If you’re an A-lister in New York City, chances are you’ve got a summer home in the Hamptons. The affluent vacation destination that’s just a couple hours outside the Big Apple is home to some of the most famous celebrities on the east coast.
Located on eastern Long Island’s South Fork, the Hamptons is a cluster of small seaside towns that’s long been attracting wealthy buyers looking for picture-perfect, secluded vacation homes with water frontage and sprawling acres of greenery.
The Hamptons is marked by long stretches of beach and an interior of farmland, towns, villages and hamlets in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton.
Rubbing shoulders with NYC’s elite in the summer months is an everyday occurrence in the Hamptons. In no particular order, here’s a look at 10 of the most famous homeowners in the Hamptons.
Beyoncé & Jay-Z
New York City’s royal couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, soak up the sun with their three children at their East Hampton summer home.
In 2017, the power couple joined the Hamptons club when they purchased a 12,000-square-foot home for $26 million. Featuring 203 feet of waterfront property, the Carter’s estate includes 7 bedrooms and 7.5 baths, an infinity pool, and hand-carved marble bathtubs.
When they’re not retreating to their country home, Queen Bey and the rapper live in a sprawling Bel-Air property — which we’ve covered extensively here.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Longtime couple Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos purchased their palatial property in Southampton for $2.35 million in 2004.
Since then, the parents of three have done extensive renovations to their North Sea summer home.
On rare occasions, the famous couple take to Instagram and share sneak peeks of their Hamptons home which includes an infinity pool and separate sunbathing area.
SEE ALSO: Where does Ryan Seacrest Live?
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez is Jenny from the block — in Southampton, that is. The mother-of-two owns an 8,000+-square-foot Hamptons ‘cottage’ in Water Mill.
Boasting 8 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms, the vacation home is fully equipped with a backyard pool, a sauna, steam room, a home theater, and a 3-car garage.
J.Lo purchased her stunning Hamptons estate in 2013, dropping $10 million for the 2004-built home that sits on three acres of property on Bay Lane with its own cul de sac (which makes it as private as it gets).
Robert Downey, Jr.
Marvel superstar Robert Downey, Jr. and his wife Susan enjoy summers with their two children in the Hamptons in a storybook home.
Complete with a windmill, their historic Hamptons ‘cottage’ was originally built in the late 19th century and sits on four acres of land with 8,500 square feet of living space between the main house and the guest house.
*Tour the whole house in our feature article: Robert Downey Jr.’s unconventional houses are a sight to behold
Formerly a playhouse and later transformed into a residence, the East Hamptons home is located in Amagansett, just a stone’s throw away from his Iron Man co-star Gwyneth Paltrow’s Hamptons estate.
The summer home, overlooking a church spire, features a chef’s kitchen, octagonal entry foyer and show-stopping wraparound fireplace wall.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Goop magnate Gwyneth Patrow grew up summering here with her famous parents, director-producer Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner.
It then comes as no surprise that she’s now one of the biggest celebrities with homes in the Hamptons, passing along the tradition to her two children, Apple and Moses.
Neighbors with the Seinfelds, the Academy Award-winning actress, 49, and husband, Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk, continue to enjoy their summers in their East Hampton home, located in Amagansett.
The Avengers actress and mother-of-two purchased the 7,000-square-foot, 5-bedroom and 7.5-bath summer home in 2006 for $5.4 million with her then-husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
In October 2018, Gwyneth and Brad were wed in their Hamptons home (yes, with her famous ex-husband in attendance).
*We also have the scoop on Gwyneth Paltrow’s main house in Montecito, her “Forever, Forever Home”
Jon Bon Jovi
Rockstar Jon Bon Jovi is well known for his New Jersey roots. But during the summer months, the singer-songwriter, 59, and his family-of-six travel to their East Hampton home, joining the long list of celebrities living in the Hamptons throughout the summer.
Located on world-renowned Lily Pond Lane, the Blaze of Glory hitmaker and his wife, high school sweetheart Dorothea, purchased the 11-bedroom home for $7.6 million in 2004.
Fun fact: the rocker’s 25-year-old son Jesse recently started a biz, inspired by his East Hampton upbringing. “My family would make a run for it, and not come back for three months,” Jesse told Elliman Insider of summering in the Hamptons.
Now Jesse is a winemaker, having created a rosé wine named Hampton Water, inspired by his famous father’s “pink juice” that was pouring ‘o plenty over the years at their summertime estate.
Jerry Seinfeld
Funnyman Jerry Seinfeld and his wife Jessica have long been spending their summers in the Hamptons with their three kids.
Sitting on 12 acres of lush oceanfront property, the couple’s East Hampton home is located in Amagansett. The Seinfelds bought the mansion for $32 million in 2000 from Piano Man hitmaker, Billy Joel.
The multi-million dollar estate includes a large manor house with its own pool and garden, 22-car garage (for Jerry’s extensive antique car collection), a main pool, barn, baseball diamond and 3-bedroom guest house.
According to Haute Residence, the property is actually located fairly close to the Long Island house where “The Hamptons” episode on the last season of Seinfeld was filmed.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off star Matthew Broderick, enjoy spending the summers with their three children in the Hamptons.
Parents to twins, the A-listers also own twin beach houses in Bridgehampton, one across the street from the other. Built in 1865, the Victorian homes boast lush green grounds, an outdoor pool and a charming front porch (pictured above).
