15 of the Best Celebrity Role Models

Being a celebrity can come with a lot of perks, but it also comes with a very important responsibility. Fans look up to them and sometimes try to emulate their idols whether these celebrities like it or not. While there are some who clearly aren’t the best role models, we found more than a handful of celebrities that helped restore our faith in humanity. Most of them are just being themselves while others use their fame to drum up awareness for certain causes. Check them out!

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Tyra Banks

The woman behind American’s Next Top Model shows us that’s it’s not just about looks. In addition to being widely known as a model, she enrolled in Harvard Business School in 2011 and graduated three years later. She started giving back at a young age though because she started a scholarship program for other African-American girls when she was only 18.

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Shailene Woodley

Divergent lead star Woodley takes her role as a teen idol seriously. She once told Teen Vogue in a recent interview that Twilight promotes “unhealthy” and “toxic” relationships. She mentions how it won’t help the world evolve by sending that message to young people. The actress isn’t just saying that to promote her movie since the material actually does feature a strong female protagonist.

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Jonas Brothers

The Jonas Brothers have done more for the world than to invade the hearts and minds of young women around the world. They have donated over $1 million to their own charity, Change for the Children Foundation. They actively support nearly 37 different charities so far. The boys also actively talk about their purity rings and how they have a vow to stay pure until marriage.

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Lorde

For stars like Lorde, there’s an enormous pressure to be perfect all the time. The singer makes sure that her fans won’t feel the same pressure as well. She is very vocal about promoting a positive body image and saying that “flaws are okay.” She recently tweeted two photos of herself wherein one went through photoshop and the other without to show that imperfections don’t make us any less beautiful.

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Michelle Obama

The first lady has gone through great motions to promote her campaign called Let’s Move to help rectify the trend of childhood obesity. The awesome thing about her campaign is that she’s not promoting it the traditional way. We’ve seen her promote it in our favorite shows by participating in sketches. Sometimes she even teams up with a couple of our other favorite celebrities.

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Keanu Reeves

Reeves isn’t all about the fame and fortune everyone wants in Hollywood. He gave away $80 million of his Matrix salary away to the special-effects team and costume designers working on the trilogy. He believed that they are more deserving of the money and should have all the credit. The awesome thing is Reeves is generally a nice and generous man. He is constantly giving gifts to the crew and even paying their debts.

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Zooey Deschanel

The new girl can be considered one of Hollywood’s financial role models. She is proud that she always has a $0 balance on her credit cards and her only debt is her mortgage. Deschanel ensures that she only spends 25% of what she earns in a month. Additionally, she allocates $1,500 to charity as well.

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Johnny Depp

Like Reeves, Depp is pretty generous and is always thoughtful about the crew. He reportedly shelled out £40,000 during filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 to buy 500 coats when he heard that the crew felt cold. He also gave a kid the fedora he wore in Public Enemies and more goodies from The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for his siblings. However, the best thing he did so far is when he appeared in a London school as Jack Sparrow after a young girl sent him fan mail.

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Brenda Song

Song is the perfect person to represent Disney stars who kept it together. She said in an interview that she tries to stay away from parties because it’s so easy to be swept away and she also acknowledges her responsibilities as a role model. Additionally, she frequently hosts charity events and was the face of Disney’s Friends for Change campaign.

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

They aren’t known as a power couple for nothing. Brangelina have involved themselves in several philanthropic activities.  Jolie is an ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and is widely known for her work. Pitt also does his own share of work to give back to the community. The couple are also strong supporters of same-sex marriage. They also ensure to spread the love as they continue to grow their family with a mix of adopted and biological children.

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Russell Brand

The comedian may be infamous for his crazy off camera activities, but his good deeds are something people should emulate. Brand has been spotted on numerous occasions hanging out with the homeless, giving them gifts, and having meals with them. He even gives them a ride to AA meetings he attends too. You’ll know that he is being genuine since he’s been in rock bottom before as a former alcoholic and heroin addict.

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Leonardo DiCaprio

Aside from his prolific acting career, DiCaprio is widely known for his environmental activism. He isn’t doing it only for publicity though since he definitely shows on numerous occasions that he walks the talk. He installed solar panels in his house and even drives a Tesla among many other things. He also donates a large chunk of his money to environmental charities and is also a supporter of the LGBT community. DiCaprio recently bought an apartment in NYC that is environment friendly with features like a vitamin-c infused shower.

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Tim Tebow

This football star definitely plans to give back to the community. In 2011, CURE and the Tebow Foundation announced their plan to build a children’s hospital in the Philippines, the country he was born. He also raised money for a pediatric cancer center and to give disadvantaged children a chance to go to Disneyland. Tebow shows that being a tough guy won’t stop him for showing that he has a big heart.

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Jennifer Lawrence

A lot of people adore Lawrence not just because of her talent and looks. She’s humble, honest, real, and uncompromising despite the fame she’s attained. She is open about her non-conformity to society’s ideal of beauty and acts like an ordinary girl even if she’s one of the world’s biggest stars. It also helps that she once comforted a crying fan during one event and stayed with the young girl for quite a while.

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