Actress Katherine Heigl fires back at critics angry over her attendance at Mar-a-Lago dog rescue event

Actress Katherine Heigl fired back at critics angry over her attendance at a Mar-a-Lago dog rescue event in a statement on Wednesday.

"Animals don’t vote. The only room they don’t like is the euthanasia room at a shelter," Heigl told Page Six in a statement. "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."

Heigl attended the Wine, Women & Shoes Benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue fundraiser on Sunday at President Donald Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, home.

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"As a society, we should all come together to protect the voiceless and the innocent," she added. "This should not be a polarizing issue."

Big Dog Ranch Rescue posted on Instagram that the event raised $5.5 million.

Heigl responded to several comments on Instagram taking issue with her attendance and the statement that followed.

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One comment asked, "Who even is she?"

"Doesn’t matter. Do you care about animals? If so donate! Time! Money! Attention! Your voice! It doesn’t matter who I am only what I do," Heigl responded on Instagram. 

"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!" she added. 

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Heigl revealed she ditched Hollywood for Utah in 2023, telling the "Today" show at the time she "needed somewhere to escape."

"I think some people are mountain people, and I think some people are beach people," Heigl explained. "I’m sort of a mountain person and have always been that way."

"And my mom realized, because we went out to LA when I was 17 and hustled and hustled for years, right?" Heigl continued. "And I think she realized at a certain point that I needed somewhere to escape to and kind of clear my head, and that grounded me."