Before they found fame on the big screen, the studio, or the stage, these celebrities used to rah rah sis boom bah on the football field.
Whether in high school, college, or both, these A list celebrities used to get the crowd pumped while cheering for their home team.
Olivia Wilde
As she is known for playing many serious roles, it’s pretty hard to picture Olivia Wild as a peppy, happy cheerleader.
However, it turns out that while she was in high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, she was on the step team!
Kendall Jenner
She now spends most of her days out on the catwalk modeling the latest fashions or spending time with her family while shooting KUWTK.
However, back in high school, Kendall Jenner spent her free time on the field cheering as part of her squad.
Cameron Diaz
Before she became a movie star, Cameron Diaz was scouted as a model when she was 16.
At the same time, she became a cheerleader for her high school, Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.
Meryl Streep
It’s hard to imagine that Merryl Streep, one of the greatest actresses of our time, was a cheerleader back before her acting days. But it’s true!
While she was a student at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey, she was a full-time cheerleader as well.
Jessica Simpson
Before she was singing her heart out on stage, Jessica Simpson was a teenager and a student at Richardson North Junior High School in Richardson, Texas.
While she was studying there, she was a cheerleader for their squad.
Kylie Jenner
Even though nowadays you wouldn’t say that she followed in her old sister’s footsteps even a little bit, back in high school, Kylie Jenner was also a cheerleader for her high school’s team. Same uniform and everything.
Dakota Fanning
It’s hard to think of Dakota Fanning as anything other than a young, refined actress.
Although she began acting at a very young age, Dakota still managed to go to high school, where she was a varsity cheerleader as well as a homecoming queen.
Fergie
In her song Fergalicious, Fergie spells out words in an almost cheerleader-like fashion.
Now we know why that makes so much sense, as she was a cheerleader back in high school.
We bet those lyrics came straight from her cheerleading days.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon was used to being the center of attention long before she ever starred in any movie or television show.
Here, you can see her in the spotlight at the top of a cheer pyramid back when she attended Harpeth Hall School, an all-girls school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hallie Berry
Hallie Berry has been acting for over 3 decades, but did you know that before she started on television, she was a cheerleader?
She made the cheer squad in high school and was particularly flexible as well.
Madonna
That’s right. The queen of pop herself, Madonna, was a cheerleader in high school before she made it big in the music scene.
You might not recognize her in this photo, but this Material Girl used to be a cheerleader girl.
Miley Cyrus
Miley certainly has come a long way from Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel.
But even before she started her breakout role, she was a cheerleader on the Premiere Tennessee All-Stars Cheerleading team.
According to her cheer-mates she always had a “sassy” attitude that everyone loved.
Jenna Dewan
Everyone knows Jenna Dewan for her incredible dancing skills, especially from the movie Step Up, where she started with her former-husband Channing Tatum.
But where did she learn those dance moves to begin with? Growing up in Grapevine, Texas, dance-culture was all the rage.
And when you’re still in highschool, cheer is the closest thing school offers to a dance troop. So it’s no shock that Jenna was on the squad.
Amy Poehler
This one might come as a shock to you, but funny-woman Amy Poehler was also a cheerleader back in her high school days, long before she considered a career in acting and comedy.
We wonder if she was as hilarious back then as she is now.
Ciara
We knew she could dance, sing, and act, but we had no idea she could also cheer!
Ciara can really do it all, even back when she was in high school cheering for the football team.
We bet knowing those cheer moves helped with the 1-2-step.
Chrissy Teigen
Model, wife of John Legend, and very sassy Twitter troll Chrissy Teaghan wasn’t always known for her antics on stage.
However, she was used to being in the spotlight for quite a few years now as she was a cheerleader in high school.
Blake Lively
Before her starring role as Serena on Gossip Girl, Blake Lively was fully involved in activities at her Burbank, California high school.
Not only was she a cheerleader, but she was also class president! Talk about an A+ student.
