Through numerous drunk driving arrests, sex tapes, bar fights and, well, the existence of Courtney Stodden, it’s easy to forget that celebrities actually do a lot of good.
And the organization DoSomething.org wants to remind people of that: it has released a list of the top 20 most charitable stars in 2011, with Lady Gaga leading the way. This singer is almost as well known for her causes – from her support of gay rights to her fight against AIDS and poverty – as she is for her string of number-one hits.
The eccentric singer even visited the White House this month and has created her own charity the Born this Way Foundation.
“There are some interesting trends from this year’s list,” says Aria Finger, COO of DoSomething.org. “It’s dominated by young celebrities and we also see so many couples. Last year the list had its first power couple, Ashton and Demi, and this year there are a total of four couples. Doing good is definitely fun in groups.”
Here are the top 20 do-gooders of 2011, according to the website:
- Lady Gaga
- Justin Bieber
- George Clooney
- Will & Jada Pinkett Smith
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Matt Damon
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie
- Dwight Howard
- Demi Lovato
- Shakira
- Ashton Kutcher & Demi Moore
- will.i.am
- Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert
- Nick Cannon
- Lea Michele
- Daniel Radcliffe
- Miley Cyrus
- Coldplay
- Taylor Swift