9 Celebrities Were Involved In Explicit Content Before Becoming Big Stars

It's a fact that some celebrities had NSFW past before becoming big stars. They took off their career in one or another way but managed to gain attention, earning both popularity and money. Some famous stars were once involved in explicit content or starred in adult movies making it big in Hollywood.
The point is these celebrities left their pasts behind and kept moving on. Actors like Jon Hamm, Cameron Diaz, and Channing Tatum challenged themselves in different film genres and just rock it. They are now making a name for themselves through their talent and hard work.
Additionally, some celebs even made use of their sex scandal to push their career to new heights. Take the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, for example. When her sex tape was leaked without her consent in 2007, Kim professionally turned the negative press into a goldmine, making her name popular worldwide. She now works as a socialite, media personality, and businesswoman, and earns a fortune of 1.8 billion, as of July 2022.

#1 Kim Kardashian

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While Kim Kardashian was dating singer Ray J, the then-couple made a sex tape for their own personal enjoyment. However, that tape was leaked without Kim's consent in 2007, which means Kim became famous overnight. But Kim turned the negative press into positive, pushing her career to a new height.

#2 Channing Tatum

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You may have heard about the past life of the Magic Mike star as a male stripper. In a 2015 interview, he called that life period “dark”. “I am not sure I could recommend it,” he added.

#3 Cameron Diaz

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The Charlie’s Angels actress starred in an adult movie before hitting her big time. When she gained recognition in movies like The Mask, she tried to stop the circulation of the footage. Diaz had to pay the holders of the video $3.5 million to bury it. The actress is now retired from acting.

#4 Sasha Grey

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Sasha Grey started out as a porn star. In her 5 years in the adult Entertainment game, Gery garnered 13 awards for her work. In 2011, at the age of 21, she retired from porn. The actress has since pursued her acting career and starred in "The Girlfriend Experience", "Entourage" and "I Melt With You".

#5 Jon Hamm

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Did you know that the Mad Men actor worked as a set dresser on some x-rated film sets before making it big in Hollywood? In a 2014 interview, he called his work gig “soul-crushing”.

#6 David Duchovny

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"Red Shoe Diaries" is an anthology erotic drama series that aired from 1992 to 1997. And X-Files star David Duchovny hosted the series for a whopping 66 episodes. But to be fair, he never stripped down on the show. In a 2019 interview with MEL Magazine, the actor said: “Ultimately, I could have told myself many things, but I needed a job. I wasn’t being offered a bunch of stuff.”. “It was, “Wow, a job!”, he added.

#7 Helen Mirren

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Helen Mirren starred in the 1979 roman film Caligula early in her career. The roman epic was controversial and was banned in several countries for gratuitous sexual content.
In an interview with The New York Times, the legendary actress said: “I was pretty young when I made that — not physically so much as experienced in film. And you know what? It was a great experience. It was like being sent down to Dante’s Inferno in many ways.”

#8 Matt LeBlanc

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Before becoming a household name in the Friend sitcom, Matt LeBlanc appeared in an episode of a mid-’90s softcore porn series named The Red Shoe Diaries. He has never spoken publicly about the gig.

#9 Jackie Chan

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Jackie Chan starred in the 1975 Hong Kong comedy All in the Family early on in his career. The film had pornographic elements but the actor said he did the film to push one step further in his career.