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Daily Inspiration Quote by Ashley Judd

"And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one"

About this Quote

There is a disarming self-demotion baked into Ashley Judd's story, and it lands because it runs against the usual celebrity-gets-in narrative. She describes the realization that "they actually liked me being around" as mind-blowing, which quietly admits she walked into Kentucky basketball culture expecting skepticism, not welcome. That expectation matters: it frames Big Blue fandom as a closed ecosystem where authenticity is policed, and where famous outsiders are tolerated at best. Her surprise is the tell.

"Humbling" does double duty. On the surface, its a grateful nod to a program with real gravity in the state - Kentucky basketball as civic religion, not entertainment. Underneath, its a preemptive defense against the charge of making it about herself. Judd knows the stereotype: the actress-as-courtside accessory, the attention magnet. So she shifts the spotlight back to the institution, positioning herself as lucky to be adjacent rather than entitled to belong.

The kicker is the line that snaps into comedy: "I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one". Notorious is a brilliant, self-aware word choice: it admits her visibility has sometimes been read as spectacle, maybe even annoyance, while also reclaiming that perception with a wink. She isn't competing for purity points; she's acknowledging that fandom isn't only measured by decibel level, but by narrative footprint. In a culture obsessed with ranking devotion, Judd makes room for a messier truth: you can be sincerely invested and still be a little too famous to blend in.

Quote Details

TopicHumility
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Judd, Ashley. (2026, January 16). And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-it-blew-my-mind-when-i-started-to-get-wind-of-138502/

Chicago Style
Judd, Ashley. "And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-it-blew-my-mind-when-i-started-to-get-wind-of-138502/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And it blew my mind when I started to get wind of the fact that they actually liked me being around. That was humbling, because Kentucky basketball is a big deal, and I am not the biggest fan - I am just the most notorious one." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-it-blew-my-mind-when-i-started-to-get-wind-of-138502/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.

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They Liked Me Being Around - Ashley Judd on Kentucky Basketball
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About the Author

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Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968) is a Actress from USA.

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