What To Watch
Movies and Shows Starring Celebrities Who Once Competed on Star Search
From a talent competition to TV and film.
By Ashley Lee
Jan. 20, 2026
Movies and Shows Starring Celebrities Who Once Competed on Star Search - Netflix Tudum
The famed talent competition Star Search is back. This time, it has a brand-new format: live on Netflix, and with real-time viewer voting and contestant eliminations. And it showcases a broader mix of performers, including musicians, dancers, comedians, and kids’ acts. Anthony Anderson is hosting the reboot, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jelly Roll, and Chrissy Teigen make up the panel of judges.
The series — airing live on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT — might very well launch the careers of its relatively unknown performers. After all, these 15 celebrities appeared on previous editions of the series, and went on to lead must-see movies, feel-good TV shows, and stand-up specials. The new Star Search has a timed voting window, but these titles featuring former contestants are available to stream at your leisure.
Burlesque
Crossroads
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable...
Dave Chappelle made his first appearance on Star Search in 1993 and, at 19 years old, was the youngest comedian to compete on the show at the time. Of course, he’s since released numerous stand-up specials, including Dave Chappelle, Equanimity & The Bird Revelation, The Dreamer, Sticks & Stones, and The Closer. His latest: The Unstoppable…, which was a surprise release in 2025.
Friends with Benefits
Hands of Stone
In the early ’90s, Usher’s Star Search rendition of Boyz II Men’s ballad “End of the Road” caught the attention of music executive L.A. Reid — to the tune of an eventual record deal. In this 2016 boxing drama, he portrays Sugar Ray Leonard, opposite Édgar Ramírez as Roberto Durán. The two legendary fighters face off multiple times in the movie, with Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, Ana de Armas, and John Turturro in tow.
Home Team
Kevin James competed on Star Search in 1995, just years before debuting his sitcom The King of Queens. He’s since starred in a number of comedies, including this 2022 film that’s based on the true story of former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. James portrays an NFL coach who returns to his Texas hometown to coach his 12-year-old son’s team. Make it a marathon by also watching True Memoirs of an International Assassin, Sandy Wexler, and The Crew.
HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé
In 1993, Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland appeared on Star Search as part of the group Girls Tyme, and performed an original song. After topping the charts as a member of Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to headline Coachella — a milestone captured in this 2019 documentary. Want a Destiny’s Child double feature? Throw on the 2019 holiday movie Merry Liddle Christmas, in which Rowland plays a woman hosting her family for the holidays.
Martin
Martin Lawrence was a contestant in 1987 — an appearance that led to the comedian being cast in the sitcom What’s Happening Now!!, which launched his acting career. He later led this hit show as Martin Payne, a radio DJ in the Detroit area who has a macho public persona — a characteristic that’s a point of contention between him and his girlfriend Gina (Tisha Campbell). Also featuring Tracy Morgan and David Alan Grier, the series ran from 1992 to 1997.
No Good Deed
Ray Romano delivered a stand-up set on Star Search in 1989, years before the launch of his acclaimed sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. Romano and Lisa Kudrow star in this 2024 series as a couple trying to sell their 1920s Spanish-style villa in Los Angeles. The dark comedy, created by Liz Feldman (Dead to Me), features Linda Cardellini, Luke Wilson, Teyonah Parris, O-T Fagbenle, Abbi Jacobson, and Poppy Liu as the three families competing to buy what they believe to be their dream home.
Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special
Norm Macdonald took part in an international edition of Star Search in 1990, shortly before his Saturday Night Live tenure. The comedian, who died of leukemia in 2021, recorded a final hour of stand-up at his home in 2020. The special was released in 2022, and included a conversation about Macdonald between Adam Sandler, Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, David Spade, and Molly Shannon. Keep the laughs coming with his 2017 special Norm Macdonald: Hitler’s Dog, Gossip & Trickery and his interview series Norm Macdonald Has a Show.
The Parkers
Countess Vaughn was victorious on Star Search in 1988, thanks to her soaring cover of the Jackson 5 hit “I’ll Be There.” She gained notoriety from the UPN sitcom Moesha, playing Brandy’s onscreen best friend, Kim Parker. From 1999 to 2004, Vaughn then led the spinoff show The Parkers, in which Kim attends community college alongside her mother, played by Mo'Nique. Vaughn didn’t stop singing either, as she also recorded the hit series’ theme song.
Sing
In 2003, Tori Kelly competed on Star Search, performing the Rachael Lampa song “Blessed.” The singer-songwriter went on to join the voice cast of this 2016 animated movie alongside Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Nick Kroll, and Taron Egerton. In this movie about a singing competition, Kelly voices Meena, a sweet and timid elephant who struggles with stage fright. Kelly reprises her role in Sing: Thriller, the short that showcases the Michael Jackson hit.
Survival of the Thickest
Garcelle Beauvais competed on Star Search as a spokesmodel in 1985. She later co-starred in the hotel-set sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, playing the front desk clerk Francesca “Fancy” Monroe (and Foxx’s love interest) for five seasons. She has appeared in Michelle Buteau’s series since its 2023 launch as Natasha Karina, an icy former supermodel who hires Buteau’s stylist character Mavis and finds herself discovering not just gorgeous outfits but also a necessary friendship.
Younger
Sutton Foster covered Cilla Black’s song “You’re My World” on Star Search in 1990. The Broadway boldface led this series from Darren Star (Emily in Paris) set in the book-publishing industry. Foster’s character Liza is a divorced single mother who, amid her struggle to rejoin the workforce, poses as a 26-year-old in order to get a job as an assistant. Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar, and Miriam Shor play Liza’s colleagues in the show, which debuted in 2015 and ran for seven seasons.
All About Star Search
The new chapter is now streaming.
“This is the real magic right here.”
The outcome was decided by fans at home using Netflix’s new voting feature.
In the finale, the power shifts to the audience — every vote comes from viewers.
You can catch all 7 seasons right now.
The iconic talent competition premieres live on Netflix on Jan. 20.
The five-week live event premieres on Tuesday, Jan. 20
The star jokes about alternate lives while accepting honors for his latest role.
Shop Star Search
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