In the US, more than 65 million households live with a dog, and more than 46 million live with a cat. But it’s less common for people to choose to share their homes and their lives with animals like pigs, goats, and cows. This is largely because, of course, these animals (especially bigger ones, like pigs and cows) require a lot of land to graze. But also because many people see these animals as livestock. But the truth is, that farm animals are just as playful, loving, and intelligent as dogs and cats. Research suggests that pigs, for example, are even smarter than dogs (and potentially even three-year-old children!).
But there are a handful of celebrities out there who have decided to open their homes (and vast amounts of land) to farm animals. Below, we’ve found actors, TV personalities, and musicians who treat their farm animals just like they deserve to be treated—as family.
Arnold Schwarzenegger/Instagram
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1 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger loves animals. He loves them so much, he has chosen to share his home with six of them. He has one donkey, called Lulu, one miniature horse, called Whiskey, three dogs, called Cherry, Dutch, and Schnitzel, and one pig, called Schnelly. He regularly shares updates of his growing four-legged family on social media, and last year, his friend, the actor Danny DeVito, told The Sunday Times that in the Schwarzenegger household, “the animals just roam around all over the place.”
Kevin Bacon/Instagram
2 Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick
Actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick, who have been married for 35 years, refer to their farm animals as “their second family.” They have goats, alpacas, horses, and two black and white pigs, called Johnny and June. Raising the animals has even inspired Bacon to give up certain animal products. “I no longer eat goat and I no longer eat pig, because I have goats and I have pigs,” he told People. “I love animals, they are a joy to be around, and they’re very, very calming for me.”
Torrey DeVitto/Instagram
3Torrey DeVitto
Model and actor Torrey DeVitto (who is best known for starring in NBC’s Chicago Med) has adopted several dogs in the past, but last summer, she welcomed two rescue goats to her home, too. “Say hello to Pip and Squeak, my new rescue goats. They are the sweetest little loves who are so personable and social! I couldn’t be more excited to add them to my ever-growing farm family,” she shared on her social media in August.
PETA
4 James Cromwell
One of James Cromwell’s most memorable roles was in 1995’s Babe, which, of course, was all about an orphaned pig. The movie changed Cromwell for life, as he decided to go vegan shortly after filming. It also left him with a new respect and love for pigs, so it makes sense that last year, he opened his home to a piglet, also called Babe. The animal had fallen out of a truck that was en route to a slaughterhouse.
“Having had the privilege of witnessing and experiencing pigs’ intelligence and inquisitive personalities while filming the movie Babe changed my life and my way of eating, and so I jumped at the chance to save this real-life Babe,” Cromwell said in a statement.
Tori Spelling/Instagram
5 Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling’s home is filled with love and animals. In 2019, the 90210 star shared on YouTube that she has dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and bearded dragons, as well as pigs and chickens. Spelling got her first pig, Nutmeg, thinking she was a micropig, but eventually, she grew to be 95 pounds. After two and a half years of living on a farm, Nutmeg moved back in with Spelling, where she now has two more pig friends. “She’s actually great, she’s really good with the kids, the kids love her,” she said, speaking about Nutmeg in the video.
Netflix
6 Jason Momoa
Like many of the celebrities on this list, Jason Momoa has welcomed multiple animals into his home, including a donkey, two dogs, a snake, and a pig. He adopted the pig after filming Slumberland, which was released in 2022. “This is why I can’t work with animals,” he said on Instagram, underneath a video of the new companion animal. “I want to bring them home.”
Tracey Stewart/Instagram
8 Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart doesn’t just have companion animals, he has a whole sanctuary. Back in 2019, he and his wife Tracey Stewart, who is a veterinarian tech and animal advocate, decided to turn a 45-acre farm into a place where abused factory farm animals could find refuge. The couple also have a 12-acre animal sanctuary with the animal rescue nonprofit Farm Sanctuary, which was opened back in 2015.
“We bought a farm in New Jersey with the intention of starting a farm sanctuary of our own with an educational center, but what I’m announcing tonight is that our farm is actually going to be the New Jersey branch of Farm Sanctuary,” Tracey said in a statement at the time. “We’re going to build new advocates, new curious learners, and new leaders for this very important movement.”
Mike Fisher/Instagram
9 Carrie Underwood
Back in 2020, singer Carrie Underwood and her husband Mike Fisher, a former ice hockey player, welcomed two cows, called Brownie and Oreo, to their farm. Fisher gifted them to Underwood as a Christmas present.
“My husband said, ‘What would you like for Christmas?’ and I said ‘I would like cows,’” Underwood said at the time. “He went and got me a couple of cows. They’re good! I mean, I love animals. Cows are probably my favorite animal because I grew up with them and I think they just have such personalities and I just can’t wait to really get to know ours.”
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Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
