Stars Who Used to Be Boy Scouts: Chris Pratt, Jack Black and More

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Stars Who Used to Be Boy Scouts: Chris Pratt, Jack Black and More

A Scout for life! National Boy Scouts Day is honored annually on February 8 — and you may be surprised to learn which of your favorite stars used to be troop members. Celebrated actor Jack Black opened up about his Boy Scouts past during a 2017 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “I was a rambunctious youth,” the Jumanji: The Next Level actor said at the time. “I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout, and I didn’t reach the level of Eagle Scout — and I do plan on doing that. I want to go back.” As Black jokingly asked if one “can go back and get that later,” Jimmy Kimmel replied, “I don’t think so, no.” Back in 2016, Chris Pratt tweeted about being “a Scout once upon a time.” He has additionally expressed his interest in becoming a Boy Scout Leader someday after his career settles a bit. “I need to work while the work is here. I have my eyes on the prize. The big picture is my wife and my son and I living somewhere other than L.A., just being able to be a Boy Scout leader, drink beer on Saturday, go to church on Sunday, having fun,” he told American Way in 2015 during his marriage to Anna Faris, with whom he shares son Jack. “I could coach him in football. That’s the goal, and I need to do as many big movies as I can while there’s still time. Because you never know what’s next.” [jwplayer RNMcNekl-l3ahXupL] Bill Gates, a billionaire businessman, was a member of the Boy Scouts of America in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2010, the entrepreneur — who became a Life Scout — was awarded the Silver Buffalo for his service toward helping youth. “Scouting is an organization that teaches essential skills that last a lifetime, as is demonstrated by leaders such as Bill Gates, who have impacted millions through their commitment to service and bettering the lives of others,” former Scout executive Sharon Moulds said in a press release at the time. In an essay for Vice in 2017, Rob Corddry opened up about how being a part of the organization helped shape him into the man he is today. “Being an Eagle Scout played a huge role in my life. I was lucky, too — I’ve heard a lot of people talk about their Boy Scout troops, and I think I had a kind of special experience,” the Childrens Hospital actor wrote. “The leadership and the other guys who were in it are my lifelong friends. I don’t hang out with guys I went to high school with — I hang out with my Boy Scout buddies.” Scroll down to discover more stars who were previously Boy Scouts. [podcast_block]

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Dan Reynolds

Before becoming the frontman of Imagine Dragons, Reynolds achieved Eagle Scout status in 2004.

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Chris Pratt

The Parks and Recreation alum tweeted about being “a Scout once upon a time” in 2016. The year before, he spoke to American Way about living life outside L.A. and doing normal activities, including “just being able to be a Boy Scout leader.”

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Michael Jordan

The NBA legend’s mother, Deloris Jordan, revealed in 1993 that her son was a Scout in his youth.

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Zach Galifianakis

Through his time in the organization, the Hangover star was able to become an Eagle Scout in 1986.

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Jimmy Buffett

The “Margaritaville” crooner previously raved about his time as a Scout in a Men’s Journal profile. “From my Boy Scout days, I can patch people up,” he revealed in 2013. “I can do stitches, which comes in handy in remote surf breaks.”

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Jack Black

The School of Rock star gushed about missing his days as a Scout during a 2017 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, saying, “I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout, and I didn’t reach the level of Eagle Scout — and I do plan on doing that. I want to go back.” 

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Derek Hough

When the Dancing With the Stars judge attended a pre-Emmys event in 2016, he wore his Cub Scout shirt and held up the Scout sign. On his Instagram page, he shared a photo of that red carpet moment along with the 12 points of the Scout Law.

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John Lithgow

The Crown star may have not become an actor had he not attended a Boy Scout summer camp when he was 12 years old. During his time at Camp Birch in Ohio, he performed a skit where he was the damsel in distress and another camper played the hero, an “Eagle Scout named Larry Fogg.”

The hero was supposed to pick up Lithgow, but his costar fell because the Golden Globe winner was a bit heavier than expected. “And all those boys, that whole hillside full of Boy Scouts, they screamed and yelled and laughed,” he recalled to NPR in 2010. “It was like manna from heaven falling on me. I’ve always said that if you hear enough laughter and applause at a young enough age, you’re doomed — you’re going to be an actor.”

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Nolan Gould

Before becoming a cast member of Modern Family, Gould was a member of the Boy Scouts of America. “In Boy Scouts, I memorized something known as the Outdoor Code, which taught me to be ‘clean in my outdoor manners, to be careful with fire, to be considerate in the outdoors, and to be conservation-minded,’” he told Sierra magazine in 2014. “We are also taught to leave no trace.”

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Harrison Ford

During his years as a Scout, the Indiana Jones star served on staff at Boy Scout Camp Napowan in Wisconsin as a teenager in the 1950s. In 2001, Ford even rescued a 13-year-old Scout in Wyoming after he got lost near Yellowstone National Park.

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Rob Corddry

The Hot Tub Time Machine actor made it all the way to being an Eagle Scout in 1988. In an essay for Vice in 2017, Corddry explained how it “played a huge role in my life” to this day. “It was a great community that was like-minded in that we just wanted to be good people, help out others and have fun too,” he added.

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Jay Leno

Dave Berg, a former producer for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, recalled how the legendary late-night host used his experience from Boy Scouts as a teaching moment when the show was set to return days after 9/11 occurred in 2001. “He told a story about being a 12-year-old Boy Scout, admitting he was not a very good one because his dyslexia made it difficult for him to accomplish tasks such as tying knots,” Berg told The Washington Times in 2011. “So, his Scoutmaster, a wise and compassionate man, designated him as the troop’s ‘cheermaster.’ It would be his job to tell jokes to keep the guys’ spirits up.”

He continued, “Mr. Leno said he was aware at the time that this was not the most important job in the troop, but it was something he could do to contribute to its welfare. And that’s how he felt about going back on the air [after 9/11]. He knew he wasn’t out there shoveling debris at ground zero, but at least he would be bringing a little cheer into people’s lives.”

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Steven Spielberg

The Oscar-winning filmmaker behind movies such as Jurassic Park and Catch Me If You Can reached Eagle Scout status in 1961.

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Bill Gates

The Microsoft Corporation cofounder was a Life Scout who was recognized with the Silver Buffalo in 2010 due to his service efforts.