These idols always had to share a real knack, so it’s not shocking that they can do just about anything any time they’re put in front of a camera. But did you also realize that it all started with cheerleading for those successful artists? You can be assured that the crowds shouted out their lungs as they shouted and cheered for whom they cheered, whether they were cheering and shouting at the bleachers, these are the famous faces that shake poms!
Cameron Diaz
First of all, before Cameron Diaz was a movie star, she was just a teenager like everyone else. This blondie in her teens was a quirky cheerleader at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. To reflect the school’s colors, it used green and yellow, but later, these facial expressions proved useful for several auditions.
Cameron Diaz
Diane Sawyer
As a professional cheerleader, you can be certain that Diane Sawyer definitely had the spirit! Happy and blond Diane belonged in her home town of Kentucky, Louisville, to the Cheerleading Seneca High School squad. After starting and eventually transferring the character to TV journalism, she spent a few years at the World Fair advertising the Coca-Cola Pavilion.
Diane Sawyer
Olivia Munn
Olivia Munn and her family were stationed in Japan when her father joined the Air Force. After the couple broke up, Olivia and her mother relocated to Oklahoma. Munn served as a cheerleader for the Putnam City North High School team. She then studied journalism in college, and she found her true niche in acting.
Olivia Munn
Ciara
Ciara Princess Wilson was not just another cheerleading squad at Riverdale High School. She had been a cheerleading captain! Ciara is still a major proponent of sport and its advantages. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t be as involved as I wanted to be because it was the year when my music started to become even more important to me,” said Ciara, explaining why she had to give up pursuing music.
Ciara
Kirsten Dunst
Sure, she played a girl character named Torrance Shipman in the movie Bring It On but this actress had some knowledge of the true experience of cheerleading. She was a pom-girl when she was attending Laurel High and Notre Dame High School. She was part of her own high school team before the hit film came out.
Kirsten Dunst
George W. Bush
President George W. Bush was both a cheerful captain and a basketball player in Andover, Massachusetts, at Phillips Academy. Armed with a megaphone and lots of joy, the political figure roused the crowds with chants. Later on, he went to Harvard Business School and Yale University, but this is where everything started.
George W. Bush
Eva Longoria
Currently, her major cheerleading breakthrough was the Mexican-American star, Eva Longoria. Longoria, while performing at Roy Miller High School in Corpus Cristi, TX, as well as at Texas A&M-Kingsville, fell in love with being in front of an audience. She had been found by a visiting LA agent who knew she had something special.
Eva Longoria
Kathie Lee Gifford
By the age of fourteen, Kathie Lee became a cheerleader at heart. With the exception of cheerleading, she even entered pageants and also won Maryland’s Junior Miss Pageant in 1970. She earned a sports degree and went to attend Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There she studied drama and music.
Kathie Lee Gifford
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is amongst Hollywood’s favorite actresses. She is remembered at Bernards High School in New Jersey for her on-screen prowess and lovely attitude, the latter of which she learned by cheering. She was a varsity participant during her senior year, photographed here to be very proud of her achievement.
Meryl Streep
Sandra Bullock
Did you guys know that the star was a cheerleader at Washington-Lee High School at her place of birth in Arlington, Virginia, before she was the cool spy of Miss Congeniality? Prior to graduating in 1982, she was involved in athletics and several of the school’s theater plays. She kept her focus on the prize!
Sandra Bullock
Steve Martin
This silver-haired comedian once had a head of brown locks hanging in the dressing room and a cheerleader’s outfit. Some of the best cheers were given to the California Garden Grove squad and they were peppy and hilarious. That may be because Steve himself, the comedy legend, wrote a lot of them!
Steve Martin
Denise Richards
Back in her Illinois childhood, Denise was an athletic Tomboy. When she moved to Oceanside, California, she wanted to change her appearance and join the cheering squad at El Camino High School. She appeared in shows like Saved By The Bell and Married With Children, ultimately courting her now-ex-husband, Charlie Sheen.
Denise Richards
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa was raised as a dancer in southern New Jersey. The future soap opera star joined the cheerleading squad while attending Eastern Regional High School, shouting spirited sayings to the crowds. She also took drama lessons at college. Her teacher, Jim Beckley, told her to continue acting, and she is probably happy to have followed that advice.
Kelly Ripa
Halle Berry
Before becoming the first African-American to receive an Academy Award for best actress, she was just Halle, from Bedford High School in Cleveland, OH. Berry was a role model for students, taking part in cheerleading, courses for honors, and the school newspaper. She even won the Prom Queen, and somehow in high school, she didn’t even peak.
Halle Berry
Jenna Dewan
Jenna Dewan is a dancing superstar thanks to her film, Step Up, starring herself and Channing Tatum. Nevertheless, prior to being in the franchise, she was a cheer queen in Texas. She fell in love with the physicality of the dance pieces and wanted to try them. She finally got her big break when dancing backup to Janet Jackson in 2001.
Jenna Dewan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay, following her childhood celebrity status, went to a regular high school in Long Island, NY. Before transitioning to exclusively homeschooling, she attended both Cold Spring Harbor High School and Sanford H. Calhoun High School, trying on a cheering squad at both schools.
