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While we’ve heard from Katherine Heigl in the last couple years in interviews, her last public appearance was in January 2024. It was the 2023 Emmys, rescheduled after the actor and writer strikes, and she was part of a mini Grey’s Anatomy reunion to present an award. So where did Katherine pop up after the two-year hiatus? At a benefit for a dog rescue, which totally tracks, as Katherine has long been an animal advocate with the non-profit she founded in 2008 and, more recently, from the dog food line she started. We love dogs, the dogs are not the problem (they never are!). The problem is, the shindig went down at Mar-a-Lago, BOO! Back in 2021, HuffPost unearthed receipts showing that Big Dog Ranch Rescue (the group that was being feted) had spent nearly $2 million on events at MAL. Great, now we have to rescue dogs from the MAGA rescue shelter.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” alum attended the Wine, Women & Shoes Benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue event on Sunday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., her first red carpet event in two years.
The actress styled her hair in a bouffant to show off her drop earrings, and wore a colorful patterned dress. She completed the look with royal blue heels and a bright yellow quilted Chanel purse.
Heigl, 47, attended the event held at Donald Trump’s estate with her mom, Nancy Heigl, and posed for pics with “Dog Whisperer” dog trainer Cesar Millan.
…Heigl left Los Angeles and now lives in Utah with husband Josh Kelley and their three children — Naleigh, 17, Adalaide, 13, and Joshua, 9.
“I didn’t know how to raise [my kids] in LA, so I felt like I could do it here,” she told E! News in March 2023 about relocating to Utah.
“I could be more on top of things that scare me and I could be more on top of the kinds of friends they have and places they’re going, the kind of activities they’re involved in — and what the hell they’re doing on their phones,” she added.
Heigl shared that living in Utah was a break from her busy lifestyle in LA.
“I could kind of decompress and let that hustle part of me go — a little bit,” she noted.
“I don’t know that in any career you can ever completely stop hustling, but being able to separate it a little bit and choose those times of hustle versus just being in it constantly was really important to me.”
The “Knocked Up” star previously admitted she had a tough time bonding with her eldest daughter due to her hectic work schedule at the time.
She and Kelley adopted Naleigh when she was 9 months old from South Korea in 2009, and just three days later she had to start filming the movie “Life As We Know It,” she recalled during her appearance on “The View” in November 2022.
“I never saw that baby,” she said. “I was at work with three triplets who were playing my goddaughter, and I spent more time with them than I did with my new daughter.”
“I was always afraid that I had missed that opportunity to really bond with her and that she didn’t love me — in that moment,” she added.
Katherine Heigl has long been a divisive figure. She has a knack for raising valid questions, usually workplace related, but in a manner that repels people to her cause. I think we’ve come to the point where we’re able to hold the two truths that Heigl is probably a bit of a pill, AND she was overly punished by the industry thanks to a good ol’ helping of sexism. However, if there’s any clear, unambiguous line in 2026 that separates right from wrong, good from bad, it’s attending an event at Mar-a-Lago. Whatever the cause! She could have gone to [looks down at notes] oh yeah, ANYWHERE ELSE to support animals in need. But showing up at MAL in this day and age is a real choice. It says that you don’t mind the association, and if that association doesn’t bother you, then you bother me.
Lastly, y’all know I simply cannot ignore this comment: “I was at work with three triplets…” Wow, really? Three triplets?
Update by CB: Katherine has issued a statement to JustJared about her attendance at this event. It’s just as haughty as you would expect from her and does not acknowledge that she was at Mar-A-Lago.
“Animals don’t vote. 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. 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. Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone involved, this event raised over $5 million to help animals in need—especially those who have been abused or neglected. I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up, supported, and continues to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”
Photos credit: Getty Images and via Instagram