11 Celebrities Who Used To Be Poor
Some of Hollywood's biggest and most successful stars come from humble beginnings. The following rags-to-riches stories include stars who lived in their cars, one who wore a dress made out of a potato sack, and another who took a janitorial job at age 15 to support his family.
Leonardo DiCaprio's parents divorced when he was one, and he stayed mostly with his mother in Los Angeles, Calif. He lived in a rough neighborhood and was exposed to drugs, crime, prostitution, and violence near Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue. His mother took several jobs in order to support them. The actor told the LA Times in February 2014: "I grew up very poor."
Hilary Swank lived in a trailer park in Washington when she was a child. Her parents split up when she was 15, and Swank and her mother moved to Los Angeles. They lived out of a car until the aspiring star's mother saved enough money to rent an apartment.
Demi Moore's parents separated before she was born, and she was raised by her mother and stepfather, who were alchoholics, in a trailer park in Roswell, New Mexico. Moore moved more than 30 times before turning 14. She dropped out of high school at 16 and ended up in Los Angeles to pursue a show biz career.
Jay Z, born Shawn Carter, was raised in Brooklyn, New York, and lived in a drug-infested housing project. He, his mother, and his three siblings struggled to live after his father abandoned them. The hip-hop star sold crack cocaine and was shot three times. He turned to music to escape everyday hell. Jay Z recently topped the list of the richest hip-hop stars in the world.
Sarah Jessica Parker, one of eight children, grew up poor in Cincinnati, Ohio. The former "Sex And The City" star told the New York Times in 2000: ''I knew I was different from the kids who pay for lunch or bring their lunch from home. It was a stigma thing. I was not the only person receiving a free lunch, but you are aware.''
Shania Twain had a difficult childhood in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. The singer's family had very little money and food was scarce. At one point, she lived in a homeless shelter with her mother and four siblings. Sometimes all the kids had to eat was bread and mustard, and they often couldn't afford lunch at school. She revealed details about her childhood in her memoir "From This Moment On."
Oprah Winfrey was born to an unmarried teen mom/housemaid. The future TV icon spent the first six years of her life living in poverty with her maternal grandmother. Kids made fun of Oprah's clothing, which included dresses made from potato sacks.
Jim Carrey was born in Ontario, Canada. The actor revealed on "Inside The Actor's Studio:" "My father was a musician who got a 'regular job' to support his children. When he lost his job that's when everything fell apart. We went from 'lower middle class' to 'poor.'
"We were living out of a van. I quit school at age 15 to begin working to help support my family as a janitor. I'd have a baseball bat on my janitor cart because I was so angry I just wanted to beat the heck out of something."
Eminem and his mother moved around quite a bit when he was young because she had a tough time holding on to a job. They eventually settled in a tough, black Detroit neighborhood where the future hip-hop star was often beaten up by neighborhood kids and classmates.
Justin Bieber was born in Ontario, Canada, and his single mother took several low-paying office jobs to support them. He was raised in low-income housing.
The pop star told Now Daily in 2013: "I experienced not having a lot of money and growing up poor. I felt like that really helps me today. Especially with money - I see the value of money. When I used to go to restaurants with my mom, I had to look at the menu - I couldn't order drinks because they were too expensive; I'd only get water. Me and my mom would split a meal because we couldn't afford two."
Sean "Diddy" Combs was born in a public housing project in Harlem, New York City. His drug dealing father was shot and killed when Diddy was just 3 years old. The hip-hop star told Oprah in 2006: "My father was a hustler who sold drugs. During his time, that was the way out of Harlem—either that or playing basketball... I noticed that guys from the streets in Harlem always seemed to know my family's last name. 'I used to run with your father,' they'd tell me. All my uncles were street hustlers as well."