9 Celebrities Who Were Professional Exotic Dancers Before Booming

Plenty of celebrities have played strippers on screen, but has the idea ever occurred to you that some Hollywood A-listers truly did strip before they became famous? Work in Hollywood is demanding. Before actors and singers get their big break, assuming they ever get their big break, they have to do many odd jobs and hustle. Some of the most famous people in the world started out doing mundane, soul-crushing minimum-wage jobs just like the rest of us.
Yet many who could not support themselves on the meager wages of manual labor turned to the more lucrative stripping industry. You may remember that Channing Tatum's stripper dance in Magic Mike made him feel at ease. His previous profession was as a stripper, after all. Famous persons who once worked as strippers include Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt, and Lady Gaga. Look at this shocking list of famous people who have stripped for money.

1. Chris Pratt

Source: Getty Images

Chris Pratt has had undeniable success in Hollywood, but his early days as a stripper were less than stellar. At the tender age of 18, the handsome actor began his career in the adult Entertainment industry by stripping for bachelorette and birthday parties. Quoted from an interview, he gave to BuzzFeed: "From a young age on, I never wore clothes. Nakedness was always a pleasure for me. Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I pd I might as well make some money off of it."
Pratt's highest paying work was at the embarrassing birthday celebration for a friend's grandma when he made $40. He also tried out for a strip club but was rejected, ending his career.

2. Lady Gaga

Source: Getty Images

Lady Gaga used to perform in dive bars on the Lower East Side of New York City and strip there to make ends meet. Gaga's dad was disturbed by her provocative burlesque attire, even if she didn't bare all.
During an appearance on Andy Cohen's show, she remarked, "Stripping was a better financial choice than waitressing. As a burlesque performer, I knew better than to expose too much skin. My dad didn't think it was that strange, and I didn't do anything sleazy, but that's probably because my family is European, and I'm not."

3. Brad Pitt

Source: Getty Images

Before his fame, Brad Pitt performed in a fraternity's seven-man stripping company, the Dancing Bares. His fraternity member Thomas Whelihan claims it was all in good fun. When a member of one of the other sororities reached 21, "the Bares would put her in a chair and come out butt-naked with pillowcases on their heads and execute a rehearsed dance for her," he explained. "It's safe to assume that the females in question would be in fits of laughter. It was terrific!"

4. Channing Tatum

Source: Getty Images

Casting Channing Tatum in Magic Mike wasn't based only on his buff physique. The fact that he had extensive experience as a stripper was a crucial factor in his selection. At 19, Tatum left the University of South Florida and went into the professional stripping industry.
In the late '90s, he even went to a few stripping conventions, but it was never as lucrative as acting. "The most money I ever made in one night was $150. 70 dollars, or even 50 dollars on a bad night. "During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, he said.

5. Amber Rose

Source: Getty Images

That Amber Rose, the ex-girlfriend of Kanye West, used to strip is common knowledge. As a model who frequently criticizes the unfair standards applied to women, Rose found it affirming. The former stripper, now a social media sensation, says she misses her old moniker and life.
She stated, in a Loveline interview, "To put it bluntly, I had the time of my life. If you don't hit the pole, it's game over. I have a f*cking pole in my house. It was a big deal to get drunk before heading out."

6. Anna Nicole Smith

Source: Getty Images

Anna Nicole Smith's career began in the stripping business, not on the covers of Playboy. Smith's 6-month-old baby Daniel forced her to leave her job at Red Lobster, so she went to work as a stripper at the Executive Suite in Houston. Smith preferred stripping to waiting tables, according to her mother, who was quite unhappy with her daughter's new career choice.

7. Kendra Wilkinson

Source: Getty Images

Success as a reality star and author aren't the only things Kendra Wilkinson has going for her since she left the Playboy Mansion. Wilkinson, at the tender age of only 18, enjoyed a very successful career as a stripper. Before she quit, she allegedly made $500,000 in six months. Kendra explains, "I'm just like a free spirit; I wanted to see how much money I could get" on her program. When I'm not studying, I'm out having fun. I like a good time.

8. Eve

Source: Getty Images

Eve, now an international rap icon, wasn't always a household name. Before she became famous, she was a stripper in the Bronx for two years.

9. Mark Consuelos

Source: Getty Images

Kelly Ripa's Latino hunk of a husband, Mark Consuelos, may have gotten his big break as a stripper.