Katherine Heigl is firing back at fans who slammed her for choosing to attend an event at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Heigl, 47, raised eyebrows for attending the event, which helped raise money for a dog charity, Big Dog Ranch Rescue. Many were shocked at her appearance, roasting the actress—and questioning her political stance—across social media. The Grey’s Anatomy star released a statement to Page Six in response, side-stepping any mention of the Trump family or her own political position.
“Animals don’t vote. The only room they don’t like is the euthanasia room at a shelter,” Heigl’s statement reads. “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,” she continued. “Anyone who knows me knows that protecting animals is one of my greatest passions. As a society, we should all come together to protect the voiceless and the innocent. This should not be a polarizing issue.”
Heigl praised the event’s attendees for their generosity and revealed that the fundraiser accumulated over $5 million in donations: “I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up, supported, and continues to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”
Beyond her statement, the actress also slammed her critics on social media, replying furiously to several people in the comments of Just Jared’s Instagram post about her attendance at the event.
“At least my parents taught me to give more than I get,” she responded to one user. “Taught me to do more than just judge. You seem… really meaningful in today’s society. Just keep screaming your virtue signaling bulls--t while doing nothing that really matters. Good on you!"
To one user who wrote, “She👏 made👏 a👏 choice👏," Heigl replied, “yes👏I did👏."
“Have you donated a significant part of your income to anything?” she asked another user in response to their comment condemning her for aligning with a MAGA-coded charity. “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 is a longtime animal advocate who established the Jason Heigl Foundation in 2008 alongside her mother, Nancy. The nonprofit is dedicated to animal advocacy and welfare.
Best known for playing Dr. Izzie Stevens on Greys, Heigl also starred in a string of fan-favorite rom-coms and appeared on dramas like Suits. Her most recent acting credit is Netflix’s Firefly Lane, in which she starred opposite Sarah Chalke and Ben Lawson from 2021 until 2023.
Heigl told the Palm Beach Post that the charity for which the Mar-a-Lago fundraiser was held is helping to “solve the pet overpopulation issue.” She explained that this initiative aligns with the goals of her own animal rights organization.
“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.
Her explanation hasn’t impressed everyone. The Cut wrote a brutal response to Heigl’s comments, asking, “That’s great, but surely there must be organizations without MAGA ties that have the same aims?” Meanwhile, social media users have called her a “Trumpie” and a “MAGA Stepford wife.”
Heigl and her mother attended the fundraiser, titled “Wine, Women & Shoes Benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue,” at Trump’s members-only club in Florida. Also in attendance was Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara, and Jeanine Pirro, a former Fox News host and now Trump-appointed United States attorney for the District of Columbia. Heigl and Pirro were photographed together.
The dog fundraiser was the first major public event at which Heigl has been photographed since the 2024 Emmys, where she reunited with her Grey’s Anatomy colleagues.
