan Sun concert
Uncasville
In celebration of their 20th anniversary as a band, the Jonas Brothers brought their “Jonas20: Greetings from Your Hometown Tour” to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville in November.
Returning back to the venue where the band played its first-ever arena show, Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas treated the sold-out crowd to a two-hour performance filled with nostalgic fan favorites and modern hits.
Opening the evening was Franklin Jonas and the Byzantines, led by the youngest sibling of the Jonas Brothers. Franklin Jonas and the Byzantines filled in for the absent All-American Rejects, who were forced out of the tour due to necessary “vocal rest” for singer Tyson Ritter. – Andrew DaRosa
Joe Pantoliano stars in new Hallmark film
Wilton
Wilton actor and “The Sopranos” star Joe Pantoliano is getting festive a little early this year.
Pantoliano, also known as Joey Pants, had his latest Hallmark project, “Holiday Touchdown: A Buffalo Bills Love Story,” premiere on Nov. 22. It is also available to stream on Hallmark+. He stars in the film with Holland Roland, Matthew Daddario and fellow “The Sopranos” star Steve Schirripa.
The film follows two neighboring families, the DeLucas and the Quinns, who have live near the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium. The two families have a friendship going back decades and one of their shared holiday traditions to celebrate the Bills’ final home game before the holidays each year. – TinaMarie Craven
Jam band Eggy hosts homecoming, headlining show at Toad’s Place
New Haven
Connecticut jam band Eggy hosted its first-ever headlining show at Toad’s Place in late November.
In the past year, the band has opened shows for its hero Bruce Hornsby, performed with My Morning Jacket, debuted new music set to the backdrop of Denver International Airport’s “Blucifer” statue and played some of its largest venues to date. – Andrew DaRosa
Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin performs concert
Westport
Actor and singer Mandy Patinkin showcased decades of his work when he performed at the Westport Country Playhouse in November.
“Mandy Patinkin in Concert: JUKEBOX” featured a “hand-picked collection of classic musical numbers” from Patinkin’s work. Over the years, he has had roles on the stage, in film and on television and has worked as a recording artist. Adam Ben-David, a music director who worked on plays such as “The Book of Mormon,” played the piano during the show.
Patinkin has roles in films and TV shows, including “The Princess Bride,” “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” “Criminal Minds,” “Before You Know It,” “Chicago Hope” and “Life Itself.” In 1995, he won an Emmy Award for his role as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in “Chicago Hope.” – Joseph Tucci
Jenna Bush Hager shops in CT
Greenwich
Jenna Bush Hager, host of “Today with Jenna and Friends” on NBC was seen shopping with her son Hal at CVS on Greenwich Avenue in November. – Susie Costaregni
This is the best time to serve Thanksgiving dinner, according to Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart recently appeared on the “Today” show, where she sparked a Thanksgiving debate among viewers.
The former Connecticut resident joined “Today” co-hosts Craig Melvin, Dylan Dreyer and Laura Jarrett to provide answers to viewers’ Thanksgiving questions and give cooking advice for the holiday.
During the segment that aired on Nov. 13, Stewart said the best time to serve Thanksgiving dinner is 2 p.m.
Homes & Gardens recently also put a spotlight on the guru’s former Connecticut house in Westpor after Stewart’s team shared a post to Instagram reflecting on her former farmstead. Stewart lived at the farmstead from 1971 to 2007, her website states. Homes & Gardens praised the estate’s country kitchen, calling it the “most special space we’ve ever seen” and a “feast for the eyes.” The publication highlighted the copper pots and woven antique baskets hanging from Stewart’s ceiling, stainless steel appliances and warm wooden cabinets. – Jayden Nguyen
Here are the 2026 Grammy nominees with CT ties
Nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards were announced in November.
Several of them had ties to the Nutmeg State, including Stephen Schwartz, Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Brad Mehldau and Bob Mintzer. – Andrew DaRosa and Jayden Nguyen
Tracy Morgan films scenes for ‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ in Westchester
Elmsford
For a brief moment, Carmine’s Italian Deli and Cafe became Salami Joe’s.
The deli in Elmsford, a small town in Westchester, New York, was used as a set location on Nov. 13 for NBC’s new comedy “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.” The series, set to release in February, is centered around a “fallen football player star (seeking) redemption and a chance to restore his tarnished reputation,” according to IMDb. It stars Tracy Morgan as Reggie Dinkins (a football player) and Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Tobin (a filmmaker who’s making a documentary about Dinkins).
The scene at the deli featured Morgan coming in for food. Manager Jennifer Connolly said she got a chance to say hi to him and that he was “awesome.” She added that the scene filmed at the deli will likely be featured in the final episode of the season. – Joseph Tucci
Robert Plant dines in CT
Greenwich
Robert Plant, lead vocalist of Led Zeppelin fame, was seen dining at L’escale restaurant on Steamboat Road in Greenwich on Nov. 7 before his concert at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., which took place on Nov. 8. – Susie Costaregni
CT’s ties to the ‘Wicked’ Broadway musical and films
“Wicked: For Good,” the follow-up to the 2024 film inspired by the hit Broadway musical starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, was released in November.
Among the Nutmeg State’s connections to the franchise are Ariana Grande’s theater roots, Cynthia Erivo stopping by Connecticut venues and Kristin Chenoweth performing “Wicked” hits in Ridgefield. – Jayden Nguyen
Celebrity wigmaker Jason Hayes elected CT first selectman
East Granby
Jason Hayes has worked for about three decades on the biggest stages in show business, creating wigs and doing makeup for some of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
Now he is the first selectman of the small Connecticut town of East Granby.
A political newcomer, Hayes defeated Republican First Selectwoman Eden Wimpfheimer in the Nov. 4 election in one of the many municipalities where Democrats flipped control of the leadership of local government. – Eric Bedner
Former home of Phil Donahue included in real estate sale
Westport
Three properties on Beachside Avenue in Westport were recently snapped up – becoming the largest sale in Westport history.
The properties at 120-122 Beachside Ave., 124-128 Beachside Ave. and 26 Beachside Ave. were purchased by a “single, undisclosed buyer” for $54 million, according to a news release from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) New England Properties. The property at 120-122 Beachside Ave. is notable for being the former home of American TV personality Phil Donahue and actor Marlo Thomas.
Donahue, a former talk show host, and Thomas, an actor best known for her role in “That Girl,” purchased the property in 1998 and built the Nantucket-style home, designed by Westport architect Roger Ferris +Partners, in 2007, according to previous reporting. Donahue and Thomas then sold the residence in 2013 for $20 million to Andrew Bentley. Bentley also bought a home on Beachside Avenue from disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein in 2018, before tearing down the home to sell off the two lots it was built on. One of those lots – 26 Beachside Ave. – is included in this purchase. – Andrew DaRosa
NBC’s Martha Moxley podcast ‘Dead Certain’ details body discovery
The first episode of NBC News’ podcast about the murder of Greenwich teenager Martha Moxley was released in November.
“Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder” is a 12-episode weekly podcast hosted by Westport resident and journalist Andrew Goldman that delves into Moxley’s death at age 15 in 1975 and features interviews with former residents of the Belle Haven section of Greenwich, as well as Moxley’s classmates, friends and Kennedy family relative Michael Skakel.
Skakel and his siblings are the nieces and nephews of Ethel Skakel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy. – Jayden Nguyen
This article originally published at ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Wicked’: CT’s celebrity gossip and sightings, November 2025.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
