Celebrity

15 Celebrities Who Grew Up Really, Really Poor

May 6, 2015 by Andriena Baldwin
shefinds | Celebrity

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When we see celebrities, it's hard for us to picture them struggling. However, not everyone in Hollywood grew up in the lap of luxury. They may be rich now, but these celebs and their families faced hard times as kids. From living in cars to barely having anything to eat, they've been there, and we don't see them going back any time soon.

Oprah

Growing up in rural Mississippi, kids used to make fun of Oprah Winfrey for wearing potato sacks as dresses. We wonder what they have to say about her now.

Before he became a big star, Leonardo DiCaprio's dad left his mom when he was just one. She was forced to work several jobs to make ends meet. Now, we see why he loves his mom so much.

Growing up as one of eight children, life wasn't always stylish and fabulous for Sarah Jessica Parker. Her mom went through a divorce and eventually re-married, and her family was constantly moving around.

Demi Moore's childhood was no walk in the park. Her biological dad left her mom before she was born, and was forced to move from place to place with her mom and stepdad, a traveling salesman.

Another product of a broken home, Mariah Carey grew up with her mother and brother in New York. The family of 3 struggled with financial issues and ethnicity barriers.

Born and bred in the housing projects of Brooklyn, Jay Z chased his dreams of becoming a rapper instead of settling for a life of crime and drugs.

After growing up in a trailer park, Hilary Swank's mom moved the family to Hollywood to support her daughter's acting career. There, they lived out of a car until her mom earned enough money to rent an apartment.

Celine Dion grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Canada. Her dad was a butcher, and her mom was a homemaker. She was the youngest of 14 kids, so the family was big, and the checks were small.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago to a middle-class mother and father, Nicki Minaj was forced to live with her grandmother following a domestic dispute between her parents. She eventually moved with her mom to NY, where she began her rap career.

Believe it or not, Leighton Meester was born to her mother in jail after she was convicted of drug smuggling. Her grandmother raised her, until Leighton's mom was released.

It's no secret that Eminem grew up on the tough streets of Detroit. But before he, his mom and brother settled there, they traveled from Michigan to Missouri and stayed with family members.

As an unemployed single mother, JK Rowling was clinically depressed and contemplated suicide before becoming famous for her Harry Potter series.

Shania Twain grew up in Timmins, Ontario, where her mom and stepfather earned little money and food was often scarce.

After living with her father in a home with no indoor plumbing and an outhouse, Jewel traveled for gigs and lived out of her car before getting her big break.

Rose McGowan's parents split, and she moved with her father to Oregon. At the age of 15, she emancipated her self from her parents and went out on her own, enrolling in beauty school and pursuing her acting career.

 

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Andriena Baldwin has covered fashion, beauty, celebrity and more for SheFinds.com.

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