Neil Patrick Harris
Father-of-two Neil Patrick Harris and husband David Burtka love to spend time in the Hamptons with their twins. So much so, that the couple decided to sell their stylish and heavily customized New York City brownstone and move out of the city to their summer estate.
The Doogie Howser alum, 48, purchased the stunning 13.5-acre East Hampton estate for $5.5 million in 2017.
Spanning 5,250 square feet, the 4 bedroom, 5.5 bathroom home is fully equipped with a tennis court, pool, cabana, rooftop hot tub and pool house, and sits amidst acres of open meadows and gardens.
But despite its quiet, relaxing vibe, the actor’s home has a backstory that Barney Stinson would surely approve of: it was briefly known as the “orgy estate”, as an elite sex club hosted an over-the-top event on the grounds of the property.
Also, the Post reports that the sprawling East Hampton estate was once owned by Grove Street Press publisher Barney Rosset, who published controversial books like D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer” and “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”
Bobby Flay
Celebrity chef and restaurateur — and the Food Network’s biggest star — Bobby Flay is a famous Hamptons resident.
The Beat Bobby Flay star has long been calling Amagansett, N.Y., home. He also films his hit cooking competition in nearby New York City, so it only makes sense that the pro chef doesn’t stray too far from his hometown.
Born and raised in New York, Bobby Flay has often offered glimpses inside his Hamptons home, which he bought during his marriage to actress Stephanie March. While the couple split in 2015, Flay retained the home in the divorce.
Hugh Jackman
Aussie movie star Hugh Jackman owns the most elevated beachfront property on the exclusive Hedges Banks in East Hampton, NY.
The Wolverine actor paid $3.5 million for his Hamptons getaway, then embarked on an extensive six-year renovation of the property, turning it into a minimalist dream.
Since Jackman and wife Deborra-Lee Furness don’t live here full-time, the couple decided to rent the property during winter months, and it was most recently on the market for a whopping $166,666 per month, the New York Post reports.
Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost
While this power couple keeps their private lives ultra-private, the Saturday Night Live host and his superhero wife are big fans of the Hamptons, and there are plenty of paparazzi photos to stand as proof.
They reportedly own not one, but two homes in the Hamptons, including a lovely beach house that the Avengers actress bought back in 2014 for $2.2 million.
Set in the exclusive Amagansett area, the house sits on 1.4 acres of land and has 3,500 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, a heated outdoor pool and deeded beach access.
As for the other house Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost own in the Hamptons… well, we haven’t managed to track that down, but we do know they also own a house in Los Angeles, and two other city pads in New York City.
Ralph Lauren
American fashion designer and billionaire businessman Ralph Lauren joined the ranks of celebrities living in the Hamptons back in 2019.
The fashion mogul paid $16 million for a four-bedroom home in Montauk, New York, one that already had a history of past celebrity residents.
Once home by famous playwright Edward Albee — who lived here for more than 50 years — Ralph Lauren’s house includes a 2,100-square-foot main house, a guest cottage, an outdoor pool and pool house, and a tennis court.
Most notably, the house comes with more than 200 feet of oceanfront.
Donna Karan
But Ralph Lauren isn’t the only fashion mogul in the neighborhood.
Internationally acclaimed fashion designer and creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels Donna Karan famously lives in the Hamptons.
In fact, Karan likes the area so much that she purchased a whole collection of Hamptons homes — owning at least four properties in the area (that we know of).
Most recently, in 2020, the fashion designer invited People magazine into one of her properties in East Hampton, New York, which she dubbs her “spa house”.
Karan told the outlet that her Hamptons “spa house” is very dear to her heart because she built it right before her husband, artist Stephan Weiss, passed away in 2001.
Other famous people that owned Hamptons homes
To wrap up, we thought we’d also take a look at some former Hamptons celebrity homes, whose owners decided to part ways with their summer pads in the area — though that’s not to say they won’t return with a million-dollar purchase in the future.
Sean Combs
You can call him Puff Daddy, Diddy or Sean. Either way, call him a famous past homeowner in the Hamptons.
The father-of-six, 52, was famous for throwing Gatsby-style White Parties at his East Hamptons oceanfront estate.
The Grammy Award-winning hitmaker purchased his party-ready property in 1998, paying $2.45 million for the 4,500-square-foot waterfront home which features 4 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, a screening room, pool, and spa.
Diddy quietly sold his Hamptons home, with public records showing a November, 2022 sale for $5,550,000, more than double the amount the rapper paid for the waterfront spread back in 1998. However, it’s unclear whether Diddy was the seller or if he unloaded the property earlier — without the sale leaking to the press.
Matt Lauer
Up until recently, disgraced former Today host Matt Lauer owned one of the most famous celebrity homes in the Hamptons, a sprawling 6.3-acre property in Sag Harbor that was formerly owned by Richard Gere.
The former NBC journalist paid $36.5 million to buy it from the actor back in 2016, a steep discount from the $65 million asking price Richard Gere first wanted for the property.
With views of Peconic Bay and the Mashomack Preserve, an impressive 300 feet of bay frontage, its own deep-water doc, and two guest cottages, Lauer’s former Hamptons property is a dream summer retreat. One that offers a total of 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.
The main house, known as Strongheart Manor, dates back to 1902 — though it has been heavily updated and renovated throughout the years — and has a generous 6,552 square feet of living space.
After trying to sell the property for $45 million in 2019, Matt Lauer re-listed it in 2021 for $43.99 million, with a buyer finally taking it off his hands in early 2022 (though the final sale price was not disclosed).
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