Give Me An ‘S’! Stars You Never Knew Were Cheerleaders
Cheerleaders bring the short skirts and school spirit. When all else fails for the football team, you can at least depend on the cheerleaders to bring the noise and get everyone hyped. Considering the nature of their work, it only makes sense that some stars used to be cheerleaders back in the day. Can you believe that these musicians and A-listers used to cheer on the football team from the sidelines?
Before The Fame Was The Cheering
The actress that put on an amazing performance in the movie The Blindside, Sandra Bullock wasn't always a mega-actress. She started off like a few others on this list just cheering and participating in drama at her school. That early practice probably meant a lot for her overall development in acting and performing in general.
"Before she was Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock starred as a cheerleader and in theater productions at Washington-Lee High School in Virginia after spending the first 12 years of her life growing up in Nuremberg, Germany," Battaglia of the cheerleading website Flocheer wrote.
Eva's Doing It For The Thrill
For some of the other stars on this list, cheer or dance was something they used as a pathway to Hollywood. For Eva Longoria, that wasn't the case. Longoria was born and raised in Texas where she attended Roy Miller High School and even went on to cheer at the collegiate level at Texas A&M Kingsville.
She earned her degree in kinesiology while in attendance and this was also around the time when she won the Miss Corpus Christi pageant. So the writings on the wall indicate that Longoria really just was in this for the fun of it all.
Snoop Dogg Said She Was Fly
This beloved actress was shaking pom-poms before she was gracing the big screen with her charm and wit. She grew up in Southern California and attended Long Beach Poly High with another famous face: Snoop Dogg. The rapper has even said that he always caught Diaz hanging "with all [his] little cheerleading homegirls" and that she was pretty "fly."
Clearly, Snoop wasn't the only one who noticed her flyness since she also started her modeling career at the age of 16.
Cheering Started Early For Simpson
For Jessica Simpson, cheering at Richardson North Junior High School was the start of her acting career. However, she didn't succeed right away. She started cheering as an 8th grader where most typically begin once they get to high school, not before.
"It is around this time that she unsuccessfully auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club, freezing up during the tryouts," Joe Battaglia wrote for Flocheer. Thankfully, she would continue to audition before catching the attention of important people.
The Multi-Talented Ms. Streep
Who doesn't love Meryl Streep? Anyone who's anyone can appreciate her acting talents and longstanding career. She always puts on spectacular performances and we would imagine she took that same approach when it came to cheering. Streep attended Bernards High School in New Jersey back in the '60s.
Although she was described to be a "gawky kid with glasses and frizzy hair," she still made the cheer team. While cheering, she took part in drama at the school and gained popularity with her great performances at the school plays. So it only makes sense that she would pursue acting over dancing. No one wants to be a gawky kid forever.
She's Just Bein' Miley
Miley Cyrus has made quite the career for herself, hasn't she? From Disney star to half-naked twerking sensation, you can say the Cyrus is very adaptable. But before all the huge fame, she was still just a young and talented girl that had to perform in her blood.
"Miley was a cheerleader for the Tennessee Premier soccer team in her hometown of Franklin before moving to Toronto, Canada when she was eight," Battaglia of the cheerleading website Flocheer wrote. "It was there that her father took her to see a production of the play Mamma Mia! and she was inspired to pursue acting."
Rachael Ray is a Cheerleader Turned Culinary Star
Rachael Ray grew up in New York and attended Lake George High School where she was on the cheer squad. You can see similarities in her facial features from when she was younger, although her hair style is much different!
Ray is now one of the most recognizable chefs, and has one two Daytime Emmy Awards for her cooking shows, 30 Minute Meals and Rachael Ray. She's also been named the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes.
Pop Queen, Madonna
Madonna had an interesting upbringing. She grew up in a blue-collar family that was dependent on the auto industry in Detroit. Her mother died of breast cancer and her father remarried but once that happened, she began to resent her dad and would act out.
"While attending middle school she became as known for her high grades as for her unpredictable behavior, which included performing cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes and dangling off the monkey bars by her knees during recess," Battaglia wrote for Flocheer. "At Rochester Adams High School, she was a straight-A student and member of the cheerleading squad."
From Cheer To The Hunger Games
Jennifer Lawrence is the extrovert's spirit animal. She does what she wants and has fun while doing it. Many would love to be friends with Lawrence thanks to her outgoing personality, which we can only assume she sported throughout her youth too.
Lawrence cheered for Kammerer Middle School in Kentucky where she was so energetic that she earned the nickname "Nitro." Imagine a young Lawrence doing cartwheels running around the field cheering on her team. We can honestly imagine her doing all that at the age she is now, she is that much of a ball.
Getting Foxy On The Field
Megan Fox is one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. Before becoming a household name, she was cheering and distracting the opposing team with her good looks. Fox started training in dance and drama at five years old and when she moved to Florida, she became a member of her high school's cheer team.
Sadly, Fox was bullied when she was on the team at Morningside Academy. Although she's never publicly declared why she was bullied, we can only assume it must have been rooted in jealousy.
