As Beyoncé’s security guard James Plaza goes viral, a look back at ‘swoon worthy’ celebrity bodyguards

When one thinks of a celebrity bodyguard, the first thing that comes to mind is that of course they must have a strong physical presence to protect their client and be discreet at all times. However, in recent years, it would appear that they appear to be attracting attention for their ‘good looks’ rather than their ability to be the best bodyguard they can be. 

When Beyoncé was performing recently at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland as part of her Renaissance World Tour, it was not her concert that went viral, but rather her security guard! People reported that “A TikTok video captured the moment when Beyoncé sang the lyrics, ‘look around, everybody on mute,’ and the crowd went quiet. The bodyguard, who stood below the stage, broke into a smirk before the music continued.”

The security guard has now been identified as James Plaza, Men's Health describe him as a “freelance close protection officer who has been working in private security with VIPs since 2010.” 

James Plaza is certainly not the first celebrity bodyguard/security guard to attract attention for his looks and certainly will not be the last! You may recognise the name of Peter Van der Veen, who has worked for both Adele and Lady Gaga. Peter, is a former bodyguard and reportedly even helped with the backing vocals to Lady Gaga's song ‘Government Hooker’ in 2011.

In July this year, Taylor Swift’s bodyguard was praised for protecting her on her Eras tour and was seen looking out for her as she left the stage one night. One Twitter now X user wrote: 'Bro watched The Bodyguard, he knows what’s at stake!’ whilst another one commented "Give the man a raise!” As well as protecting her, the bodyguard was most certainly attracting attention for his looks too!

Jennifer Lopez certainly knows all about attractive bodyguards as she married Ojani Noa in 1997, he was reportedly her bodyguard. Other stars who have dated or even married their bodyguards include Pamela Anderson. The Baywatch star married Dan Hayhurst in 2020 and the couple divorced two years later. Kim Kardashian is also believed to have had a short fling with bodyguard Shengo Deane back in 2011.