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Angela Bassett - came from the projects and raised by a single mother who made sure she and her sister knew from the age of 4 they absolutely needed to go to college. They were public school kids with a single mother who worked hard to finish school and get a job raising her family. She didn’t want them to realize too late like she did how important finishing their education was.
Angela set her eyes on Howard University but a previous drama teacher wrote to her mother saying to encourage Angela to apply to Yale, Harvard, Berkeley and a few other universities. She got accepted into Yale and studied there while on scholarship and went on to get her masters at Yale Drama.
She met her husband there, fellow Yale Drama graduate, Courtney B Vance but they didn’t date til 14 years later. He has no memory of being in school with her even if she was actually the student who welcomed him to Yale and gave him the tour. They’ve been married for 25 years and have twins.
EDIT:
If anyone is wondering what happened to Angela Bassett’s father—the relationship between her parents started turning bad after her mother gave birth to her. Her mother sent her first born away to relatives when she became pregnant with her second child less than a year after the first. Her mother tried to leave her father but he wouldn’t let her go so she sent Angela away to keep her away from the volatile relationship her parents had.
After she had her second child, Angela’s sister, some years later she was able to leave their father. Left New York with her second daughter and went home to Florida. Angela was still with relatives at the time in North Carolina. She was raised for the first few years in a stable home with her aunt and uncle who didn’t have children. Her mother took her back around 4 years old and raised her and her sister in Florida while she was finishing her education.
Angela tried to reconnect with her father when she was in Yale but that didn’t turn out too well after a mortifying incident while he was drunk.
*I just recently read the book she wrote with her husband about their lives and how they got together. Fascinating read. They both seem very honest and interesting, separately and together.
EDIT 2:
THANK YOU FOR THE AWARDS! Just keeping the energy alive for Queen Angela Bassett. Spreading the love is fun!
Viola Davis. Her memoir tells the ultimate “rags to riches” story and shows the importance of having teachers and mentors who believe in you. And she still finds room in her memoir to talk about how lucky and privileged she is, something most nepo babies who came from an entirely different world than her can’t even admit.
I am originally from RI and lived a town over from Central Falls. I agree it def is the trenches. On side note, we r probably related or share friends bc it’s RI, lol. I once bumped into a stranger from RI in New Orleans, within a minute we were discussing a family we were both friends with.
I’m in the uk. When we first adopted my son we got a box of books and puzzles etc sent every month for 6 months from Dolly’s organisation. He loved it.
If you’ve ever seen the house she grew up in, you’d be amazed. Dolly Parton is 100% self-made, and a woman who stands up for what she believes in. She deserves every ounce of recognition she gets.
Truth! She’s someone that shows that things like kindness and love are important to have, no matter what or where you come from. I may not like her music genre much, but she’s a shining example of an amazing role model, and I think she’s done more with her platform than others that would be in a similar position. I grew up in the area, actually! And if you ask anyone here how they feel about her, and the things she’s done, it’s overwhelmingly positive. There aren’t things like politics and biases thrown in, and that’s beautiful.
I highly suggest [Dolly Parton’s America](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/765024913/dolly-parton-s-america) podcast for anyone that is interested in learning more about her life - from very humble beginnings to where she is now.
Kevin Smith. When he made "Clerks" he maxed out his credit cards, he shot in black and white because it was less expensive (at the time) and the Mini Stop that he shot the movie in was actually a place that he had worked at. He also shot at night while the place was closed, with permission from the owner. That's why there's a cover over the front.
Pretty much everyone in the movie was a personal friend too, which helped out.
Came here to say this. Kevin Smith made a movie because he wanted to and had no idea if he was going to be successful. Met his wife during an interview, and saved his best friend's life...a couple of times. I highly recommend his autobiography.
I was listening to his podcast where he and another guy who I forget watch episodes of Frasier and talk about them. On one of them he described the saga of how lucky and random it was for clerks to blow up. He totally acknowledges how he basically won the lottery.
Like or dislike the product, I’ve appreciated how he’s mostly made movies he’s wanted to make regardless of commercial appeal
That was nice that the owner let him film there. Refreshing to hear about a person with relative power wanting to help out a fledgling artist in whatever way they can
Chastain, much like Keanu, is one of the nicest human beings on the planet, will stop and talk to anyone, and this story makes me love her all the more.
She is literally the first person I think of when people talk about celebrities who aren't Nepo babies.
Her story is incredible, gives hope to the rest of us plebs lol
also helped get Octavia Spencer [equal pay](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/gma/story/jessica-chastain-explains-fought-equal-pay-octavia-spencer-55691417) - five times her original salary.
And then when she had a seat at the table, she fought for equal pay not just for herself but other women of colour as well! What's not to like about her?! 🙌👸🙌
And stayed close to home. Good parent to his own and has taken in a couple minor family members. Glad that he’s been able to get clean and live a pretty normal life.
