Katherine Heigl made her first red carpet appearance in two years when she attended the Wine, Women & Shoes annual fundraiser on March 8, but the “Grey’s Anatomy” Emmy winner was quickly met with backlash once word got out the charity event was being held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was also a co-chair of the event. Some users on social media linked Heigl’s attendance to being MAGA given the Mar-a-Lago of it all, but the actor fired back at such speculation in a statement.
“Animals don’t vote,” Heigl wrote in a statement to outlets such as Page Six and JustJared. “The only room they don’t like is the euthanasia room at a shelter. They are completely at the mercy of us, and they have no voice of their own.”
“This event was about animal advocacy — something that has always been deeply personal to me,” Heigl continued. “Anyone who knows me knows that protecting animals is one of my greatest passions. My mother, Nancy, and I have spent years advocating for animals through the Jason Heigl Foundation. As a society, we should all come together to protect the voiceless and the innocent. This should not be a polarizing issue.”
The organizers behind the Wine, Women & Shoes annual fundraiser said the event raised $5.5 million for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the country’s largest no-kill dog rescue.
Heigl also confronted social media users directly on Instagram (via People). One person challenged Heigl’s quote that “animals don’t vote” by writing: “No, but if they did they would have better judgement than you!”
“Just curious…what do you do that really matters…do you think comments on an Instagram post matter to animals who have had humans pour gasoline on them and set them on fire? Who have had humans vote conservative or liberal but have been left to starve and suffer?” Heigl asked in response. “Seriously…I’m very curious what you truly think matters to the voiceless and innocent…actions or just instagram posturing?”
Another social media user claimed there are “so many ways to get involved that aren’t putting on a dress and drinking cocktails masquerading as helping,” to which Heigl fired back: “How are you so sure about that…have you been to any? Have you donated a significant part of your income to anything? Anything you claim to care so much about? Have you done anything more than comment on what someone else is doing or not doing to your standard? Just curious…”
Heigl has stayed out of the spotlight in recent years since the end of her Netflix series “Firefly Lane,” which concluded in April 2023.
Source: variety.com
