10 Stars Who Lived In Their Cars Before Getting Famous

Anyone you ask on the street is likely to disagree when you ask them if it's worthwhile to be a starving artist. In the end, so many budding geniuses choose reasonable professional paths and abandon their aspirations to become typical Dick and Janes because of just these individuals and that very fear. Some people decide to live their passions, yet they fail to achieve success. Taking a chance to pursue their ambitions has paid off for a select few brilliant people, and for the stars on our list, it has paid off significantly.
These celebs were gearheads before they were well-known, but not out of choice but rather out of need. These celebrities had to live in their cars until they were made famous in the Entertainment industry before they could get their motors going. But look at them now — from Lizzo to Jewel, these celebs lived complete lives before becoming famous! Extreme times demanded desperate methods!

1. Lizzo

Source: Getty Images

The Entertainer of the Year for Time magazine has gone a long way. The "Truth Hurts" singer, then 21 years old, lived out of her car for the majority of 2010 while attempting to break into the music business. No one is able to stop her now. Barack Obama, the former president, supported her abilities by included Lizzo on both his 2019 Summer Playlist and 2019 Year-End Favorite Music lists. She has undoubtedly gone a long way.

2. Hilary Swank

Source: Getty Images

She was anything but despite having won two Oscars for Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. After her father left, the actress and her mother went to Los Angeles so Hilary could pursue a career in acting. Hilary was raised in a trailer park. Swank auditioned for jobs while living with her mother and daughter out of an Oldsmobile, and it worked.

3. Steve Harvey

Source: Getty Images

Although the struggles of aspiring comedians are nothing new, Harvey's tale undoubtedly is. He spent three years living out of his car since the majority of the money he made performing gigs around America went to his ex-wife as child maintenance.
Now look at Steve. He has hosted a number of TV series, made mistakes when hosting Miss Universe, and is possibly the finest Family Feud host ever. His net worth is $160 million. Not bad at all.

4. Chris Pratt

Source: Getty Images

Pratt was a cast member of Parks and Recreation and had roles in a number of films before taking on the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World franchises. But before all of that, the Avenger spent his time in Maui living out of his vehicle until he landed his first acting job, which paid $700. He now earns millions.

5. Jewel

Source: Getty Images

Jewel, like everyone else on the list, did what it took to succeed and spent a year living out of her van while she traveled to gigs. She was ultimately found in 1993 while working as a barista in a nearby coffee shop, and in 1995, she released the first song from her debut album, Pieces of You. It was certified 12 times platinum. Music was made for her, and she was made for music.

6. Tyler Perry

Source: Getty Images

After spending all of his funds on his autobiographical performance, Perry, who was attempting to launch a career as a playwright, spent the following six years reworking I Know I've Been Changed, which required him to live out of his little car when he wasn't living in shabby hotels.
His perseverance paid off since the play finally became popular, and the money he made from that allowed him to make his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Perry now has his own studio; how much money does he make? a cool 600,000,000. Zowza.

7. Kelly Clarkson

Source: Getty Images

Clarkson was attempting to get into the entertainment industry even before she won the first season of American Idol. When her flat caught fire and she was forced to live in her car, things took an unexpected turn. She ultimately relocated back to Texas, where she gave a reality show tryout. Kelly's career in music and television is proof that what didn't kill her simply made her stronger.

8. Drew Carey

Source: Getty Images

He was an ambitious comic wanting to advance in his profession before he hosted The Price is Right and appeared in his own series. He moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles, where he spent a year and a half living out of his vehicle, before getting his big break: doing stand-up on The Tonight Show and having an interview with Johnny Carson after the show. And the rest is history, as they say.

9. Lil’ Kim

Source: Getty Images

Kim had a difficult upbringing; after her parents divorced, she and her mother lived in their vehicle. The rapper eventually moved home with her father, but when she was a teenager, he booted her out.
Prior to meeting Christopher Wallace (also known as Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls), who took her under his wing, she was homeless and sleeping on friends' sofas as well as living on the streets and in automobiles. As a result of her status as a legend in the music business, she received the I Am Hip Hop Award at the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards, which honored her contribution to the genre via song.

10. Sam Worthington

Source: Getty Images

Worthington performed in a few shows, nothing major, and then nothing. When he went for an audition for a part in an unnamed film directed by an unknown actor, he was living in his car, had sold everything else, and was unemployed.
Sam was cast in Avatar, which would go on to become the most successful movie of all time, when James Cameron, the mysterious p, decided to take a risk on him (until Avengers: Endgame knocked it into second place in 2019).