Entertainment Sports Celebrities Who Were Once Cheerleaders Ready? Okay! Get ready to "rah"-ck with these photos of former cheerleading celebrities, including Ciara, Reese Witherspoon and Kendall Jenner By Grace Gavilanes Grace Gavilanes Grace Gavilanes is a former associate editor at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2018. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 13, 2023 01:27PM EDT Comments Close Halle Berry as a cheerleader . Photo: Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library They've got spirit, yes they do! These stars knew how to get a crowd's attention long before they became famous. See celebrities including Cameron Diaz, Ciara, Jenna Dewan and Meryl Streep in their cheerleading uniforms, and find out whether they were on top of the pyramid (Reese Witherspoon) or just comic relief (Steve Martin). 01 of 26 Megan Fox Megan Fox as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Before playing a demonic cheerleader in Jennifer’s Body, Fox rooted for the Morningside Academy Eagles. Still, “I was not, even for a second, popular," she told Seventeen in 2008. 02 of 26 Ciara Ciara as a cheerleader. Ciara/Instagram The singer and her football star husband Russell Wilson clearly are on the Homecoming Court of life, as she proved in this cute throwback Instagram. 03 of 26 Chrissy Teigen Chrissy Teigen as a cheerleader. Chrissy Teigen/Instagram The Cravings author was inspired to post this throwback shot after watching Netflix's show, Cheer. "Watching Cheer on Netflix got me reminiscing about how I sucked at cheerleading almost as much as I sucked at doing my brows," she wrote in the photo's caption. "Truly no idea how I made this team. The best part is they claimed there was no JV/varsity but one squad got to cheer for basketball and football and the other (mine) got volleyball and wrestling. I still remember my mat cheers though. Go fight win baby. Go fight win." 04 of 26 Chrissy Teigen Chrissy Teigen as a cheerleader. Chrissy Teigen Twitter "Eyebrows were not mandatory," wrote Teigen, commenting on her thin brows in this squad pic. 05 of 26 Mandy Moore Mandy Moore as a cheerleader. Mandy Moore/Instagram "I loved cheerleading. I was not the most physically adept cheerleader but I was very vocal," the This Is Us actress recalled to James Corden. 06 of 26 Jessie James Decker Jessie James Decker as a cheerleader. "15 and freshman year cheerleading...," wrote the country crooner, adding the hashtag: "#hidethebraces" 07 of 26 Jenna Dewan Jenna Dewan as a cheerleader. Jenna Dewan Tatum/Instagram The pro dancer threw it way back by posting a pic from her "Texas high school cheerleader days." 08 of 26 Jenna Dewan Jenna Dewan as a cheerleader. Jenna Dewan/Instagram During her early years as a cheerleader in the '80s, Dewan had the major curls that would make the Dallas Cowboys cheer squad envious. 09 of 26 Reese Witherspoon Reese Witherspoon as a cheerleader. Reese Witherspoon/Instagram The Oscar winner was on top of the world … or at least on top of the pyramid. "#TBT to my days as a proud General," she wrote, captioning her cute throwback snap on Instagram. 10 of 26 Fergie Fergie as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Back in 1992, the crooner spent her days smiling and shaking her pom-poms at football games as a cheerleader at Glen. A. Wilson High School. 11 of 26 Eva Longoria Eva Longoria as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Years before landing her career-making role on Desperate Housewives, Longoria cheered for Roy Miller High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, as well as for Texas A&M-Kingsville in college. 12 of 26 Kylie & Kendall Jenner Kylie and Kendall Jenner as cheerleaders. Miguel Aguilar/Juan Sharma/Pacific Coast News Gimme a K! Before they became jetsetting supermodels and beauty moguls (and moms!), the youngest members of the Jenner clan were happy to watch the action from the sidelines (shown here in 2011). 13 of 26 Sandra Bullock Sandra Bullock as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Need proof the Oscar winner is totally ageless? Look no further than her high school yearbook photo. 14 of 26 Kelly Ripa Kelly Ripa as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Reminiscing about her cheerleading days, the Live with Kelly and Ryan cohost admitted her beauty choices were rather questionable. "I had tanorexia," Ripa said, adding that she also had "hair as big as it could possibly get." 15 of 26 Cameron Diaz Cameron Diaz as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Despite the pom-poms, the actress-turned-author was actually part of the drill team at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. "I was terrible at it," she told pal Drew Barrymore in 2022. "I always had the missteps. I was really bad at walking with a flag and counting my steps and then making a left turn. I'd run into people." 16 of 26 Halle Berry Halle Berry as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library She did it all! On top of bringing her infectious energy to school events, the actress also worked on the school newspaper and served as prom queen. 17 of 26 Dakota Fanning Dakota Fanning as a cheerleader. Pacific Coast News After being homeschooled for years, the young actress decided to attend L.A.'s Campbell Hall high school, where she joined the cheerleading squad and was voted homecoming queen. 18 of 26 Brooklyn Decker Brooklyn Decker as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library The actress and model was full of school spirit as a high school cheerleader - more than a decade before making a splash on Netflix's Grace and Frankie. 19 of 26 Rashida Jones Rashida Jones as a cheerleader. Rashida Jones/Instagram "Get fired up it's Friday y'all," wrote the actress, sharing a little cheer in honor of Flashback Friday. 20 of 26 George W. Bush George W. Bush as a cheerleader. Darren McCollester/Newsmakers Before he led the country, the 43rd president led his high school cheerleading team. The New York Times reports that he would rally spirits during weekly school-wide assemblies at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. 21 of 26 Madonna Madonna as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Ever the performer, the multi-hyphenate artist cheered for her high school in Rochester, Michigan. Perhaps this served as inspiration for her 2012 Super Bowl set? 22 of 26 Jessica Simpson Jessica Simpson as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library Before she rose to fame, the singer cheered for Richardson North Junior High. In an interview with Dr. Oz, she revealed that she dropped out of her position as head cheerleader after facing extreme bullying from her peers. 23 of 26 Steve Martin Steve Martin as a cheerleader. During his junior year at Garden Grove High School in California, the actor joined the squad for its comedic potential, writes childhood friend (and cheerleading teammate) Morris Wayne Walker in Steve Martin: The Magic Years. 24 of 26 Meryl Streep Meryl Streep as a cheerleader. Back in '60s-era Bernardsville, New Jersey, the Oscar winner brought spirit and a smile to the field with her high school cheer squad. 25 of 26 Stephanie Seymour Stephanie Seymour as a cheerleader. Stephanie Seymour/Instagram "#haventchangedabit," the supermodel said in an Instagram post of her younger self as a cheerleader, pom-poms in hand with cropped hair and wide glasses. 26 of 26 Katie Couric Katie Couric as a cheerleader. Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library The journalist was full of pep on Yorktown High School's cheer team in her hometown of Arlington, Virginia.