Lindsay Lohan
Sally Field
From her involvement with Forrest Gump or Mrs. Doubtfire, you would understand this actress, but she was performing well before that. This star was part of the cheering squad in Van Nuys, California, at Birmingham High School. Further on, though, she would be a sensation recognized for shows like The Flying Nun and Gidget.
Sally Field
Fergie
Born as Stacie Ann Ferguson, Fergie, due to her happy personality and beautiful face, was a favorite star of her high school cheering squad. She also challenged the myth that cheerleaders are stupid, provided that she was a straight-A student at Glen A. Wilson High School. Later on, she went on to join the Black Eyed Peas.
Fergie
Cynthia Bailey
Until she left the state at 18 for a position in NYC, this actress worked on a football field as a cheerleader. At Deshler High School, the reality television star and actress cheered for the local team in her home state of Alabama. The rest is history for this starlet.
Cynthia Bailey
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union captivated fans as a cheerleader in Bring It On, but she had a wonderful year of experience in the role. In Pleasanton, California, the queen was a cheerleading superstar. According to her the family was very involved in sports, as she even said “In my family, if you couldn’t talk Cornhusker football, then you don’t get to have an opinion.”
Gabrielle Union
Renee Zellweger
While attending Katy High School in Katy, Texas, Zellweger was part of a squad of cheerleaders. She’s still very involved in the gymnastics element of the sport, once even appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to show off her flips and tumbles. You can’t hold this girl down!
Renee Zellweger
Stacy Keibler
This WWE athlete did not always have the spirit of a fighter. When she was the Baltimore Ravens’ professional cheerleader, it was more like a dancer’s heart. She moved to WCW in 1999 and up to 2001. From there the girl became a wrestler for WWE and worked exclusively with WWE.
Stacy Keibler
Jesse James Decker
Artist or cheerleader… All right, why not both? At fifteen, the country singer-songwriter was composing hit singles and conducting interviews for Nashville labels, but on weekends she also shouted for the home team. Now she’s got a ton of hit songs, and she’s ventured out into the fashion business as well. She might have updated some uniforms.
Jesse James Decker
Mandy Moore
Before depicting Pom in The Princess Diaries of 2001, carrying Lana Thomas, Mandy Moore wore her own cheering outfit. However, her understanding was a bit different, as she cheered for the Pop Warner Football Team. After this experience with the cheery world and later, This Is Us, she went on to star in A Walk to Remember.
Mandy Moore
Miley Cyrus
Even though most cheerleaders-turned-actors start performing on the field, Miley has been performing since she was born. As the child of Billy Ray Cyrus, she always had a knack for being on stage. The Cyrus star, though, had once been a seven-year-old cheerleader for her hometown’s Tennessee Premiere soccer team before she became Hannah Montana.
Miley Cyrus
Blake Lively
It seems crazy now, but Blake just got into acting because she thought it would be good for her father and mother. They were right. She left some spare time for friends, homework, and the cheering squad on her calendar while attending Burbank High School, though. She did all of it between shooting her first major movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Blake Lively
Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler may be a top-tier comedian, but once again she was on top of the cheer pyramid! In Massachusetts, the legend of SNL cheered and sang for Burlington High School. Then she went to Boston College and finally went to Chicago, where she learned not only to cheer, but to laugh as well.
Amy Poehler
Danielle Brooks
Danielle Brooks is known for her lead role in Orange Is the New Black, but back in high school, she was also a part of her high school cheer squad. Eventually, because the short skirts made her feel insecure, she quit the team. She later wrote on her blog about her experience by saying, “Never quit anything again because you’re scared of what others might think of you – unless you become an exotic dancer, the only exception. But even then only quit because you want to.”
Danielle Brooks
Paul Rudd
That Clueless heartthrob at Overland Park High School in Kansas was one of the school’s “yell leaders” Not only was he adept at hyping up a crowd, but he was also president of the Student Body. The actor learned how to cartwheel, flip, tumble, and lift a stunt while in high school, even if he doesn’t use film skills.
Paul Rudd
Reese Witherspoon
This Legally Blonde Star was at the top of the planet back in the day and on top of the pyramid. Long before fame entered her life, the star of Walk the Line was part of the cheerleading team at her school. Here she is in a throwback picture shared by Reese herself, cheering upon the Generals.
Reese Witherspoon
Ann Margret
Ann was an accomplished singer, spry dancer, and peppy cheerleader at Winnetka, Illinois’ New Trier High School, and was born in 1941 in Sweden. She happily smiled at the cameras and the fans even before she was popular. In images such as Bye Bye Birdie, Carnal Intelligence, Grumpy Old Men, and The Cheap Detective, the starlet went on to act.
Ann Margret
Sela Ward
The beautiful Sela Ward may be known for her acting career today, but the University of Alabama knows her as one of their cheering squad’s prestigious alumni. The actress had been cheering for the Crimson Tide football team years before she was even on television. She graduated in 1977, having studied fine art and advertising.
Sela Ward
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone was a cheerleader formerly? As if! Just as if! In the cult classic comedy Clueless, for her iconic role as Cher Horowitz, this blond beauty became known to humans, but her teammates knew her as a basic stunter. She cheered for San Mateo High School, home of the fighting Bearcats!
