Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul has done plenty, including dancing, acting, and working as a choreographer, but she’s mostly known as a singer and songwriter. However, not only did she get her start as part of the cheer squad at Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles (while also succeeding as an honors student), and after graduating, she took her skills to the pros, becoming a Laker Girl – becoming head choreographer – and cheering on the likes of Jamaal Wilkes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Magic Johnson.
Before long, Abdul had been spotted by talent scouts and started her rise in Hollywood, and nowadays, you can see her at the judges’ table on “American Idol.”
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence has always been a busy gal, spending plenty of time acting in the "Hunger Games" movies, "Silver Linings Playbook," and even the long-running "X-Men" series. She was also busy in high school, playing softball, basketball, and field hockey and screaming out cheers in Louisville, Kentucky.
The business has led to success for this famous young actress, with plenty of her roles requiring athleticism, strength, and stamina that she might not have developed without all those extracurricular activities. In 2015 and 2016, Jenifer was the world's highest-paid actress, and the films she starred in grossed over $6 Billion. Impressive!
Kirk Douglas
The late Kirk Douglas was a world-renowned actor, but his first shot at fame came when he was part of his cheerleading squad at Amsterdam High School in Amsterdam, New York. Douglas was already working on his acting skills while in high school before making his big film debut at the age of thirty, in 1946's "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" alongside Barbara Stanwyck.
Douglas soon went on to become one of the leading box-office stars, starring in serious dramas, westerns, and war films. He appeared in almost a hundred films over the course of his life. Not only Kirk but the entire Douglas family has become one of the most famous dynasties in the industry, and they deserve every recognition they get.
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson's beauty and fame are almost unmatched, and she, like many others, got her start performing as a cheerleader while attending Richardson North Junior High School in Texas. While she dropped out of school at fifteen to pursue her singing career, she went on to become one of the biggest cheerleaders for the Dallas Cowboys and her husband, Tony Romo.
While Simpson was at J.J. Pearce High School, she impressed Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, who immediately signed her to a record deal. She has preserved her fame in "Nick and Jessica: Newlyweds," and her greatest hit, "I Want to Love you Forever," remains one of her best songs until this day.
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi
Before she became one of the stars of 'Jersey Shore', everyone's favorite miniature Italian-American was part of the cheerleading team from her high school in Marlboro, New York.
The sport wasn't a springboard to fame like many of the people on this list – in fact, Polizzi has commented how difficult the team was for her, especially regarding her weight: “Cheerleading was my life in high school, but it wasn't always easy for me. I started to be anorexic. There were freshmen who were seventy pounds, and I was, like, my spot as a flier is going to get taken away. So I ended up starving myself.”