Alabama and Auburn’s celebrity football fans: The biggest stars who root for the Tide or Tigers

Alabama and Auburn football are global brands now. Travel literally anywhere, and you’re bound to hear someone yell “Roll Tide!” or “War Eagle!” if they spot you in the Tide or Tigers’ colors.

One reason, other than winning national and SEC championships, both schools have their share of famous fans who wear crimson and white or orange and blue on their sleeves and brag about the teams on their huge platforms.

Movie stars, Grammy-winners, CEOs, cabinet members, reality TV personalities, news anchors and other notable alums and fans who may have married into it can’t escape Bama and Auburn, just like you. And they, too, let their fall Saturdays revolve around college football.

Below are some of the most famous fans of the Crimson Tide and Tigers. So next time you see them, you’ll know just what to say.

Charles Barkley (Auburn)

Is he No. 1 in the Auburn history books? Let’s just note that Barkley, a basketball great, has his own statue on campus, right outside Auburn Arena. And while it’s true the “Round Mound of Rebound” never graduated from the university — he left in 1984 to earn NBA stardom and Hall of Famer status — Barkley has remained loyal to Auburn, its students and teams. In fact, Sir Charles has called going to Auburn the “best decision ever.” Now a high-profile TV sports analyst, Barkley, 60, has made making significant donations to Auburn over the years. In June, Barkley told AL.com he’s planning to leave $5 million to Auburn in his will, and will target that sum to scholarships for Black students. The Leeds native is known for being outspoken -- Barkley calls it like he sees it -- and his allegiance to Auburn remains abundantly clear.

Jodi Benson (Auburn)

Benson’s voice is familiar to millions. The singer and actress is Disney royalty, best known for providing the voice of Ariel in 1989′s “The Little Mermaid,” along with other movies and TV shows. Benson has credits aplenty — including theater, recordings, video games and theme parks — and she earned a Tony nomination for her work in the 1992 musical “Crazy for You.” Another fun fact to know and tell: Benson, 61, is a huge Auburn fan. She lives in Georgia, smack dab in the middle of Bulldogs territory, but she and husband Roy attend Tigers games, wear Auburn gear, collect Auburn memorabilia and more. Benson, an Illinois native, says her hubby introduced her to Auburn football, and she fell in love with the team and the traditions, including the Tiger Walk.

Hannah Brown (Alabama)

The “Bachelorette,” “Dancing with the Stars” champion, author and podcaster is as Bama as it gets, all the way down to her love of the Crimson Tide. The Tuscaloosa native often comes home to join her family at games inside Bryant-Denny Stadium, and she once told AL.com about her old gameday routine when she was a student at the University of Alabama. “My gameday routine was probably a little different than some might expect,” she said, detailing her and her roommates’ practice of charging $60 per car to park at her house near campus. “Most of my day revolved around parking the cars before the game because I needed the money to pay my bills. It was really fun. I’d see lines of people coming into the game, and I I would be yelling ‘Roll Tide,’ and they’d honk their horns.”

Kaitlin Collins (Alabama)

Kaitlan Collins never shies away from sharing her Alabama football fandom on national television, especially when pressed by her colleagues to analyze the Tide’s hopes for yet another national championship under Nick Saban. And she knows as well as anyone, nothing goes better with college football than a chicken biscuit and a certain ESPN pregame show. “So, I’ve perfected the gameday routine,” she said. “It’s actually becoming problematic as I get older because it’s so unhealthy.” She said her current routine began when she moved to Washington D.C., where she learned she would no longer be surrounded by college football fans with whom she could share the experience. She wakes up, gets Chick-fil-A and watches “College GameDay.” Collins said, “I’m convinced if I don’t do it, then I will somehow jinx the team.” When she attended UA in 2010-2014, she attended nearly every game during one of the Tide’s most dominant stretches. Nostalgia hit hard on a recent trip to visit her brother. “I was like, I really wish I could be a college student for just one more weekend and just come back and go to a game because you don’t realize how good you have it until you’ve graduated.”

READ: Kaitlan Collins, a die-hard Alabama football fan, has perfected her gameday routine

Tim Cook (Auburn)

Cut the Apple CEO — metaphorically speaking, of course — and we bet he’ll bleed orange and blue. Cook, a Mobile native, graduated from Auburn in 1982. He’s expressed love for his alma mater on several occasions, including a commencement speech to the Class of 2010. A recent biography mentions Cook saying “War Eagle forever!” to an email correspondent, and he’s displayed that spirit by donating to the school and underwriting a scholarship and a professorship. And yes, this billionaire loves the Tigers, cheering for the team and even giving an inspirational speech to the players in 2021 before the Iron Bowl. Cook, 62, is so proud of his Auburn ties, he highlights the university in his social media bios, along with emojis for football and basketball.

Courteney Cox (Alabama)

The “Friends” and “Cougar Town” star was born in Mountain Brook and even delivered a video message to the Crimson Tide players and coaches prior to their BCS National Championship game against Texas in 2009. In the video, she wears a houndstooth hat and crimson jersey as she says “Roll Tide!” and shares some Tide trivia. Whatever she said certainly helped, given Bama won the game and its 13th national title.