Alicia Silverstone
Jayma Mays
Back in the day, Jayma was actually a high school cheerleader, although she is Emma Pillsbury, a Glee guidance advisor for high school. While gladly embracing their Wolves, their school mascot, she and her team mates are seen wearing blue and yellow here. That smile will make it lighter for a crowd!
Jayma Mays
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields is renowned for being one of the world’s prettiest women. Whether she was posing for the camera or acting in The Blue Lagoon at Emmeline in the 1980s, she did it all with a smile. The career-defining smile was one she learned from her spirited cheer squad at her private high school in New Jersey.
Brooke Shields
Nene Leakes
Nene Leakes has had a long and successful career as a reality television star in the past decade, but before that she was tossing her pom-poms into the air for the home team. Her spunky personality on and off the field no doubt supported her in both cheering and her career, seen here wearing a mixture of red and gold colors.
Nene Leakes
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has tried her hand in a number of media, such as modeling and acting, but did you know she was once a high school student too? Apart from cheering sessions, Lawrence filled her days with softball matches, basketball warm-ups, field hockey scrimmages, and more. She is worthy of everything!
Jennifer Lawrence
Kirk Douglas
Amsterdam High School in Amsterdam, New York, can rightfully claim that the renowned actor, Kirk Douglas, once cheered for their winning teams. He has shot over 100 films during his long life. Generally, these consist of styles such as serious dramas, old school westerns, and war movies.
Kirk Douglas
Paula Abdul
As a cheerleader, Paula carried it to the next stage. Not only was she determined to excel in the cheering squad at Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles, but she was also an honor student. By becoming a Laker Girl, then becoming a head choreographer, and supporting stars on the court, such as Jamaal Wilkes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson, she committed herself to dance after graduation.
Paula Abdul
Jessica Simpson
The cool-girl spirit of Jessica Simpson is incomparable, thanks to her cheering days. She got into the sport whilst attending Richardson North Junior High School in their home state of Texas. She was not there for long when she dropped out of college at the age of 15 to pursue music, but she finally became a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys.
Jessica Simpson
Snooki
Jersey Shore’s favorite cast member was once a teen on a daily basis. A star began cheering for her school in Marlboro, New York, but it cost her her mental health. Snooki said, “Cheerleading was my life in high school, but it wasn’t always easy for me. I started to be anorexic. There were freshmen who were seventy pounds and I was like, my spot as a flier is going to get taken away. So I ended up starving myself.”
Snooki
Phaedra Parks
In Athens, Georgia, Clarke Central High School was where this Real Housewives star and lawyer began her career. In a red, white and gold outfit, she had all the aspect a cheerleader wants, noticed here. Later on in her adulthood, when she studied law, this fiery spirit was especially beneficial.
Phaedra Parks
Olivia Wilde
Technically, for The Andover, Massachusetts Phillips Academy, there was no cheering squad, but it had a step-team. It seems that almost the same look and form of cheering occurs, but with a new name and less stunting. According to Wilde herself, “It is just another form of cheering.”
Olivia Wilde
Kirstie Alley
Alley cheered for Wichita Southeast High School in Kansas before receiving her big break. She had much shorter hair at the time, too which was rare for a cheerleader. It must have strengthened her personality, however, because she was cast shortly after high school on the Cheers show.
Kirstie Alley
Kendall Jenner
Today, she may be the world’s most popular woman, but just a few years ago, she was an insecure teen. Some relief from the school limelight was given to the Kardashian sister, Kendall Jenner. You could see her as a cheering squad member for her high school in a blue and white uniform here.
Kendall Jenner
Kathy Griffin
These days, Kathy is a comic, but she used to be a young and amusing seventeen-year-old cheerleader. She got her kicks at Oak Park, Illinois, Oak Park, and River Forest High School…literally! And though she later turned to comedy, she was still charmed by the spotlight.
Kathy Griffin
Dakota Fanning
Dakota was unlike many on this list because, years after she was an established actress, she began cheering. She was already part of shows such as ER, CSI: The Crime Scene Investigation, The Practice, Spin City, Ally McBeal, and more. On their varsity cheering squad, Campbell Hall School had her. Go! Vikings! Go!
Dakota Fanning
Calista Flockhart
Remember the star of Ally McBeal? Calista Flockhart was still performing as soon as she cheered for Shawnee High School in her New Jersey homestate. Then, she graduated and attended the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where her career really started to gain momentum.
Calista Flockhart
Michael Douglas
Up until the 1950s, cheerleading was actually a primarily male sport. Choate Preparatory School was where Douglas learned to cheer, chant, tumble, and stunt, as with the rest of them. As scientist Hank Pym, when he was cast in the Marvel movies, he followed another former male cheerleader (Paul Rudd).
Michael Douglas
Megan Fox
Before she broke hearts in Transformers, Megan attended Morningside Academy in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The bombshell had been mocked at her school, turning to athletics for security. In movies like Teenage Drama Queen Confessions, where she played a cheerleader, she started acting!
Megan Fox