The iconic actress’s versatile acting skills have led her to fame and fortune alike. But before she set foot in the industry, Streep performed in high school musicals and was a part of the cheerleading squad. This little tidbit of her early life came to light when Michael Schulman released her biography Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep. The book gives an insight into the star’s early life when she was part of the French club and student council. What’s more! In her senior year, she was selected as the homecoming queen. Can’t say we are surprised! Streep, who was born in New Jersey, may have started out her acting career in high school but made her feature film debut in the 1977 period drama Julia. Some of her more notable works include Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, The Iron Lady, The Bridges of Madison County, and The Devil Wears Prada. Streep has a total of 407 award nominations to her name, including 21 Academy Award nominations and three wins. As of 2021, the actress has a total net worth of a whopping $160 million.

The Academy Award-winning actress, who was a part of the cheerleading squad in high school, confessed how she still “embarrassingly” has her old cheerleading uniform from Washington-Lee High School in Virginia and would want to be buried in it. The actress still has that cheerleader spunk, and it shows in the kind of roles she plays. Bullock kicked off her acting career when she starred in the Off-Broadway show No Time Flat. This led to her motion-film debut in the 1987 action thriller Hangmen. She played various supporting characters and got her first lead role in the 1989 romance and coming-of-age film Who Shot Pat?. Her first breakthrough role came with Speed in 1994. Over the years, Bullock has done multiple romantic comedies, like The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, and Forces of Nature. And while she has showcased massive acting chops in these movies, she has outdone herself in The Blind Side, Gravity, and Bird Box. As of 2021, she has an approximate net worth of $200 million.

The stunning actress has many talents. Did you know? She was a cheerleader in high school. That’s not all! She was the class president and part of an honor society. The now 55-year old actress won an Academy Award role in the 2001 suspense film Monster’s Ball and made history in 2002 for being the first woman of color to have won the prestigious award. Before she kicked off her career in the film industry, Berry worked exclusively in modeling and won quite a few teenage pageants. She began acting in 1989 and stepped into the limelight with side roles in Jungle Fever and Boomerang. The actress was catapulted to fame when she starred in the X-men series and played the role of the Bond girl Jinx in Die Another Day. She played Catwoman in the 2004 film of the same name, and since then, she was consistently one of the highest-paid actresses in the world in the 2000s. Her current net worth stands at $90 million.

Fergie achieved fame when she was a member of the critically acclaimed and super popular hip-hop and rock group Black Eyed Peas. But before the “M.I.L.F $” singer kicked off her career in the music industry, she was working as an actress and doing voice work. In 1984, she joined the cast of Kids Incorporated, which featured members of a fictional musical group. This is where she got to showcase her singing talent. During her time on the show, Fergie was also on the cheerleading squad in her school. Not to mention, she was a straight-A student, a spelling bee champion, and even a Girl Scout. Talk about being multi-talented! Fergie went on to join the Black Eyed Peas around 2002, and the group released their first album in 2003. With this release, she became an instant hit worldwide. The actress married actor Josh Duhamel in 2009, and the pair was together for almost eight years before separating. She has an approximate net worth of $45 million.

Megan Fox may have taken some inspiration from her own experiences when she played the role of a cheerleader in the iconic film Jennifer’s Body. Yes, you read that right. She was on the cheerleading team at Morningside Academy in Port St. Lucie in Florida before she dropped out of school to pursue a career in acting. She landed her first role in the 2001 Olsen twins film Holiday in the Sun. Since then, Fox starred in popular films like Transformers, Jonah Hex, and This Is and 40. The actress has also made guest appearances on TV shows like New Girl. Fox got engaged to actor Brian Green in 2010, and the couple had three children before they separated in 2016. The actress is currently dating rapper Machine Gun Kelly. She has a reported net worth of $8 million.

Miley Cyrus, the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, is definitely one of the most popular singers of this generation. But way before she made her name as an international pop star, Cyrus was a cheerleader for the Tennessee Premier soccer team in her hometown. The singer and actress rose to fame when she landed the lead role of a charming and spunky high school student struggling to conceal her identity as she rules the music industry in Disney’s Hannah Montana in 2004. She released her first extended play, which featured popular singles like “Party in the U.S.A.” and “When I Look At You.” While her first album was aligned with her image as the girl-next-door, Cyrus chopped off her locks and dressed edgier for her next album, breaking free from this image. Some of her notable songs include “Wrecking Ball,” “We Can’t Stop,” and “Malibu.”