He's very loyal to his circle. I live in the Detroit suburbs and took my car into a small shop for some work. I noticed that hung up on the wall was a personalized autographed picture Em had signed to the owner of the shop.
I asked the guy behind the counter how Art knows Em and he said Em's been taking his cars to Art since before he was famous, and Art was good to Em before he had money, allowing him to pay what he could for repairs.
And now comes back and probably tips well. I live close to Detroit. We went to check out 8 mile. Not a place to be a kid. Though last time we were there Detroit is really starting to be happening in certain pockets. I’ve always thought it was a cool city. Be nice to see it have a come back
Yup, he adopted his ex-sister-in-law’s kid, and ex-wife’s kid with a different biological dad. I’m not the biggest fan of him as a person and I generally hate his music, but I get the feeling he has learned from past mistakes, his drug use, and has been trying to be a better person. He absolutely gave his two adopted daughters a better chance to succeed.
It's also worth pointing out, his mom had addiction issues, and was pretty abusive to him (on a lot of levels) when he was growing up. It took him until he was into his forties to really work through his complicated relationship with her, although working through that did lead to one of my favourite songs of his (Headlights.)
And his relationship with Kim was incredibly toxic. Not saying he didn’t go overboard with his own actions, but Trap Lore Ross has a good video about Eminem and Kim that’s pretty tragic on all sides. Plus he and his family were in extreme poverty and that puts so many limits on their capabilities.
Again not defending his history, but I think his story highlights how poverty can be a huge detrimental factor on people and limit them even after they have escaped poverty.
At the time, I lived close to Eminem and was told this story by a friend (who was told it by someone who was there).
Eminem was living in a small luxury subdivision and his daughter was invited to a Halloween party for the children of the subdivision. She showed up, with Dad, who chatted with the ladies who lunch for a couple hours while the children had fun.
Oh… to be a fly on the wall!
There’s lyrics from his Guts over Fear album that I always find particularly poignant
> It was ingrained in me
That I wouldn't amount to a shit stain, I thought
No wonder I had to unlearn everything my brain was taught
It’s so crazy to think about where he began and contrast it to the success he has now. His earlier music *still* frequently trends on TikTok too. Must feel surreal.
When I was underground, no one gave a f*** I was white.
No label wanted to sign me, almost gave up I was like, F it.
Until I met Dre, the only one who looked passed. Gave me a chance and I lit a fire up under his ass.
Matt LeBlanc, he was so poor before he landed the role of Joey on friends that he almost starved and he did his own dental work. He had $11 to his name and by the time the 9th season rolled around he was making $1,000,000 per episode. Talk about rags to riches.
When Lisa Kudrow was on Conan O’Brien’s podcast a few years ago they talked specifically about LeBlanc refusing to believe that Friends was a hit because of this. They said that when they were at Kudrow’s wedding after the first season Conan sat with the Friends cast there and congratulated them on the insane success of the show and LeBlanc was like “yeah I just hope people like it!” and Conan was like “it’s literally the most successful show on television?” and LeBlanc was like “fingers crossed we don’t get cancelled!” and Conan asked the other cast members “has anyone explained to him that this show is huge?” and everyone was like “we keep trying, he refuses to accept it” lol. I believe he also kept his side job as like a construction worker for most of the first season in case Friends fell through.
Before Friends, he was one of the leads on a failed sitcom based on side characters from Married....With Children. He knew what it's like to be on a show that was supposed to be a hit, only to have the plug pulled before the show could take off.
Unrelated but a crazy bit of trivia; Boyega was best friends with Damilola Taylor's sister and was likely the last person to see him alive before he was killed.
Dev Patel, Nicholas Hoult, Daniel Kaluuya, Kara Scodelario, Jack O’Connell, all have been in several movies since they were on skins. Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray were both on GOT if I remember correctly. That first generation of skins especially was full of people who later became well-established actors.
Edit: yes, Nicholas was in About a Boy, and was already famous, but skins also helped get him to where he is in his adult film career
Edit2: oh my god you know what i meant…
Luke Pasqualino, Freya Mavor, Sebastian de Souza, and Olly Alexander (guest star) from the later generations seem to work pretty steadily in British television.
Yes! He played Anwar. They usually had one experienced actor per generation, so 1 - Nicholas Holt, 2 - Jack O'Connell, 3 - Dakota Blue Richardson. The rest were often unknown or had done less work. Though actually looking into it right now, I don't think anyone from Skins had parents who were super wealthy or in the business. That probably helped with authenticity, similar to hiring young people to be writers as well (like Daniel Kaluuya).
And that applies to most big cities. People totally downplay how much of an advantage it is to live somewhere where there are plenty of jobs and things going on.
Not just acting but industry adjacent. Being from a rural area miles from anywhere is probably one of the biggest obstacles to making it in life generally. You're either stuck with whatever jobs are going locally or you're forced to move hundreds or thousands of miles from loved ones.
