Every celebrity has a life from before they were famous. And unless they’re child stars, it can sometimes be difficult to find out about their early lives. But, the general public knows enough about at least some of these people. And some of those celebrities happened to be cheerleaders in the past. Here’s some celebrities you probably didn’t know were cheerleaders.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz is known for her “girl-next-door” look in some of her earlier movies. And that’s on display in this photo from her high school years.
Halle Berry
Before becoming an international celebrity, she was a cheerleader from Ohio. Looking at this photo in the past and comparing it to her now, it almost seems as though she never aged in the first place.
Fergie
Fergie’s style has changed a bit over the years. It’s nice to look at her in this photo, not because we see her as a cheerleader though. You get to see the awesome perm she once had as a teenager.
Rachel Ray
Rachel Ray’s known for her sunny personality and cooking ability. At least one of those abilities probably did her well when she was a cheerleader. And she almost has the same hairstyle now as she did as a teen.
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst first appeared onscreen as a cheerleader in Bring It On. But did you know that she once was an actual cheerleader? She wore this more conservative outfit and ponytails when cheering for her own team in school.
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa showed off her bubbly as she was on her high school cheer squad. She was a top-level cheer star before she was a famous talk show host. Maybe she can still pull off some of those same moves.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock’s played plenty of tough women in the past. It’s why it might be difficult for some people to think of her as being a cheerleader when she was younger. She was pretty cute back then too.
Kathie Lee Gifford
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that someone with the wild energy of Kathie Lee Gifford was once a cheerleader. Although, some people even have trouble imagining her this young. She seems as though she’s been in her 40s her entire life.
Megan Fox
Most people wouldn’t exactly use the word “wholesome” to describe Megan Fox. Although, she didn’t appreciate her designation as a sex symbol. But it’s kind of neat to look at old photos of her as a teen when she was a cheerleader with braided twintails.
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde looks pretty similar nowadays to how she did when she was a teenager. As good as she looks now, it’s still hard to imagine her having been a cheerleader in the past. She looks like she could’ve just immediately started her career as an actress.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan actually is known as a child star. And she’s portrayed plenty of famous teenagers in movies and TV. But did you know that she was once a cheerleader too? In comparison to the films she’s made though, she’s stated that, Lohan has stated that she tried to avoid all that high school drama.
Jessica Simpson
Looking at this picture of Jessica Simpson from back in the day, she looks perfectly sweet and innocent. She looks a quite a bit different nowadays, with a lot more makeup in comparison.
Olivia Munn
Olivia Munn’s sense of style and smile was the same as when she was a cheerleader. The image is pretty blurry, but it’s still obviously Munn. There may be some higher quality images of her a cheerleader, but it’s understandable if she wants to keep those private.
Meryl Streep
Before she won multiple Oscars and became one of the most famous actresses in the world, Meryl Streep was in high school just like everyone else. And she almost looks identical as a high school cheerleader in comparison to how she does now. She does have a sunny personality. And probably a great skin care routine.
Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin’s comedy is so full of sarcasm it’s hard to imagine that she was once a cheerleader. But no, this notorious comedian was once cheering for her high school’s sports team. Maybe her experiences back then informed the kind of person she is now.
Alicia Silverstone
Of Clueless fame, Alicia Silverstone was once a cheerleader too. And given her more positive attitude, it might not be too big of a stretch for some people to believe. Just look how relaxed and at-home she appeared back then.
Blake Lively
Nowadays, the idea of the mature, yet still funny, Blake Lively is what everyone expects and is used to. But she used to be a cheerleader as well. She’s actually managed to stay in pretty good shape since high school. She might be able to pull off the same routines, even after having a few kids.
Renee Zellweger
Renee Zellweger’s always been on the smaller side of things. Her having been a cheerleader as a kid may be a bit harder to imagine, but it’s much less difficult to imagine if she was actually good at it or not. Her petite build probably made her easy to carry.
Amy Poehler
A comedian best known for her role as the straight-laced Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation, it might be a bit more difficult to imagine her as having been a cheerleader. She certainly has a bit more hair back then in comparison to what she has now.
Diane Sawyer
Before she became a famous newscaster, Diane Sawyer was cheering for her home team. She actually looked like one of the stereotypical popular girls in high school.
Jennifer Lawrence
When Jennifer Lawrence first rose to prominence as Katniss Everdeen, she wasn’t that many years past her time in high school. Even so, her portrayal of The Hunger Games protagonist hid her bubbly personality from everyone. You probably wouldn’t have guessed she was a cheerleader from Kentucky.
Kendall Jenner
She’s known as the littlest Kardashian for a reason. It wasn’t too long ago that Kendall Jenner a cheerleader. Considering their fame, it’s hard to imagine that they would have had time to be on a cheer team. But Kendall seemed to manage.
Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning’s known as a media darling and feminist, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have been a cheerleader in the past. That’s how she spent her high school years, and there were plenty of pictures taken to prove it.
Katie Couric
A vibrant and sunny Katie Couric was also a vibrant and sunny cheerleader as a teen. It’s actually interesting how much she resembles Katie Holmes when she was a teenager.
Phaedra Parks
Phaedra Parks is a skilled rapper, known for a more saucy of a personality. But back in the day, her image was a bit more wholesome. She’s probably the most unexpected cheerleader on this list.