Before He Was Ant-Man, Paul Rudd Cheered
Yes, men can be cheerleaders too. Judge them all you want but if they play their part well enough then they can receive full-ride scholarships to college and continue cheering. And they aren't all called cheerleaders either—some can be referred to as "yell leaders" giving the position a more masculine feel.
Marvel hero and Judd Apatow alum, Paul Rudd was once a cheerer when he attended Shawnee Mission West High School in Kansas. He was also elected Student Body President. Now that he's Ant-Man, he can say that he's used to wearing uniforms thanks to his past experiences.
It Isn't Surprising That Kelly Ripa Was A Cheerleader
Considering her bubbly personality and seemingly never-ending energy, it isn't all that surprising that TV host and actress Kelly Ripa was a cheerleader in high school. Ripa attended Eastern Regional High School in southern New Jersey and realized early on that she loved to perform.
She decided to drop out of college and pursue acting full-time. She did just that and never looked back! In 2014 she was named one of the Most Powerful People in Media by The Hollywood Reporter.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner is the youngest of the famed Kardashian clan and arguably the most popular next to Kim. Before she transformed from a shy preteen to a social media influencer, she was a cheerleader at Sierra Canton High School in Los Angeles.
In 2019, Forbes named Kylie the "youngest billionaire" when it was announced that her net worth was estimated at $1 billion. In November 2019, she sold a share of Kylie Cosmetics for $600 million.
Do You Really Wanna Love Me Forever?!
Well before she was an American Idol judge and before she released "Forever Your Girl" Paula Abdul was showing her moves for the world's best talent. When she was just 18, Abdul was studying at Cal State Northridge and was a Los Angeles Laker Girl. She was chosen out of 700 participants.
In just one years time, she became the head choreographer and was discovered by The Jacksons. She would go on to choreograph for Janet Jackson and The Jacksons and eventually saved up enough money to make her singing demo. You know what happened next.
Fergalicious
Have you ever met someone that just had "it"? Well, Fergie was that girl growing up and honestly still is, people love the Black Eyed Peas to this day! You can tell from her vibrant smile above that she had it going on.
"Growing up, Fergie was the "it" girl," Battaglia wrote for Flocheer. "Born Stacie Ann Ferguson in Hacienda Heights, California, she was a Girl Scout and a spelling bee champion. Later, she attended Glen A. Wilson High School where she was a cheerleader and a straight-A student. After high school, Fergie studied dance and began doing voiceover work as Sally in Peanuts cartoons and shows."
It's A Sister Thing
Kylie isn't the only Jenner to have been a cheerleader. Before she was even in high school, her big sis Kendall was waving pom poms. Like her sister, she too attended Sierra Canyon High School. If the two were as famous as they are now back when they were in high school, we can only imagine how many people who have shown up to the football games!
Apparently, Kendall was a pleasure to have around. Her former coach, David Kirschner spoke very highly of her when he said: She's a very outgoing cheerleader, always coming up with new ideas to support our athletic teams and has the ability to make everyone around her smile and laugh."
Three Cheers For Halle!
We know Halle Berry from her many different roles throughout the years. A Bond girl, Catwoman and also Storm from X-Men, it seems there is no role she can't play. But one thing we didn't know is that she used to do stunts at Bedford High School in Cleveland.
Not only was she a cheerleader but she was also an honor student, editor of the school newspaper and what else but prom queen. She also participated in a few beauty pageants as well. Berry won Miss Teen All American in 1985 and also won Miss Ohio the next year and placed second in Miss USA.
Early Succes By Lohan Clouds Her Cheering Days
Lindsay Lohan has seemingly been in the spotlight her whole life. Early on it was for positive reasons like starring in family-favorite films and appearing in shows. As she got older, she started making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
She grew up on Long Island, New York and started modeling at three. She starred in The Parent Trap in 1998 and then Freaky Friday in 2003. It was around then she picked up cheering at Cold Spring Harbor High School. Then she attended Sanford H. Calhoun High and cheered before eventually choosing to be homeschooled.
Ciara Was A Cheerleader and Ended Up Marrying a Quarterback
Ciara is a multi-talented artist with a resume full of skills. She must have wowed the crowds at Riverdale High School when she was a cheerleader in her home state of Georgia. Ciara loved to sing and dance from a young age and cheerleading was just another talent on her list.
She ended up quitting the team to focus on her music and she has no regrets! She's married to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, so it sounds like she's living out a cheerleader's dream.
Denise Richards Didn't Like The Catty Cheerleaders
Although actress Denise Richards was a cheerleader in high school, she didn't enjoy it to the fullest. In an interview with DailyMail, Richards says that her teammates on the cheer squad is what made her experience less than stellar.
"I was a cheerleader in high school, and there were always catty girls around, it's nothing new. There was pressure to look a certain way and have a certain body. Everyone felt it."
The Many Talents Of Snooki
Before she was on Jersey Shore, Snooki was a great gymnast. A fact that many probably didn't know about her but it is something that is a big memory for her. After seeing how wild Snooki can get on national television, we would have never guessed she was an amazing gymnast and cheerleader too.
"I was really good at floor and vault and I actually made it to states once," she told USA Today. "I quit when I was 13 because it was just too much. States was a big memory for me. Then I took up cheerleading."
