Katherine Heigl Defends Appearance at Mar-a-Lago Animal Rescue Event: 'Animals Don't Vote'

Madison E. GoldbergThu, March 12, 2026 at 9:51 AM UTC

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Katherine HeiglCredit: Manny Hernandez/Getty -

Katherine Heigl is defending her appearance at Wine, Women & Shows annual fundraiser held at Mar-a-Lago

Heigl's attendance at the event on March 8 was her first red carpet appearance in two years

“Animals don’t vote," Heigl began in a statement, before responding to commenters criticizing her appearance at Donald Trump's resort on an Instagram post shared by JustJared

Katherine Heigl is defending her appearance at the Wine, Women & Shoes annual fundraiser, held at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. on March 8.

“Animals don’t vote," Heigl, 47, began in a statement to 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."

Katherine Heigl at Mar-a-lago on March 8, 2026Credit: Manny Hernandez/Getty

Heigl's appearance at Donald Trump's resort marked her first red carpet in two years. Organizers said the three-day event raised $5.5 million for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the largest no-kill dog rescue in the United States.

“This year was a record-breaking success and boosted awareness for Big Dog Ranch Rescue,” founder Lauree Simmons said of the fundraising weekend. “It was a heartwarming display of community spirit, uniting style enthusiasts and animal advocates for a truly monumental cause.”

Despite this, Heigl's appearance sparked some online blowback and resulted in a direct exchange between the Grey's Anatomy alum and a number of Instagram users.

In response to Heigl saying "animals don't vote," one user wrote "No, but if they did they would have better judgement than you!"

In response, Heigl wrote "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? Seriously…I’m very curious what you truly think matters to the voiceless and innocent…actions or just instagram posturing?"

A different user also suggested the 27 Dresses star should support a different campaign.

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"There are so many amazing rescues to align yourself with that aren’t hosting events there — and so many ways to get involved that aren’t putting on a dress and drinking cocktails masquerading as helping," the user wrote.

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"How are you so sure about that…have you been to any?" Heigl replied. "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…"

Others appeared to respect Heigl's decision to attend the event. "She👏 made👏 a👏 choice👏," one user wrote.

"Yes👏I did👏," Heigl replied.

The actress added, "Do you care about animals? If so donate! Time! Money! Attention! Your voice! It doesn’t matter who I am only what I do. The same goes for you! Animals might not be your thing but I bet you care deeply about something that matters! Do your part! Don’t waste your time scrolling and making comments!"

Heigl, who is the proud owner of rescue animals, has long been a vocal advocate for animals. In March 2022, she told PEOPLE that she'd advocated for the Utah State legislature to pass a bill that would end the use of gas chambers as a means of euthanizing shelter animals.

"It's preposterous and pretty mind-blowing, actually," she said at the time. "Utah, sadly, is one of three states that still does this. It's such an antiquated and, quite frankly, sadistic way of euthanizing. There's a million reasons the bill should pass to end it. I can't think of a single reason why it wouldn't, except if our elected officials have a sadistic streak, and that cannot be condoned on any level."

"I have said this before, and I'll say it again,” she added. “The mark of a civilized society is how you treat the voiceless and the innocent among us.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”