2025 celebrity guest list set for Derby Eve Gala benefiting UK's Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 28, 2025) — It is Derby Week in Kentucky and that means dozens of celebrities are heading to Louisville’s Churchill Downs — many of them spending Friday night at the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala.
The gala benefits UK HealthCare’s Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center to help combat a disease that disproportionally affects Kentucky. The center was established in 2008 by twin sisters Patricia Barnstable Brown and Priscilla Barnstable along with their late mother, Wilma. Together, they pledged the initial funding to support the center in memory of Patricia Barnstable Brown’s husband, David, who passed away in 2003 from complications of diabetes.
“Support from the Barnstable Brown family has allowed for rapid growth of the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. The need for specialized care is greater than ever,” said Simon Fisher, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. “The number of patients seen at the Barnstable Brown has doubled in the past few years. Each year we are seeing nearly 25,000 Kentuckians receive specialized medical care at Barnstable Brown.”
The Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala, internationally recognized as the “premier” Kentucky Derby gala and counted among the “Ten Best Parties in the World” by Condé Nast, is proud to announce the celebrity lineup for its 36th annual gala. The many celebrity guests will include:
- Machine Gun Kelly
- Simone Biles
- Dierks Bentley
- Aaron Rodgers
- Tracy Morgan
- Selma Blair
- Wilmer Valderrama
- Brothers Osborne (TJ and John Osborne)
- Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook
- Blair Underwood
- Lee Brice
- Boyz II Men
- Mickey Guyton
- Scott Stapp of Creed
- Travis Tritt
- Darryl “DMC” McDaniels
- Davante Adams
- Brantley Gilbert
- Doug E. Fresh
- Larry and Dannielynn Birkhead
- Joey Fatone
- Jordan Smith
- Billy Gilman
- Nappy Roots
- RaeLynn
- Randall Cobb
- Jimmy Graham
- AJ Hawk
- Matt Flynn
- David Bakhtiari
- Bryan Bulaga
- Corey Linsley
- Allen Lazard
The star-studded bash is held at the Louisville, Kentucky home of Patricia Barnstable Brown. “Our historic 36th year will be extraordinary,” said Patricia. “We’re so excited to celebrate with all of our friends!”
About the Barnstable Brown Gala
The celebrity packed gala, known for its musical extravaganza, has raised and donated over $21 million — including $1 million from the 2024 gala alone — and benefits the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky. This year’s gala will be held on Friday, May 2, 2025 beginning at 8:00 p.m.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.