Carrie Underwood posted a video last week showing 1,800 American flags planted near her Tennessee property, and her Instagram caption said what half of Hollywood won't: "I can't believe I get to live here. Thank you, Lord. #GodBlessAmerica #Grateful #TN."
It was a simple gesture from a 43-year-old, eight-time Grammy winner. But in an entertainment industry that treats patriotism like a social disease, Underwood's post, and the long list of celebrities who share her unapologetic love of country, stands out. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary this Fourth of July, a Fox News Digital feature profiles the entertainers who have made American pride a defining part of their public lives.
The roster runs deep. And the common thread is not partisan posturing, it's gratitude, service, and a willingness to say so out loud.
Underwood's patriotism is not new and not performative. She participated in a USO tour overseas in 2006, early in her career. On Veterans Day 2025, she shared a throwback video from that trip, writing: "Throwing it back this Veterans Day. Thank you to all that have served for your courage and dedication in protecting our freedom."
In January 2025, she performed "America the Beautiful" a cappella at President Donald Trump's inauguration in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda after technical difficulties knocked out the music. She didn't miss a beat. She turned to the crowd and said, "You know the words, help me out here."
Before the ceremony, Underwood released a statement that cut through the noise of the moment:
"I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future."
No hedging. No apology tour afterward. Just a country singer who meant what she said.
If there is a single figure in American entertainment who has put the most skin in the game for veterans, it may be Gary Sinise. The 71-year-old actor's role as wounded Vietnam veteran Lieutenant Dan Taylor in the 1994 film "Forrest Gump" became more than a career-defining performance. It became a mission.
In 2003, Sinise formed the Lt. Dan Band, which has performed hundreds of free concerts for troops around the world and participated in dozens of USO tours. In 2011, he founded the Gary Sinise Foundation, which has raised millions of dollars to support veterans, active-duty service members, first responders, and their families.
His 2019 memoir, "Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service," laid out his convictions plainly:
"I love my country and I'm grateful to be an American. I know where my freedom comes from."
Sinise has also joined forces with Jon Voight, Clint Eastwood, and Mel Gibson on corporate and community initiatives to salute veterans, train veteran entrepreneurs, and promote veteran hiring. That's not a photo op. That's a body of work spanning decades.
Dolly Parton, now 80, has threaded a careful line for years, staying out of partisan fights while staying firmly planted in American pride. In a March 2026 promo video for Dollywood's summer drone and fireworks show, she put it this way:
"I've said for many, many years that I am not a political person, but I am a very patriotic person."
Parton performed at the A Capitol Fourth Independence Day concert in Washington, D.C. in 2003 and released her album "For God and Country" the same year. She doesn't wave a party flag. She waves the American one.
Reba McEntire, 71, got her start at age 19 singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" a cappella at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. She carried that full circle in 2024 when she sang the national anthem at Super Bowl LVIII. In an interview with ABC News before the game, McEntire described the weight of the moment:
"It means that I get to sing a very special song for all Americans, people all around the world who have really worked so hard for our freedom and to give us peace. It's not about me. I'm the representation of this song, and I'm just honored to get to sing it."
That kind of humility is rare in any industry. In entertainment, it's almost extinct.
Dennis Quaid, 72, starred as President Ronald Reagan in a 2024 biopic and has spoken openly about what the country means to him. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Quaid didn't hold back:
"I was born in the greatest country ever to be on the Earth, to tell you the truth. When you look at it, as flawed as it is, it's better than everything else that has come before. And, you know, I really believe in the wisdom of the American people as a whole. We are the hope of the world, still."
That last line, "We are the hope of the world, still", is the kind of sentence that gets you blacklisted at certain dinner parties in Los Angeles. Quaid said it anyway.
Kelsey Grammer, 71, has gone even further in grounding his patriotism in the nation's founding documents. The "Frasier" star, who hosts Fox Nation's "The Patriot War" and NBC's "The Great American Journey," told Fox News Digital in a recent interview:
"I do think the greatest hope for any future wisdom in America has already been written in the actions and words of our Founding Fathers. We need to look to them for the guidance that they have, that we have today, to become the great nation that they dreamed of."
Grammer went on to connect the Founders' vision to the country's diversity, not as a progressive talking point, but as the original American promise:
"We can share that dream. It's a dream that still holds up. It's a dream that holds up for everyone. No matter what your origin is, the diversity that we all talk about, this is a unifying concept about what greatness is in a nation, and it has to do with us all being equal. And it doesn't mean there's an equal result, it just means we have an equal opportunity to carve out our happiness."
Equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. That's a distinction many in Washington have spent years trying to blur. Grammer draws it in a single breath. He stars as Lord Fairfax in "Young Washington," premiering July 3, 2026.
Candace Cameron Bure, 50, the "Full House" actress and devout Christian, offered one of the most personal reflections in a 2016 interview with Fox411. She spoke about freedom, faith, and the accident of birth:
"I am so proud to be an American. I got lucky. My parents were born here, and I was born here and that's really the luck of the draw, right? We can't say where we are going to be born."
Then she turned to her own family's story. Her husband, Valeri Bure, is a Russian-born former professional NHL hockey player who immigrated to the United States and became a citizen.
"My husband is an immigrant. He is Russian, and he came here and became an American because it is such a wonderful country. There is no other country I would want to be a citizen of."
Bure also spoke about the freedoms she fears losing: "We have the ability to love God here. I don't ever want to see that taken away from us. We have freedom here. That is what makes America so great and that we have people that are willing to fight for that freedom on a daily basis."
The list doesn't stop with the headliners. Chris Pratt, 47, the Marvel star, regularly shares messages of appreciation for the military on Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the Fourth of July. He delivered a keynote address at a 9/11 remembrance ceremony at Pepperdine University in 2023, declaring himself a "deeply patriotic American" and calling on the nation not to let the spirit of unity fade.
Mark Wahlberg, 55, supports the Wounded Warriors Project and other organizations serving military families. Patricia Heaton, 68, displays the American flag prominently in her home, including the flag that draped her father's coffin from his U.S. Army service during the liberation of France in World War II.
Sara Evans, 55, has participated in USO tours, performed for troops overseas, and sang at the White House on the Fourth of July in 2018 as part of a Hallmark Channel Independence Day special. James Woods, 79, consistently marks patriotic holidays with tributes on social media recognizing America's history, military, and founding principles. Dean Cain, 59, has defended traditional patriotic themes in popular culture and participated in veterans' events. Jon Voight, 87, continues sharing patriotic messages and has described the United States as "the greatest country." Robert Davi, 75, regularly appears at military and veterans' events.
And the late Chuck Norris, the U.S. Air Force veteran who died at 86 in March, spent decades supporting military members and advocating for veterans' causes. His 2008 book, "Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America," championed traditional American values long before it was fashionable to push back against the cultural tide.
America 250 events have been taking place across the country for over a year as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The celebrities profiled here didn't wait for a milestone to start showing up. Sinise has been at it for more than two decades. Underwood was on a USO tour before most of her fans were old enough to vote. Parton released a patriotic album twenty-three years ago.
What makes this collection of voices notable is not that they exist. It's that they stand in such sharp contrast to the dominant culture of their own industry. In a Hollywood where expressing love of country can cost you roles, friendships, and invitations, these men and women chose to say it anyway, through music, foundation work, USO tours, social media posts, and plain-spoken interviews.
They didn't need a focus group to tell them it was safe. They just meant it.
In a culture that spends most of its energy telling Americans what's wrong with their country, it turns out some of the most famous people in it still believe the simplest truth: this is a place worth being grateful for.