Witherspoon is known for her bubbly and happy-go-lucky personality, so it should come as no shock that the actress was part of the cheerleading squad in her younger days. She was often seen topping pyramids during her cheering days at the Harding Academy Generals in Nashville. She was also part of the cheerleading squad in middle school and high school before she dropped out to pursue a full-time career in acting. She bagged her first lead role in the film The Man in the Moon. Witherspoon, who at that time was just 14 years old, was still unsure about her career as an actor and was considering following her parents footsteps and do something in the medical field.

Once she made up her mind to continue acting, there was no stopping the actress, and she starred in films like Pleasantville, Election, and Cruel Intentions. These films brought her to the forefront of the industry and made her a household name; however, she was yet to attain international stardom. This changed when she starred in the 2001 film Legally Blonde. The box office hit catapulted her into both fame and fortune. The actress has since appeared in multiple super hit films and TV shows and has racked up a massive net worth of $200 million.

We all know and love when Blake Lively and hubby Ryan Reynolds pull each others’ legs on Twitter. But aside from her banter with her significant other on social media, Lively is also known for posting the best throwback pictures that give us a rare glimpse into her early life. In one such post, Lively shared that she was a cheerleader during her time in high school. In her usual cheeky style, she captioned the image “I’ve always been impressively athletic….” The actress stepped into the spotlight with her role in the infamous 2005 coming-of-age film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Two years later, the star landed the lead role of Serena van der Woodsen on the hit TV series Gossip Girl. The show ran for six seasons and has been rebooted for release in 2021. The actress has featured in various films, one of them being Green Lantern, wherein she starred alongside her then-future hubby, Ryan Reynolds. The couple started dating in 2011 and have three children. As of 2021, the actress reportedly has a net worth of $30 million.

Way before Paul Rudd was making headlines for being an ageless and timeless human, he was busy being a cheerleader or rather a “yell leader,” as he was fondly known, in high school at Overland Park, Kansas. The celebrated actor was also elected as the student body president during his time in school. Paul, whose acting resume boasts of three decades worth of work, started his career with recurring roles on different TV shows. Despite having a lot of TV exposure, people generally remember him for his role in the 1995 hit comedy Clueless, which really put him on the map. Rudd has since starred in a number of films and has dabbled in different genres that have showcased his talents as a versatile actor. In 2015, we saw him enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his role as Scott Lang, who becomes a superhero when he is bestowed with the ant-man suit. Some of Rudd’s most notable works include Living With Yourself, The Fundamentals of Caring, and This Is 40. As of 2021, he has a reported net worth of $70 million.

Before stepping into the world of acting and acquiring immense success through her films, Cameron Diaz was just another girl from San Diego with a dream of making it big. When she was a teenager, she went to Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where she landed her first modeling contract with Elite Model Management. In school, Diaz was actually a cheerleader! She used to wear a white cheerleading uniform with green and yellow stripes that represented the colors of her school. There are also a few pictures that show us just how adorable and beautiful she was even as a 16-year-old.
Her big-screen debut was when she appeared in The Mask alongside Jim Carrey in 2007. The Charlie’s Angels star has since done over 50 films and has an overall net worth of $140 million as of 2021. However, the Knight and Day star officially confirmed her retirement from acting in 2018. Her last film was Annie which was released in December 2014. Like several other celebs, Diaz has also managed to find a new creative venture to keep herself busy. Her passion projects include writing books and making fine wine for her label Avaline, which is co-produced with entrepreneur Katherine Power.

Kelly Maria Ripa, a popular actor and television host, was born and raised in New Jersey and went to Eastern Regional High School. What many may not know about her is that she was also a cheerleader back in school! She was an excellent performer and was encouraged by her drama teacher to consider getting into the field of acting and entertainment. And well, that was all the encouragement she needed. She was discovered in a local theater production when she was performing a play during her senior year. Ripa proceeded to be one of the first members of her family to pursue an acting career. She is best known for her role as Faith in Hope and Faith and as the co-host of the popular morning talk show Live! with Kelly and Ryan, which also stars Ryan Seacrest. She began her career as a regular dancer on Dancin’ On Air and has earned an overall net worth of $120 million! In 2014, she was named one of the Most Powerful People in Media by “The Hollywood Reporter.”

Kirsten Dunst ventured into acting at quite an early age. Dunst moved to Los Angeles from New Jersey with her mother and attended Laurel Hall School in North Hollywood and Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, where she was a cheerleader until she graduated. Dunst admits that she identifies with her character from the cheer comedy Bring It On in which she shared the screen with Gabrielle Union, who was also a cheerleader in high school. While at school, she was also friends with the Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek, who was a grade above her. Dunst rose to fame because of her portrayal of a child vampire in Interview with the Vampire. She was a 12-year-old actor when she was working on the film, and her performance even landed her a Golden Globe nomination for the category of Best Supporting Actress. Later in her career, she took on the iconic role of Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3 and has earned an overall net worth of approximately $30 million.

Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón is the youngest of her four sisters in the family. She was also a part of the cheerleading team for her high school in her hometown of Corpus Christi. However, the Desperate Housewives star had to go through some struggles to make ends meet in her youth. For her quinceañera, Longoria put together some money by working part-time at a Wendy’s. Later, she went to college at Texas A&M University to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology and was also a cheerleader till she graduated. After graduation, Longoria worked as a headhunter for a few years and auditioned for roles in the city of Los Angeles until she was scouted by a theatrical agent. Later, she earned her master’s degree in Chicano Studies from Cal-State University, Northridge (CSUN), and even wrote a thesis on “Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Career.” Longoria is also known for playing her character of Isabella Braña on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, which aired on CBS. Aside from these major projects, she has made guest appearances on several popular shows, the most popular of them being Brooklyn Nine-Nine and has an overall net worth of $40 million.

Gabrielle Monique Union, born in the state of Nebraska, was raised by her parents to be a strong and independent woman. Her parents placed immense value in educating her about the happenings of society and took her to her first gay pride parade when she was eight years old. She went to Foothill High School in Pleasanton, California, where she was a cheerleader. She has played the role of a cheerleader a couple of times in her career, one of which was alongside Kristen Dunst in Bring it On.In past interviews, she has mentioned that her family was a massive fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Big Eight Sports, which pushed her towards cheerleading in high school and college. Union went to UCLA and earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology. Some of her notable projects include films like Bad Boys II, Cradle 2 the Grave, and Breaking In, earning her a net worth of $40 million.

Renee Zellweger was born and brought up in Katy, Texas, and went to Katy High School. She was a cheerleader there and was extremely fascinated with the sport, and still continues to be quite involved in the mechanics of it. In fact, when she appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she recalled her school tryout chant and proceeded to demonstrate some impressive moves right in front of the camera! After high school, the star studied English literature at UT Austin and was planning to pursue a career in journalism. However, as fate would have it, she grew to be interested in stage performances. She got her first lead role in the 1994 film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. She is mainly known for her role as Bridget Jones from the Bridget Jones’s Diary series. Some of her other major projects include Chicago, Miss Potter, and Cinderella Man. Aside from being a successful actress, Zellweger has also worked as a singer, television producer, and film producer and has earned an impressive net worth of $90 million.

As a child, Olivia Munn had to live in Japan for a short period because her stepfather was a member of the United States Air Force and was stationed there. When they moved back to the States, Munn was 16 years old and went to Putnam City North High School, where she became a cheerleader. After graduating, Munn went to the University of Oklahoma, where she pursued and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in Japanese and dramatic arts. Her career as a television host began when she worked as an intern for the NBC affiliate at Tulsa. After moving to Los Angeles, she worked as a sideline reporter and later started receiving small roles in films. She got her breakthrough after her role in Iron Man 2 and was later hired as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. Her first lead role in The Newsroom also helped her gain a lot of recognition as an actor and performer. Munn now has an impressive net worth of approximately $25 million.

Brooke Shields started her modeling career at a very young age. At just 12 years old, she was immensely praised for her performance in Pretty Baby in which she played the character of a child prostitute. Brooke went to a private school when she was younger and continued to work in movies like The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love. While at school, she was incredibly excited to be a part of the cheerleading squad. After high school, Shields took a temporary hiatus from modeling as she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages from Princeton University. After graduating, she returned to acting and took up minor roles to get back in the game. Shields received Golden Globes nominations for her work in two NBC sitcoms Suddenly Susan and Lipstick Jungle. She also landed a major recurring role in Season 19 of the famous series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Shields now has a net worth of $30 million.

If you didn’t already know, Jennifer Lawrence is a person of many talents. Even when in high school, JLaw was a busy bee and was involved in several activities like softball, basketball, and field hockey. Her days were extremely busy, but she made sure she had time for her cheering sessions at Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She revealed that she would keep herself involved in so many activities because of her hyperactivity and social anxiety, which made her feel like she didn’t fit in.
Lawrence also says that acting on stage helped her calm her anxiety. The talented artist got her first acting experience at the age of nine when she participated in a church play which was based on the Book of Jonah. She now has been in several successful films like The Hunger Games film series, X-Men film series and Silver Linings Playbook for which she even won an Academy Award. So, aside from her incredible engagement ring, Lawrence also has an Oscar to her list of shiny possessions. Lawrence has been able to demand a fat paycheck for her work and has earned a total net worth of $130 million.

