‘The Exorcist’ Star Linda Blair Breaks Silence on Authorities Raiding Home With 100-Plus Dogs

Michelle Stein August 1, 2026, 11:35 am

What To Know

Authorities raided Linda Blair’s Southern California home to investigate reports of over 100 dogs being housed without a valid permit.
No dogs were removed during the search, and Blair was present and cooperative.
Blair, who runs an animal rescue foundation, stated that the issue involved paperwork.

The Exorcist star Linda Blair is speaking out after authorities raided her home to check on more than 100 dogs.

On Friday, July 31, roughly 70 members of law enforcement and other agencies showed up at 6 a.m. to search Blair’s Southern California home, TMZ reported. The investigative warrant was carried out to check the property for violations, including the number of animals housed.

“The goal is to inspect this property for buildings and structures associated with a kennel operation reported to have more than 100 dogs,” the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) and the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning said in a statement, per People.

Reportedly, Blair, 67, had a permit to house 60 dogs — but it expired in 2023, according to the DACC — and multiple attempts to contact the owner went unanswered. “The warrant allows us to lawfully access the property and verify compliance with County codes,” the department noted, per People.

TMZ reported that no dogs were removed from the property, and that Blair was present and “extremely cooperative” during the search.

Linda Blair WorldHeart/Instagram

'American Pickers' Star Mike Wolfe's Dog Dies in 'Tragic Accident'

Late on Friday, Blair broke her silence via Instagram. “Checking in. I’m good,” the actress wrote alongside a video of herself. “The animals are good in lieu of our surprise visit in 105° heat!”

The former child actress, who runs the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation — a nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates, and re-homes abused, neglected, and abandoned animals — explained, “With as busy as we all are in animal rescue and saving lives from the hot deserts and abandoned animals and shelters, everyone’s emails and social media are overloaded!”

She added, “Turns out we just have some paperwork to do and some diagrams, but as everybody knows, I’m looking to move so I can be more educational and help more animals.”

To conclude her update, Blair wrote, “I’d rather move forward. And I always say, you know, a good old-fashioned letter of contact always works.”

Blair was 13 when she was cast as Regan MacNeil in the 1972 horror classic The Exorcist. She reprised the role in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023).