How Your Favorite Stars Are Honoring Memorial Day 2021

Memorial Day typically marks the start of the summer season, but it is also a solemn federal holiday. It is observed on the last Monday of May every year to remember the service members who lost their lives in military service. Like millions of Americans, dozens of celebrities took a moment on Monday to honor the holiday and service members.

The holiday has its roots in the days before the Civil War ended. On May 1, 1865, formerly enslaved African Americans honored the Black soldiers killed in the Civil War in Charleston, South Carolina. The soldiers were buried in a mass grave, but the former slaves unearthed the bodies to give them real burials. The first national commemoration of Memorial Day came three years later, with a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary on May 30, 1868. Before then, cities and towns marked their own Memorial Days or “Decoration Days,” notes History.com.

By 1890, every Northern state had a “Decoration Day” or Memorial Day to honor soldiers who died in military service. After the World Wars, the holiday was used to honor the dead from all wars. In 1967, Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday. The following year, Congress made it one of the four federal holidays to always fall on a Monday. This took effect in 1971, so the holiday has been on the final Monday of May ever since. Scroll on for a look at how celebrities spent their holiday.

Alex Rodriguez

Former MLB star Alex Rodriguez shared photos from Miami with his daughters, Natasha and Ella. On Monday, he shared an old photo from his Yankees days, showing members of the military on the field, standing in front of a giant American flag. “Today we honor the brave men and women of our military who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We are forever indebted and grateful,” Rodriguez wrote.  

Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young

HGTV star Tarek El Moussa and his fiancee, Selling Sunset star Heather Rae Young, enjoyed some fun in the sun. “Feels like summer. Happy to say we’ll be spending this weekend relaxing and boating,” El Moussa wrote. “What’s everyone up to for MDW!?”

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade

Actress Gabrielle Union and former NBA star Dwyane Wade marked daughter Zaya’s 14th birthday this weekend. “Teamwork Makes The Dream Work… We had a lil pre-party kick back with the toddler crew before [Zaya On Wheels],” Union wrote on Instagram. 

Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell celebrated her father’s birthday this weekend by seeing her parents for the first time in over a year. “It was my dad’s birthday, so we took him out to a nice dinner and he told me that since it was his birthday he absolutely did not have to take his mask off for the pictures I wanted,” she wrote. “I get my stubbornness from him. Happy birthday, dad. I’m so glad you’re mine.”

Eva Longoria

Eva Longoria, her husband Jose Baston, and their son, Santiago, took a weekend trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The family posed for a photo, with Longoria simply wishing her fans a “Happy Sunday.”

Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson struck a pose at Palm Beach, Florida. “Palm Beach-ing,” the Pitch Perfect star wrote. “I think I wanna move to Florida now.”

John Stamos

John Stamos shared an astonishing photo with his son, Billy, who held two U.S. flags. The photo was taken at the 2019 A Capitol Fourth show. “[Happy Memorial Day]. Time to remember and honor all the friends, family and heroes we’ve lost and all those who sacrificed their lives so we can be free. I have a son now, Billy, and I want him to grow up grateful for the heroes that protect us and make it possible to enjoy each and every day,” Stamos wrote. He included the hashtags “Thank you” and “grateful.”