Olivia Jane Cockburn changed her surname to Wilde (after being inspired by Oscar Wilde) to honor the writers in her family. The actress and filmmaker was born and brought up in New York City. Her mother is an American producer and journalist, and her father is also a journalist. Wilde went to a private school at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., and later went to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. While she was there, she was a part of the step team, which is quite similar to a cheerleading squad but with fewer stunts.
She went to Bard College while she pursued her career in acting and later enrolled in the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. She landed one of her biggest roles as a recurring character in the popular teen drama television series The O.C.. There on, she was seen in several films like Tron: Legacy, Cowboys & Aliens (2011), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone , and The Lazarus Effect. Today, her net worth is approximately $20 million.

Kathy has been known to be one of the most amazing comics. But before she turned to acting and comedy, the actor used to be a cheerleader. She went to Oak Park and River Forest High School, Illinois. There, she became part of the cheerleading squad. Griffin was part of the school’s musical theatre. She played roles such as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof and Rosemary in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. When she was in her senior year, the acting bug bit her, and she decided to become an actor. We are eternally grateful for that! Griffin made her first appearance on TV as an extra in a commercial for the Chicago White Sox. Thus, began her professional acting career. She signed with multiple Chicago talent agencies and moved to LA with her parents. Here, she found her calling in comedy when she joined the improvisational group The Groundlings. She became so good that she had her own TV comedy specials and albums. Years later, she got two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program and a Grammy for Best Comedy Album. Today, her net worth is at least $35 million! From a cheerleader in high school to an award-winning comic, Kathy has come a really long way.

Stacy Keibler, with a net worth of nearly 25 million, has done it all. She has gracefully walked her way through being an actress, reality show star, and model. However, this former WWE wrestler has always been a dancer at heart. When she was 18, she was a cheerleader for Baltimore Ravens, a football team. But her interest in dance began way back when she was a kid. When she was around three, she started taking dance classes. From ballet to jazz and tap dancing, she did it all! All the hard work paid off when she came under the spotlight just at the age of eleven; she won the title of Miss Maryland Pre-Teen, followed by the National Miss Pre-Teen Crown. Her major shining moment came when she was selected in the nationwide contest to find a new member of the dance troupe, WCW’s Nitro Girls. Out of the eight finalists, Stacy won the maximum online votes. She was only 19 years old at this time and had already achieved so much. Following her stint with the Nitro Girls, she officially became a wrestler when she joined Lanny Lane’s team of WCW wrestlers. In 2006, she quit WWE and moved on to modeling and acting.

The gorgeous Dennis Richards is a supermodel and an acclaimed actor. Before she could join Hollywood, she wasn’t exactly into fashion or movies. In high school, she was extremely athletic and sported the ultimate tomboy look. But as any teen, she was keen to change her look. She did that and went on to join the cheerleading squad at the El Camino High School when she moved to California. That became a turning point for her. Once she left high school, she began her glamorous career in modeling. From Oceanside in California, she went places doing photo shoots. Along the way, she made appearances in television shows, such as the popular sitcom Saved by the Bell. She also guest-starred in other hit shows like Married…With Children and Doogie Howser, M.D. The actor, who is now worth 12 million, finally made her debut in Hollywood with the 1997 sci-fi film Starship Troopers. She moved on to work in a plethora of movies, including the neo-noir thriller Wild Things and immensely popular James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. Richards, with two nominations for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the ‘90s, also was a part of the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum first met on the sets of Step Up, and it was the perfect romance story. But before being paired with Tatum, Jenna Dewan was an awesome dancer and actor. Remember her wild dance performance in the Lip Sync Battle? She was inspired by Magic Mike (if you know, you know). It is sufficient to say: Jenna’s performance was, hands down, better than the original! She literally killed it with her sultry dance routine, and this doesn’t come as a surprise. After all, she has been a professional dancer all her life. She began as a varsity cheerleader in her high school, Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, Maryland. She transferred to Grapevine High School (Texas), where she was also a varsity cheerleader. The dancing superstar went on to become a backup dancer for Janet Jackson. This turned out to be her big break, and she even worked with big names, like Missy Elliot, P!nk, and Christina Aguilera. Dewan and Tatum are no longer together, but she has continued to dance and has starred in a slew of movies and TV shows, including American Horror Story: Asylum. She has a net worth of $30 million.

