In a past online discussion, we were talking about celebrities that we know of that have rats as pets. I thought it would be cool to try and maintain a list here, for reference. If you know of a celebrity that has pet rats, please e-mail me. If you found an article that proves it, please also let me know, and if it is online, please provide a link to support your claim. I want the list to be as accurate as possible, however, I do make discretionary decisions about who is and is NOT included, for ethical and personal reasons. Thanks!

CONFIRMED

Michaela Dorfmeister (Austrian Skier - Gold Medalist in Women's SuperG at Torino Olympics in 2006)
During NBC Olympic coverage on Monday, February 20, 2006, journalist Jimmy Roberts did a piece on Olympic athletes with unusual backgrounds. At the end of the piece, he mentioned that Michaela keeps rats as pets. Since then, I have also heard that she has been known to bring one of her rats to the podium with her when she wins medals in events!

Jamie Lee Curtis (Actress)
In the November 29, 2004, issue of People magazine (sexiest man alive issue) there is an article about Jamie Lee Curtis, where she reveals her son has a pet rat, Diglett. She mentions giving him medication, and there's a picture of her with Diglett on her shoulder!

Rupert Grint (Actor)
After the filming of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Grint (Ron Weasley) decided to adopt the two rats used to play Scabbers, Ron's pet rat in the film.
Source: Berliner Morgenpost, via Ananova

Kim Basinger (Actress)
Kim's Basinger's 8-year-old daughter Ireland (with her ex Alec Baldwin) shares the actress's love of all creatures great and small. 'I have 21 animals at home - dogs, cats, ducks, bunnies, a cow, hermit crabs, fish and a rat named Nibbles,' says Basinger, 50, costarring in the upcoming drama The Door in the Floor, 'I've had every pet there is, but never knew much about rats. At the end of Ireland's kindergarden year, the rats needed to go home with someone. There were only two names in the jar. Ireland ran home and said, 'Mom, I won you the rats!' I couldn't say no. They're fun to play with, and they're incredibly bright. They sit on your shoulder while you're working on the computer. They're just beautiful.'"
Source: People Magazine

Clint Eastwood (Actor)
Source: ABCNews.com Article. Clint even cleans their cages!

John Cleese (Monty Python)
Source: Rat Report, February 2001. Sam and Tony put him at ease before he tackles a project. Here's an article on Monty Python's Daily Llama that mentions them.

Frankie Muniz (Malcolm on Malcolm in the Middle)
Source: Yahooligans Chat Transcript. At the date of this chat, Frankie's rat had no name yet...

Justin Berfield (Reese on Malcolm in the Middle)
Source: Teenmag.com Article and Efanguide.com Biography.

Edward Furlong (Terminator II)
Source: Rat Report, November 1998. Saved rats from the filming of the movie Pecker, which were going to be killed after filming.

Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interrupted, Tomb Raider)
Source: MSN Entertainment article. Harry was a gift from her husband, Billy Bob Thornton.

Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane, Starship)
Source: Rat Report, July 2000. She likes being licked!

Howie Mandell's wife
Source: The Howie Mandell Show where Debbie Ducommun of the Rat Fan Club was a guest.

Lynn Herring (Port Charles and General Hospital)
Source: Celebrity Interview Q&A archive

Rikki Rockett (Poison)
Source: Animal News.com Interview

Marylin Manson's mom (Parent of Freak... I mean Recording Artist)
Source: Oh the things you find on the internet.... He had a pet snake, and she was supposed to feed it rats when he left home. Instead, she adopted them as pets.

Beatrix Potter (Author)
Source: RMCA Article. Dedicated a book ('The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or the Roly-Poly Pudding') to her PEW

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt
Source: Article from Bartleby.com. Had a male 'piebald' and two kangaroo rats; also kept dogs, a macaw, a pony, and a flying squirrel

Taran Noah Smith (Mark on Home Improvement)
Source: An issue of People Magazine (dated 09/03/01) featured a photo of Taran with his pet rat and dog.

Pink (Recording Artist)
Source: Radio Station 107.5 KZL in NC in the Music News section. "In concert this summer, Pink will be able to bring her two most prized possessions with her on The Party Tour. 'I'm taking my rats,' Pink said. 'Those are my friends for the tour. Thelma and Louise. They're so cute.'" Pink recently wrote a letter to Petco, urging them to stop selling live animals. Thanks for joining the crusade! Read her letter here.

The Mikkelsons (Snopes.com Geniuses)
In a recent interview, Barbara Mikkelson confirms she and her husband own "cats and rats," which of course the interviewer finds funny because so many urban legends involve rats. How appropriate--rats, after all, are the poster children for putting reason and compassion before fear and superstition.

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SUSPECTED

Eddie Murphy (Comedian/Actor)
Reason: Rats featured somewhat positively in Dr. Doolittle (he saves ones life w/ mouth-to-mouth) and The PJs (the main character adopts a city rat as a pet).