22 Celebrities Who Grew Up Poor, Have Made It Big In Hollywood
However, you may be surprised to discover that not every affluent and famous international celebrity was born rich. Many of the world's wealthiest superstars came from humble beginnings. Before having the glamorous lifestyles they have today, these well-known people had to deal with a lot of problems. In their childhood and adolescence, they witnessed and experienced shortages, domestic violence, drug-infested housing projects, and so forth. After all, these men and women beat the odds, stood in the spotlight, and had a dazzling life.
Let’s take a closer look at these 22 stars who grew up in poverty and now have an amazing life.
#1 Sean "Diddy" Combs
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Diddy shared that when he was young, he once asked his mother for a pair of sneakers. She almost started to cry, and from that moment, he never wanted to see her face like that again.
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#2 Hilary Swank
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Hilary Swank grew up in a trailer park in Washington State. She grew up feeling like an outsider because of poverty, and she saw the ugly side of life at a young age.
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#3 Jim Carrey
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After his dad lost his job, Jim Carrey's family lived in poverty. At times, his whole family worked many jobs and lived in a van. He used visualization to help get him through it.
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#4 Mariah Carey
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Mariah Carey had to deal with a financially difficult situation, drug use, and abuse when she was young. She wrote in her book that: "When I was 12 years old, my sister drugged me with Valium, offered me a pinky nail full of cocaine, inflicted me with third-degree burns, and tried to sell me out to a pimp."
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#5 Oprah Winfrey
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Oprah Winfrey's family lived in rural Mississippi. They were so poor that they sometimes wore potato sacks instead of clothes. But she thought that she was responsible for her life, and she had to make it better.
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#6 Leonardo DiCaprio
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According to the Los Angeles Times, Leonardo DiCaprio grew up in a poor area where there used to be a major prostitution ring on his street corner. Moreover, crime and violence are everywhere. And he decided to change his life for the better.
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#7 Justin Bieber
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Justin Bieber was raised by a single mom. His family was poor, and he was teased by other kids. The famous singer was so happy when he got his first big paycheck. He knew that from now on, he could take care of his mother.
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#8 Camila Alves
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Camila Alves grew up in a farmer's family in Brazil. When she moved to LA at 15, she cleaned houses, worked in restaurants, learned English, and saved to go to New York.
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#9 Arnold Schwarzenegger tweeted about growing up without running water, which is a far cry from his current situation.
Source: Arnold Schwarzenegger/Twitter / Via Twitter: @Schwarzenegger
#10 Sarah Jessica Parker
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Sarah Jessica Parker's family had 10 members. They had to struggle with financial problems. Her family sometimes didn't have electricity and were shutting off the phones because of out of money. She added that they even didn't celebrate Christmases or birthdays many times.
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#11 Leighton Meester
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Leighton Meester was born while both her parents were serving time in prison. As she was growing up, both sides of her family struggled financially. Leighton was always worried that they didn't have gas, money, or food.
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#12 Nicki Minaj
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Nicki Minaj's family struggled when they first came to America. She prayed to God to make her rich in order to take care of her mother.
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#13 Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
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In Ukraine, Mila Kunis's family endured poverty. They decided to emigrate to the United States for a better life. Ashton Kutcher also grew up poor. They both came from pretty solid poverty backgrounds, so they want to make sure their kids have a happier life.
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#14 Celine Dion
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Celine Dion's family had 13 children, so they didn't have much money to save. Still, she never felt like she was lacking in her childhood. She shared. "We were given love and affection and support. What else did we need?"
#15 Mark Wahlberg
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Mark Wahlberg's family was a working-class family in Boston with a lot of children. Mark and his siblings used to join a gang and had serious trouble. He can't even remember how many times his sister went to prison. He told The Daily Mail. "I'd ended up in the worst place I could possibly imagine, and I never wanted to go back."
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#16 Chris Pratt
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Chris Pratt grew up in a small town that had some economic hard times, and they sometimes relied on a food bank nearby. He is not ashamed of his poor past.
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#17 Selena Gomez
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When Selena Gomez was little, her family always had financial problems. But they always try their best to help others, such as volunteering at soup kitchens on Thanksgiving and giving away their closets to Goodwill.
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#19 Kelly Clarkson
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Kelly Clarkson grew up poor and in a difficult family. She told The Dallas Morning News: "I always used to hate when people would be like, "Money doesn't buy everything" when you are little and poor. Rich people say that. Not poor people, I don't know one poor person that's going, money doesn't buy happiness. It pays you to get out of eviction notices."
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#20 Dolly Parton
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Dolly Parton grew up in a one-room shack in rural Tennessee with many people. Dolly shared: "The kids peed on me every night. We slept three and four in the bed. I would wash every night. And as soon as I go to bed, the kids would wet on me, and I'd have to get up in the morning and do the same thing."
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#21 Cardi B
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Cardi B grew up in a struggling family and was raised in a bad society. As the famous singer said, she was always proud of her family because they were good people no matter how poor they were.
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#22 Shania Twain
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Shania Twain and her siblings grew up missing meals. She told ABC News that she didn't have the courage to ask for help at that time.
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