Kirsten Dunst
Yes, she was the star of the first Bring It On, but that doesn’t mean the role was 100% acting.
That movie was actually not the first time Dunst wore a cheerleading uniform, as she was on the cheer squad back in her high school as well.
Snooki
You may know her as the wild and crazy alcohol loving mess from The Jersey Shore, but long before she found fame an fortune on reality TV, she was a regular girl in high school who was also on the cheerleading squad.
Sandra Bullock
Before she became an Academy Award-winning actress of all genres, Sandra Bullock was a typical teenage girl who went to high school and joined the cheer squad.
Even though it was a few decades ago, she still looks almost exactly the same.
Katie Couric
If you’re an avid news-watcher, then you definitely know who Katie Couric is. A Television Journalist and decades-long co-host of the Today Show, Katie Couric is no stranger to being front and center.
But did you know that she was in the public eye long before her career in TV? While she was a student at Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia, Couric was on the cheerleading team!
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is a multi-talented woman, as she is famously known for her role as Daytime TV talk show host of Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee.
She is also a singer/songwriter, author, and has even acted on occasion. And for anyone who is familiar with her character and style, it’s not really all that surprising that she too was a high school cheerleader.
Kathie Lee cheered for Bowie High School in Bowie, Maryland.
Danielle Brooks
You probably know Danielle Brooks from her breakout role as Taystee from Orange Is The New Black.
While Taystee is a pretty flashy and outspoken character, Danielle is actually a bit shyer than you would think.
At least she used to be, as she was a cheerleader for her high school’s team, but quit shortly after joining because she felt uncomfortable in the short-skirted uniform.
Alicia Silverstone
“Ugh, as if!” You’d be lying if you say you don’t recognize that line. Alicia Silverstone, who famously played Cher in the legendary 90’s movie, Clueless has the perfect personality for a peppy cheerleader.
So it’s definitely no surprise at all that she was a part of the squad during her high school years.
Alicia Silverstone cheered for her school, San Mateo High School in San Mateo, California.
Sally Field
While her most recent work on the big screen has been playing the role of the motherly figure, Sally Field used to be quite a good looking girl in her day (actually, she totally still is now).
However, back before she moved to Hollywood and broke into acting, Sally Field was a cheerleader, specifically a flyer, for her high school’s squad at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California.
Jennifer Lawrence
Most people know Jennifer Lawrence as the butt-kicking baddy from The Hunger Games.
She has never been one to be stereotypically girly, as she is often loud, crass, and highly opinionated in interviews and even award speeches.
So it won’t come as too much of a surprise to learn that, while she was a cheerleader for a short time during elementary school, she absolutely hated it.
Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore has already shown the world what she looks like in a cheerleading uniform, in her role as the mean-girl Lana in The Princess Diaries.
But did you know, that long before she got her start in acting, she wore that uniform for real?
When Mandy Moore was only a little girl, she joined a cheerleading squad and totally loved it. Look how cute she looks in the picture!
Eva Longoria
This Desperate Housewife has a long history of cheerleading before she made it big in Hollywood.
Eva Longoria started her cheerleading career in high school, when she joined the squad at Roy Miller High School in Corpus Christi, Texas.
She loved it so much that she continued to cheer all throughout her college career as well, where she could be found out on the field at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Kelly Ripa
Cute little Kelly Ripa is best known for her role as a daytime television host on Live! With Regis and Kelly.
But before she began her career in television, she was out on the field cheering loudly for her team.
Kelly has admitted that back when she was a cheerleader, her main focus was how tan she could get and how high she could style her hair.
She also admitted that looking back, she regrets her fashion choices.
Megan Fox
Megan Fox moved to Florida with her family when she was a young teenager.
At her new high school, Morningside Academy in Port Lucie, Florida, she joined the cheer squad and became a cheerleader for her school’s team.
Rebel Wilson
