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It’s true that becoming successful in life is easier when you’re born in a privileged position with money and contacts behind you. But that doesn’t mean success is impossible if you come from a humble background. In fact, some of the world’s biggest stars had to work their way to the top from the very bottom.
Regardless of how they climbed the ladder, stars who came from poor backgrounds have the most inspiring stories. They remind people with big dreams that it doesn’t matter where they come from—they can always achieve their goals. Check out these 10 rich celebs who came from nothing.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z is one of the most successful rappers in the business. With a career spanning decades, several sold-out world tours, and marriage to the Queen herself, Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z has definitely made it. But the future didn’t always look so bright for Shawn Carter.
Born in Brooklyn, Jay-Z grew up in a housing project. His father abandoned the family when he was still a child, leaving his mother Gloria to raise three children by herself. Eventually, Jay-Z started selling drugs and dropped out of high school. Things changed once he turned his attention to music.
Cher
Cher always knew she was going to be a star. But there was a time in her life when most people would have called her crazy for having that dream. Although her mother was in show business, Cher briefly had to live in an orphanage because her mother couldn’t afford to look after her.
Today, Cher is a living legend with a net worth of $360 million. She is the type of artist that a lot of aspiring singers, dancers, and actors dream of becoming. And she is the perfect example of how anything can happen in life, so you should never say never.
Leonardo DiCaprio
After starring in blockbuster films like Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Great Gatsby, and The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio has established himself as one of the world’s greatest actors. He is now in the position to demand upwards of $20 million per film that he stars in and has an incredible net worth of $245 million, according to Wealthy Gorilla.
But unlike some of his fellow actors, DiCaprio wasn’t born into the spotlight. As a child, he moved all over L.A. while his mother worked several jobs to support him. He attended public school, which he hated, and initially struggled to find an agent.
Hilary Swank
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hilary Swank was 15 years old when her parents separated. She moved with her mom to Los Angeles so she could pursue an acting career, where the family had to live out of their car until Swank’s mom could afford to rent an apartment. Swank then briefly attended South Pasadena High School before dropping out.
Swank is now a highly acclaimed actress, earning her stripes through challenging roles such as Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry and Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby. It’s safe to say that Swank no longer needs to live out of her car.
Eminem
Fans of Eminem’s music will know all about the rap legend’s troubled childhood in Detroit. The rapper chronicles the details of his early life in many of his songs and even made a movie about his upbringing entitled 8 Mile.
Marshall Mathers was born in St. Joseph, Missouri and moved around the state a lot with his mom after his father abandoned the family. He grew up in a working-class Detroit neighborhood where he was bullied at school. He took on several jobs at a young age to help support his mother before eventually dropping out of school and finding his way to hip hop.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Today, Sarah Jessica Parker is an icon in both the worlds of acting and fashion, having earned a net worth of $100 million. But her success came through hard work rather than inheritance. Parker comes from an incredibly humble background to the point where she didn’t always receive Christmas presents as a child.
The actress has revealed that she was mostly given what she needed, but sometimes the family’s power was cut out due to the fact that the bills had not been paid. Parker concentrated on her passion for the arts until it helped her reach the big time.
Zayn Malik
In 2011, Zayn Malik rose to global superstardom through the reality TV show The X Factor, where he was one-fifth of boyband One Direction. The band went on to continuously tour and make best-selling music for five straight years, selling out arenas and stadiums around the world. Malik departed One Direction in 2015, having earned a sizeable income. He is now worth around $65 million.
Before auditioning for The X Factor, Malik lived in Bradford, a town in West Yorkshire. He comes from a working-class family and was planning on studying to become an English teacher before landing a spot in the band.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is one of the most successful female rap artists in history and is also one of the best-selling artists of the decade. She has achieved immense success since bursting onto the scene with hits like ‘Superbass’ and ‘Your Love’. But before the private jets and Range Rovers, Minaj came from a very modest background.
She was born in Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Queens, New York. Her father was an addict who even burned down the family house on one occasion. After school, Minaj dreamed of becoming an actress but worked as a waitress to make ends meet.
Jim Carrey
When you can get paid $20 million for a movie, the way Jim Carrey has done with films like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know you’ve made it. The actor and funnyman has certainly reached amazing heights in his career and he’s had to overcome the odds to get here.
In his native Canada, Carrey’s family struggled to pay the bills. It didn’t help when the comedian was booed off stage at the beginning of his career—a time when he desperately wanted to be making money to help his family. Thankfully, it all worked out for the actor, who is now worth $150 million.
Cardi B
Cardi B is one of the hottest artists at the moment, having catapulted to international stardom in recent years after releasing smash hits like ‘Bodak Yellow’ and making a name for herself on Instagram. Although she can now afford to fly in private jets and drink French champagne as if it were water, Cardi also came from a humble background.
Born Belcalis Almánzar in Manhattan, Cardi B grew up in the Bronx. After being fired from her job at a supermarket when she was a teenager, she began stripping to make money. Her mom had kicked her out of the house and she had nowhere to live but with an abusive boyfriend. Eventually, she began to gain publicity and eventually landed a spot on the VHI show Love & Hip Hop: New York.
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