READ: How to make ‘Alabama sushi’, according to Courteney Cox

Melissa Joan Hart (Alabama)

Arguably (and surprisingly) the most die-hard celebrity superfan of the Crimson Tide, the “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” star is gung-ho during the season and well into the offseason, pulling her team through national championship runs or heartbreaking losses. But how did this even happen? As Elizabeth Lowder wrote for AL.com in 2017, “As a native New Yorker, Hart wasn’t born into the world of SEC football, but her Instagram and Twitter feed shows she’s making up for lost time. To fall in love with Alabama football, she first fell in love with her husband and Enterprise, Ala. native, Mark Wilkerson.” It was a long-running tradition in his family, and soon it became a part of her own.

READ: Becoming an Alabama fan: Melissa Joan Hart explains it all

Jason Isbell (Alabama)

The Grammy-winner from Green Hill, Ala., and former member of the Drive-By Truckers often shares his fandom via social media whether it’s tweeting selfies from the field, sharing a shot from inside the Bama tunnel or dropping a casual “Roll Tide” when necessary. He even attempted to predict the outcome of Alabama’s 2021 season in a conversation with AL.com.

Charity Lawson (Auburn)

“There’s nothing more classic than an Auburn football game, and there’s nothing like being in Jordan-Hare,” the “Bachelorette” star said in a June interview with AL.com. And we believe her. Lawson, 27, has expressed great affection and respect for her alma mater, and her fandom for the Tigers runs deep. Lawson says chanting “War Eagle” as the famed eagle flies over the stadium is her favorite gameday tradition, and she applies the Auburn Creed — which lauds “honesty and truthfulness” — to her daily life. The Georgia native earned two degrees at Auburn, a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation and disability in 2018, and a master’s in clinical mental health counseling in 2022. Now, during football season, we’re waiting for her to let loose with a heartfelt “War Eagle!” as she competes on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Madison Prewett (Auburn)

It’s no surprise to find this reality TV star saying “War Eagle!” or cheering for the Auburn Tigers. Prewett — who appeared on “The Bachelor” in 2020 — is an Auburn native, graduate of Auburn University and the daughter of Chad Prewett, an assistant basketball coach at Auburn. During her time on “The Bachelor,” Prewett courted series lead Peter Weber with a hometown date that included a visit to AU and a make-out session at Auburn Arena. Their romance didn’t last, but Prewett (now 27 and married to Grant Troutt) definitely has maintained her love for the Tigers. On Sept. 1, she announced a collection for Gameday Couture via Instagram, while wearing an Auburn Tigers sweatshirt. She’s also an author with two books to her credit: “Made for This Moment” and “The Love Everybody Wants.”

Condoleezza Rice (Alabama)

Born in Alabama, the former U.S. Secretary of State and inaugural member of the College Football Playoff selection committee has always shared her interest in the game. She grew up a Bama fan and has even made it back to Tuscaloosa for a few home games. Her fandom hit the national airwaves in 2021 when she joined Peyton Manning and Eli Manning during their Manning Megacast presentation of a Giants-Buccaneers game on ESPN. “Peyton, as I understand it, it’s been 15 years since the Volunteers were able to beat the Crimson Tide,” she joked . “And, Eli, before you get too comfortable, I think it’s six since Ole Miss beat the Crimson Tide, so it’s fun to be an Alabama fan.”

Joe Scarborough (Alabama)

The former Florida congressman and current co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC never shies away from sharing his opinions on politics, and that extends to his passion for Alabama football. A proud UA alum, Scarborough even broadcast an episode of “Morning Joe” from Rama Jama’s in Tuscaloosa years ago, preceding a big Tide game the following Saturday.

Octavia Spencer (Auburn)

The Oscar-winning actress is an Auburn Tiger, and she shows it in so many ways. Case in point: When Spencer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022, Aubie, the Auburn mascot, was right by her side. Spencer proudly says “War Eagle!” and filmed a special message to the Class of 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. Just this month, she posted a video of a “Unite Auburn” worship service on social media, saying “This is beautiful!” and including the hashtag #AuburnFamily. Spencer, 53, also has treated students at her alma mater to free food in a program called “War Damn Finals Cram,” teaming with Auburn University Student Affairs and the University Program Council. Spencer, a Montgomery native, graduated from Auburn in 1994, and she’s stayed true to her school ever since.

Channing Tatum (Alabama)

Famously from Cullman, the “Magic Mike” and “21 Jump Street” superstar confirmed in an interview with GQ that he, indeed, rolls with the Tide when the presented him with the big question of Alabama or Auburn? Without hesitation, the star said, “Roll Tide.” Occasionally, Tatum will even wear Bama gear in public, like he did when he served as grand marshal for the 2018 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Nothing like an A-lister rolling with the Tide -- make that a “script A”-lister, of course.

Sela Ward (Alabama)

The actress and University of Alabama alumna, originally from Meridian, Miss., was Crimson Tide cheerleader and homecoming queen during her time at UA, where she majored in art and advertising. She was also recently inducted into the school’s Communication Hall of Fame. Ward is always quick to drop a “Roll Tide!” on social media before and after big games. AL.com rediscovered some unpublished photos from Ward’s cheerleading days, circa 1976.

Yelawolf (Alabama)

The Gadsden-born hip-hop artist (born Michael Wayne Atha) loves the Crimson Tide, and it shows when he performs wearing Bama gear like he did on Conan O’Brien’s TBS talk show several years ago when he sang “Let’s Roll” (with Travis Barker on drums!).