We all love inspiring Rags to Riches stories, don’t we? It’s really satisfying to hear that our favorite celebrities who now own mansions and million-dollar cars and who we see gracing hot red carpets weren’t in fact born with a golden spoon in their mouth. It’s safe to say that these celebrities didn’t have problem-free lives.
However, poverty did not stop these famous celebs to make their dreams come true and have found fame and fortune in their careers. Started from the bottom and now THEY’RE HERE!
Celebrities including Cardi B, Mila Kunis, Selena Gomez, and more started their journey from rock bottom and humbly worked their way up to the top.
Take a Look at the list of celebs that went from rags to riches:
Leonardo DiCaprio:
There is no surprise that the American actor, Leonardo DiCaprio was the highest-paid male Oscar nominee back in 2016. Leo was raised in a squalid neighborhood of Los Angeles and the megastar isn’t unfamiliar with the struggles of living in Poverty. Dicaprio began his career in the late 1980s and played recurring roles in various television series but gained major popularity after the iconic film, “TITANIC” in 1997, and has a boasting Net Worth of $245 million. He reminisced his first day of acting school where he was beaten, he told Times in 2014,
“It goes back to that neighborhood. It came from the fact that I grew up very poor, and I got to see the other side of the spectrum.”
Selena Gomez:
One of the most famous singers, songwriter, and actress, Selena Gomez’s beginning was far from Lavish. With a net worth of over $60 Million, Gomez has reportedly sold over 7 million albums and 22 million singles worldwide, according to Billboard 2017. Talking about her past struggles, Selena revealed that her family had financial problems during her childhood and how her mother was struggling to provide for the pair and make ends meet.
She told Hollywood Life Magazine that, “I remember my mom would run out of gas all the time and we’d sit there and have to go through the car and get quarters and help her get gas.”
Sarah Jessica Parker:
The Sex and the city actress, Sarah Jessica Parker has a whopping net worth of $100 million. She has won many awards during her career including two Emmy Awards. However, she did not always have it easy for her. During an interview with the New York Times, the actress revealed how she was sometimes deprived of basic needs and how utilities used to get switched off in her family’s house.
Sarah told the Times that, “I remember being poor. There was no way to hide it. We didn’t have electricity sometimes. We didn’t have Christmases sometimes, or we didn’t have birthdays sometimes, or the bill collectors came, or the phone company would call and said, ‘we’re shutting your phones off.’”
Cardi B:
The Emmy winning rapper had a struggling past as well. She began working as a stripper to make ends meet at the age of just 19 when she got fired as a cashier from a local supermarket. Cardi- B opened up about her upbringing in a candid interview with Global Grind back in 2016 and told,
“I have really good parents, the poor. They have regular, poor jobs and what not they really good people and whatnot, I was just raised in a bad society.” Now, she is the highest certified female rapper and has an estimated net worth of $24 million, according to Forbes.
Jennifer Lopez:
The hot American actress and singer, Jennifer Lopez’s current net worth are around $380 Million but despite of all the wealth now, she didn’t grow up rich. JLO grew up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx to poverty-stricken parents who were struggling to provide for her family.
She told DailyMail in 2013 that, “My dad worked nights, and I was aware of how much he was doing for us. My mom was a Tupperware lady and also worked at the school. I always felt that I couldn’t let them down.” And oh well she didn’t!
Jim Carrey:
James Eugene Carrey may be a successful comedian today but the megastar had nothing to laugh about when he was just a child. Carrey became homeless just at the age of 12 and he was living in a van. He got famous for his role in the hit In living colors and stole the attention of many by his comedic persona and acting skills. He has done Hollywood films that have grossed over $4.9 billion worldwide and now has an estimated net worth of $150 Million.
Mila Kunis:
The hot actress Mila Kunis was born in Ukraine and she and her family fled to the United States when the Soviet Union collapsed and ever since then, poverty hit them hard. She even revealed back in 2016 during an interview that there was a time when she survived only on ketchup soup because the food was scarce. The stunning actress ‘acted her way out of poverty’ and knows the value of money. She started her career with her role in That 70’s show when she was 14. Now she has an estimated net worth of $55 Million.
Kunis even publically vowed that she and her husband won’t raise entitled kids and how serious they are when it comes to raising spoiled kids. She explained, “It’s so important because we both came from pretty solid poverty backgrounds and grew up poor and are very much self-made and are very aware of what a dollar is worth. Nothing’s been handed to us.”
Jay-Z:
Shawn Corey Carter, better known by his stage name Jay Z is one of the most popular American singers and rappers out there. He is close to being a billionaire with an estimated net worth $900 million but you would wonder how he used to struggle to pay for clothes. Back when he was a child, he lived a hand to mouth life and he even admitted how he made a few underhanded deals just to escape poverty.
He told while admitting how tough it is to survive by saying, “I was thinking about surviving, I was thinking about improving my situation. I was thinking about buying clothes.” And today, this star is one of the highest-earning hip hop stars. TALK ABOUT A TRANSFORMATION GUYS!
Kelly Clarkson:
Kelly Clarkson’s rags to riches story is an inspiring one too. The ‘already gone’ singer also comes on the list of the celebrities who come from a troubled background. You remember the song ‘Piece by Piece’ she sang on American Idol? The tears she shed weren’t for nothing as the song was about her troubled childhood and how her father left and her whole family split up. The Grammy-winning singer now has an estimated net worth of $28 million and her singing career bagged her three nominations as well. However, the star knows how it feels to be poor.
Nicki Minaj:
Nicki Minaj grew up in a poor neighborhood in Queens, New York. The singer now has an estimated net worth of $75 Million today but her life hasn’t always been as stable as she also grew up in poverty and knows what a dollar is worth. It’s always amazing and super inspiring to see someone turn their life around and Nicki Minaj certainly did that.
Nicki told the Rolling Stones that, “When I first came to America, I would…pray to God would make me rich so that I could take care of my mother.” Now she is one of the biggest names in rap music. The star definitely came a long way from that poor neighborhood in Queens.
Eminem:
Most fans know that the famous rapper, Eminem was abandoned as an infant and was raised in a poor area along 8 Mile Road. Marshall Bruce Mathers is now a professional rapper, songwriter, and record producer with an impressive net worth of $190 million. But he never had it easy for him as a child. The rapper revealed that he was badly bullied in school and no wonder he dropped out of school in Ninth Grade.
In an interview back in 2011, the American rapper told, “ I got beat up in the bathroom, beat up in the hallways, shoved into lockers, for the most part, just for being the new kid.” However, he didn’t let his past define his future and is now one of the biggest names in the music industry.
Halle Berry:
Halle Berry has a net worth of at least $80 million now but they weren’t just handed to her or she had it easy. The X-Men actress grew up poor with a single mother in Cleveland striving to make ends meet. She even had to live in the New York City homeless shelters when she was younger before rising to massive fame in Hollywood.
Berry recalled the struggles of her past and how she didn’t let her past shape her future by saying, “a girl had to do what a girl had to do. You can do that when you’re 21 and ambitious, and your eyes are this big and you don’t want to go home.”
Did these amazing Rags to Riches stories inspire you? Let us know in the comment section below!
