15 celebrities who grew up dirt poor and spoke about it
Image: MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images/Getty Images
These celebrities who grew up poor have spoken publicly about poverty, housing insecurity, or serious financial hardship, and what came next.
Shania Twain has described childhood poverty in Ontario
Shania Twain has said her family struggled with poverty during her childhood in Ontario. Born in 1965 in Windsor and raised in Timmins, she released her breakthrough album The Woman in Me in 1995, then saw Come On Over (1997) become one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Mark Wahlberg has spoken about growing up with limited money
Mark Wahlberg has said he grew up in a large family with limited money in Boston, where he was born in 1971. He rose to fame as Marky Mark in the early 1990s before transitioning to acting, later starring in The Departed (2006) and earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Sarah Jessica Parker remembers life on welfare
Sarah Jessica Parker has said her family relied on welfare and struggled financially when she was growing up. Born in 1965 in Nelsonville, Ohio, and raised in Ohio and New Jersey, she starred as Carrie Bradshaw in HBO’s Sex and the City (1998–2004) and won multiple Golden Globes for the series.
Celine Dion grew up in a large, modest-income household
Celine Dion grew up in a large, modest-income family in Charlemagne, Quebec. Born there in 1968 and the youngest of 14 children, Dion later won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “My Heart Will Go On” (1998 ceremony; Titanic released 1997).
Jennifer Lopez has spoken about a tight-budget Bronx childhood
Jennifer Lopez has spoken about growing up in the Bronx in a working-class Puerto Rican family with limited money. Born in 1969 in the Bronx, New York City, Lopez starred in Selena (1997) as Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, then released her debut studio album On the 6 in 1999.
Keanu Reeves has described an unstable upbringing
Keanu Reeves has described a difficult, unstable upbringing and periods of financial strain in his youth. Born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, and raised in Toronto, Canada, Reeves starred as Neo in The Matrix (1999) and as John Wick in the John Wick film series (2014–present).
LeBron James recalls childhood housing instability
LeBron James has spoken about growing up with financial hardship and housing instability in Akron, Ohio, where he was born in 1984. Selected first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, James later saw his LeBron James Family Foundation open the I PROMISE School in Akron in 2018.
Charlize Theron has spoken about hardship in South Africa
Charlize Theron has spoken about growing up in South Africa with financial hardship. Born in 1975 in Benoni, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Monster (2004 ceremony; film released 2003) and founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project in 2007.
Rihanna has spoken about money struggles in Barbados
Rihanna has said her family struggled financially while she was growing up in Barbados. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in 1988 in Saint Michael, she released her debut album Music of the Sun in 2005 and founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012.
Jim Carrey has described his family living in a van
Jim Carrey has said his family experienced severe financial hardship and at one point lived in a van. Born in 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, he rose to fame as a cast member on In Living Color (1990–1994) and starred in The Mask (1994) and Dumb and Dumber (1994).
Lady Gaga says early New York life meant insecure housing
Lady Gaga has said she struggled financially in her early career in New York City, including periods of insecure housing. Born in 1986 in New York City, she broke through with The Fame in 2008 and co-founded the Born This Way Foundation in 2012.
Viola Davis has described extreme poverty and instability
Viola Davis has described growing up in extreme poverty and instability as a child. Born in 1965 in St Matthews, South Carolina, and raised in Central Falls, Rhode Island, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fences (2017 ceremony; film released 2016) and published her memoir Finding Me in 2022.
Demi Moore has described a childhood marked by instability
Demi Moore has described a difficult childhood marked by financial instability. Born in 1962 in Roswell, New Mexico, she rose to prominence in the 1980s and starred in Ghost (1990), later publishing her memoir Inside Out in 2019.
Dolly Parton’s one-room cabin roots still resonate
Dolly Parton grew up in a poor family in rural Tennessee, after being born in 1946 in Sevier County. One of 12 children, Parton later founded the Dollywood Foundation and launched the Imagination Library in 1995, turning her own story into a practical push for literacy.
Eminem says poverty shaped a childhood on the move
Eminem has described growing up poor and moving frequently during his childhood. Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in 1972 in St Joseph, Missouri, and raised largely in the Detroit area, he released his major-label debut The Slim Shady LP in 1999 and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself” (2003).
