10 Famous People You Would Never Know Are Die-Hard Animal Lovers

Celebrities are just like us ya’lls! Between the grocery shopping, breathing and eating, they really are just like you and me. Oh, but there is the jet-setting, designer duds, and canoodling with fellow A-listers that we are totes jealous of! With all that aside, lots of famous celebs aren’t all that different from animal lovers like you and I. We watch them on TV every week, hear them on our car radios or watch their pretty faces on YouTube, but sometimes their charitable contributions to society and to animals are overlooked.

There are the celebrities like Pamela Andersen and Paul McCartney that are extremely “in yo’ face” about their Animal rights activism, but there are superstars doing a whole lot for our fury and scaly friends that we sometimes don’t know about.

Don’t be too hard on yourself, we realize that Ian Somerhalder has you under a spell with his striking handsomeness. We don’t blame you AT ALL for missing his animal activist ways past those baby blues! Here are ten elite names and faces that you see on every magazine cover, but would never know melt in the paws of their pets. Just like us!

1. Ian Somerhalder opts to adopt… and pretty much save the entire world!

Behind his on-screen smoldering good looks, his come-hither eyes and his downright hotness, this actor who is typically known for his epic role in Vampire Diaries, is a mega watt animal lover. Off-screen, when hunky Ian Somerhalder is not doing groovy things for animals or out spending time with his precious pooches, you can probably find him adopting more animals to add to his family. He and his gorgeous girlfriend Nikki Reed have adopted a cat, a horse and also added another rescue kitty to their family recently.

If that wasn’t enough, Ian has founded the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, an all around green organization aiming to promote Conservation, end animal extinction, heal the planet and environment, end animal testing, empower no-kill animal shelters, expose animal cruelty, and the list indeed continues. Not many people know that behind Somerhalder’s talent and steamy appearance lays a major crusader for animals!

2. Ricky Gervais is a Stand-Up guy for animals!

Ricky Gervais/Instagram

Ricky Gervais is more than a successful comic, talented writer, award-winning actor, and funny personality. He is also a big voice for animals! The animal-loving comedian is a long time ambassador for putting an end to cosmetic animal testing with London organization Cruelty Free International.

In addition to lending his superstar name and status to causes that help benefit animals, his Twitter feed is just full of Animal rights advocacy! Currently gracing his social media feed are status updates about re-homing abandoned dogs, ending bear-bile farming and thanking his followers for caring about animal welfare. We also love seeing the pictures of him cuddling with his cats, which he posts often.

3. Howard Stern loves to shock his fans, but cuddle his rescued animal companions!

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Howard Stern is most definitely known for shocking his radio show listeners, battling with guests, giving his bold opinions, and sometimes even being a harsh host on America’s Got Talent, so you might be surprised to discover that Stern is a soft teddy bear when it comes to loving animals. He and his wife Beth are notably involved with the North Shore Animal League, they are advocates for both fostering (they have fostered over 50 cats to be exact!) and adopting cats, and lend their celebrity status to causes that help animals whenever they can. Stern even promotes causes like cat adoption on his own website! He’s also gone vegetarian, telling Bill Murray in a recent interview that he no longer eats meat. Ba Ba Booey!

4. Simon Cowell is tough on people but gentle with animals!

Daily Mail

Simon Cowell has always been known as being the “mean judge” on American Idol and his tough love approach continued on the panel of X-Factor. However, to many people’s shock, Cowell does have a nice side, especially when it comes to animals. He works with PETA as a celebrity role model against animal cruelty. He has spoken out against people who leave their animals in hot cars, talks about the fur trade and his disgust for it, and is a supporter of adoption over purchase- rescuing two small terriers (pictured above) in 2010.

Simon Cowell has also used his powerful name in Hollywood to put the kabash on a dolphin segment that was to be used in the X-Factor, due to cruelty and animal welfare concerns. We love that he has pledged to fight for captive whales and dolphins as well. Simon is pretty much our idol!

5. Kristen Bell plays a witchy characters at times, but is an angel to animals!

Kristen Bell’s list of accomplishments in the Animal rights world is pretty lengthy! Not only is she a comitted plant-based eater (who is now completely vegan), she stands up for an array of animals including sloths, shelter and foster animals, pigs, and more.

PETA’s World’s Sexiest Vegetarian back in 2006 and Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2013, she has also worked with the Michigan Humane Society from her hometown, and uses her celebrity to ask organizations like National Pork Producers Council to end cruel practices by calling for better treatment of animals. As you can see, Bell leaves her catty roles like Sarah Marshall and the Gossip Girl narrator at the door and is a true bleeding heart for her furry friends!

6. Katherine Heigl is changing Life As We Know It for shelter animals!

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A starlet and a comedian, Hiegl sees nothing funny about families in need and their ability to properly care for their animal companions. So much so, that she founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, named after her late brother who also adored animals. The foundation works to diminish the number of animals entering shelters by offering low-income families spay and neutering services as well as funding the transportation costs for companion animals to be sent to no-kill shelters rather than ones who euthanize to keep numbers down. Heigl and her team have a real heart for abandoned, neglected, stray, and homeless animals! Furthermore, Heigl is a pup parent to her eight adopted dogs with husband Josh Kelley! For them, we guess 8 is enough.

7. Ice-T & Coco’s love for animals is a reality!

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This famous realty television couple, also known as rapping, tough Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actor Ice-T and beautiful model Coco, spend their time helping animals while not filming. The power duo are known for their work with Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter in New Jersey and are very vocal with their advocacy to help animal companions from shelters to have better lives and find forever homes. Plus, anyone who has watched even a clip of their reality show, Ice Loves Coco, can clearly see that Spartacus, their English Bulldog, is their cherished baby. Ice-T and Coco are also proudly showing their Support for four-legged military animals and dog veterans in this year’s America’s Parade.

8. Melanie C spices up the lives of animals!

animaladvocatesalliance.org

Saucy singer, Spice Girl Melanie C has lent her celebrity voice to many animal-loving organizations, including, Party For Animals Worldwide, Animal Advocates Alliance, Be Cruelty-Free Campaign for the Humane Society International, and many others over the years. She’s been a very active player in the Animal rights world, especially when it comes to being against animal testing and putting a stop to it!

9. Charlize Theron kicks butt on screen and also off as she fights for animals!

Vanity Fair

Blonde beauty, actress Charlize Theron has a reputation for being a bad gal by playing villains in roles like Aeon Flux, the evil Queen in Snow White and the Huntsman, and serial killer Aileen Wuornos, but she actually has a soft spot for animals and is nothing like those characters in real life. She grew up constantly being around animals at her farm in South Africa and has posed for the cover of Animal Fair, supports animal welfare issues and has proclaimed her love for her animal companions on many occasions. Theron is mom to four rescue dogs named, Denver, Orson, Tucker, and Delilah! She also takes a very strong stance on being anti-fur and has campaigned against the fur trade.

10. Ke$ha sings her praises for her animal friends!

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Ke$ha, the controversial and hard-partying songstress, may be known for her antics, but make no mistake that she takes her work for animal rights very seriously. Ke$ha has been known to stand up for the rights of animals like seals, lions, sharks, and is also a celebrity voice who opts for and promotes using cruelty-free cosmetics.

Among many noteworthy animal causes that she supports, you may not know that Ke$ha is the first ever Global Ambassador for the Humane Society International! She has hands on involvement with the organization to defend animals. The celebrity singer also has a very real obsession for cats. Tik Tok, Ke$ha don’t stop loving animals!

Lead Image Credit: ABC News