Photo: Manny Hernandez/Getty Images
Until this past weekend, Katherine Heigl had not made a major public appearance since the 2024 Emmys, where she and her Grey’s Anatomy cast members reunited onstage. So what was the thing that got Heigl back out in public and ready to be photographed in a step-and-repeat again? A dog-charity fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, of course.
Heigl stepped out on Sunday at the Wine, Women & Shoes Benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue event (let’s think of a better name, ladies), which was held at President Donald Trump’s members-only club in Florida. In some ways, this makes sense — since taking a step back from Hollywood, Heigl has moved to Utah and devoted much of her time to the well-being of dogs. She owns a dog-food company, proceeds of which go to fund a nonprofit that finds homes for dogs previously living in kill shelters.
Noble work for sure, but how does that get her to Mar-a-Lago, where she rubbed shoulders with Trump’s inner circle? Heigl was photographed with Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host Trump appointed to be the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Lara Trump was also at the event and has supported Big Dog Ranch Rescue for years. The feeling is mutual — in 2021, HuffPost reported the organization had spent more than $2 million at Trump properties over the years.
Speaking to the Palm Beach Post, Heigl explained that Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s mission to “solve the pet-overpopulation issue” aligns with what she and her mother, Nancy, do at their nonprofit. “Our biggest goal right now really is to diminish the number of unwanted litters coming into this country, which is what is overcrowding our shelters,” she said. That’s great, but surely there must be organizations without MAGA ties that have the same aims?
I guess this is what Heigl is up to now. In between peddling Poise adult diapers and making Instagram Reels about fantasy novels, she’s flying to the other side of the country for conservative-coded dog-charity events. Hopefully this doesn’t taint your Grey’s rewatches.
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