Sally Field, the critically-acclaimed actor and director, became globally popular with her roles in movies like Forrest Gump and Mrs. Doubtfire. She was born in Pasadena and attended Portola Middle School. She then attended Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California. However, way before she began her acting career, she was part of the cheerleading squad at her high school. Plus, she was part of quite an illustrious batch with actors like Cindy Williams and Michael Ovitz, the talent agent and co-founder of Creative Artist Agency. However, unlike most cheerleader-turned-stars, Sally didn’t have a glamorous start. Her career took a rocky path, but she pulled through. She began her career with Gidget and quickly got typecast for the roles of the girl next door. To get out of this stereotype, she joined Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio. Strasberg became her mentor, and Field became the award-winning actress that she is now. Thanks to some fantastic movies, she has bagged Emmys, Oscars, and many other prestigious awards. The actor, with her net worth now at $55 million, recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The country singer-songwriter is successful and may seem to have gotten everything now. But she really hustled to get to where she is. At the age of 15, Decker juggled between being a cheerleader in high school and composing singles. In fact, she spent most of her time interviewing with several Nashville records to find herself a big break in the music scene. On the weekends, she would be cheering for the home team as a part of the cheer squad of her high school, Warner Robins High School. She was also a part of her school’s step team, one of the major factors that interfered with her getting a break with the Nashville levels. Although Decker has several hit songs to her credit now, she encountered a lot of opposition for her vocal runs inspired by soul music. This inspiration basically came from her step team. Decker finally found a label for her music when she got introduced to Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog, an independent label. When one of her songs landed in the hands of record executive David Massey, Decker was called in to sign with Mercury Records. From then, her music career took off. The singer has now starred in several reality shows, has launched a clothing line, and has a net worth of $10 million.

If you have seen Ciara’s music videos, you will know that she has some great dance moves. Her talent to groove perfectly to the beat doesn’t come as a surprise, as she has spent years perfecting her skills. The singer attended Riverdale High school and was part of the cheerleading squad. She was so great at what she did that the singer was made cheer captain in her senior year. While she was cheerleading, she also formed an all-girls group called Hearsay with a couple of her friends. The girls worked hard to record demos but eventually had to break up due to creative differences.
However, Ciara continued to focus on her music and was so dedicated that she hardly had any time for her cheerleading pursuits. She only focused on music and made it the sole focus of her life. The singer who started out by writing songs for Blu Cantrell and Fantasia Barrino is now is worth $20 million and flaunts a million-dollar engagement ring. Ciara was named after a fragrance by the luxury brand Revlon and is also a global brand ambassador of the cosmetic giant.

The Parks and Recreation star has a net worth of $25 million and is an exceptional comedian. But did you know she was also once on top of her high school’s cheerleading squad? She attended Burlington High, Massachusetts, and was an active student. She was a cheerleader for the basketball and soccer teams and also the senior class secretary. To top this off, she became a member of the Burlington High School National Honor Society! Her first experience on stage was when she was just ten years old. She played the lead character Dorothy in her school’s production of The Wizard of Oz. This was perhaps what led to her becoming an artist. She went on to perform in more school plays. After high school, she got into Boston College, where she became a part of My Mother’s Fleabag, an improv comedy troupe. Thus, began her legendary career with tons of awards to her name.

With a net worth of nearly $20 million, Alicia Silverstone is one of the most favorite teen idols of pop culture. She became a recognizable face after playing the iconic role of Cher Horowitz in the cult favorite Clueless. Before she played the iconic character, Silverstone was a popular cheerleader as the base stunter at San Mateo High School. The actress started modeling as a six-year-old child. Subsequently, she went on to do a lot of TV commercials, including one for Domino’s Pizza. Her first credited role on TV was with the popular show The Wonder Years in 1992. She appeared in the episode “Road Test” as Kevin’s high school “dream girl.” In 1993, she got herself a full-fledged role in the movie The Crush. She played the character of Adrian Forrester with such elan that she got the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. A few years later, she made an appearance in Aerosmith’s music video for “Cryin’,” making her even more sought after.

TV broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer was once known as the “weather girl” when she worked for WlKY-TV. She’s definitely got high spirits, which we think comes from her cheerleading days. Diane was a part of the cheerleading squad in her school Seneca High, Kentucky. However, cheerleading was not her only interest. Diane, who now has a net worth of $80 million, was also the editor-in-chief of her school’s newspaper. Perhaps, that’s what led her to pursue journalism. Years later, she won the annual national America’s Junior Miss scholarship pageant and had the opportunity to tour the country promoting Coca Cola Pavilion for the New York World’s Fair in 1964-65. After graduating from college, she worked as a weather forecaster. She then moved to Washington, D.C., to become a broadcast journalist. Sawyer also became a part of President Nixon’s White House staff and played a prominent role in preparing the former President for his interviews with journalist David Frost.