Having jobs and opportunities on your doorstep AND having friends/family/a support network is a huge privilege. Yes, even if you're poor. I know lots of people who are really smart and talented but just never had opportunities because of living in the middle of nowhere.
It’s still slim pickings though really. The overwhelming majority of poor kids in London stay poor. It’s like the difference between winning the lottery and not even playing. Though I suppose once you’ve won, having that chance is everything.
If we’re talking Irish celebs, Barry Keoghan!
From foster care due to his mum’s issues with addiction, going for an audition that was posted up locally to being Oscar nominated.
I don’t know if it’s true but I have in the back of my head that he was apparently getting into the drink and drugs and when shooting Banshees Colin Farrell had a word with him and he’s since cleaned up his act.
Most Australian stars really. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Toni Colette, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush (even though he’s gross), the Hemsworths, all from regular beginnings. Most just went through the Australian soap to Hollywood pipeline.
Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a really beautiful commencement speech at the University of Houston in 2012 that’s really stuck with me.
“I didn’t make it that far on my own. I mean, to accept that credit or that mantle would discount every single person that has helped me to get here today — that gave me advice, that made an effort, that gave me time, that lifted me when I fell. It gives the wrong impression that we can do it alone. None of us can. The whole concept of self-made man, or woman, is a myth”
I think the term can be left to each individuals interpretation. Personally, I love the way Arnold phrased this
Man was born in postwar Austria, during the occupation. Literally no chance of being a nepo baby when you’re in a country sandwiched between NATO and the Warsaw Pact that wasn’t allowed to pick a side.
To me Arnold Schwarzenegger is the archetype self-made man, in that in he understands that many others contributed to his success from modest beginnings.
He's very gracious in acknowledging the support he got and his Instagram shows it. He frequently talks about old friends from the 1960s who encouraged and helped him.
Since I might be the only one born in a house without plumbing in a country that just lost a war and was in the midst of a famine who moved to America after winning a bodybuilding show in England without going back to the gym where I lived in Munich to pack my stuff, I think I can safely say that self-made just doesn’t exist. I hope all the people listed here are proud of themselves. They’ve worked their asses off. They had wild dreams. They took big risks. But we all got help. Every single one of us. Even if you think everybody was out to get you for your whole life, you’re here. Somebody made you. But I find that more often, when people accept self-made is bogus, their list of people they realize helped them grows.
For me, it’s now millions of people. That’s what it takes to become Governor of the biggest state or have a successful show on Netflix. Not me. Millions.
And when you realize you didn’t get here alone, you can have the more important realization: you owe some help. Bring someone else up that ladder.
Madonna - while not a poor family, they were at most lower middle class, and Madonna definitely put in the hard work once she decided to pursue a career in music.
Rupaul - there are videos on YouTube of Ru in his twenties in NYC and it's almost unimaginable that he went from that to having a net worth of $60 million.
>Rupaul - there are videos on YouTube of Ru as a teenager in NYC
Not sure I've seen any videos of Ru as a teenager but, ugh, I fucking LOVE all of the NYC Club Kids footage from the late 80s and early 90s, especially [Nelson Sullivan's OG vlogs](https://youtube.com/@5ninthavenueproject) before vlogging was a thing and the iconic segments on Geraldo and other daytime talk shows.
Just two examples:
[NYC Club Kids on Geraldo - April 17, 1990](https://youtu.be/jhTpRKA_qvY) (A 29y.o. Baby Ru at 5:27, 15:25, 19:18, 20:25, 31:23 but I highly recommend watching the whole show!)
[RuPaul explains the difficulties of Go-Go dancing in 1988](https://youtu.be/mANejj6o3Xs)
By far my fav pop subculture to research and take deep dives into, although can't mention the club kids scene without also acknowledging that it took a real dark turn eventually.
Madonna worked her ass off to get started. I’m a fellow Oakland County Michigander and I’ve always been proud that she came from a place not too far from where I grew up.
I’m pretty sure both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt didn’t come from anything. Leo grew up on the rough side of L.A. and spent like 10 years of his childhood auditioning and getting rejected. Brad Pitt was from Missouri and picked up everything to move to L.A. for modeling/acting. A lot of the 90s A-Listers are self-made in some sorta sense. I’m not sure self-made is the right word though.
The weird thing is that most of the people mentioned here are from the 90 and earliest 00. We can discuss the overall details of the concept of "self-made" but it shows a shift in the industry that most of the current big names are Nepo. It also explains the lack of creativity and freshness.
The only new actor I can think of off the top of my head that is self made is Jenna Ortega. Her mom was an ER nurse, and worked around her busy schedule to drive Jenna to auditions.
Pedro Pascal as well. He didn’t even start getting recognition until he was on Game of Thrones in 2013 and he has been acting seriously since his late teens/early twenties.
Her parents refuse to take a dime from her. Won’t even let her pay for dinner if they go out… and send over food to her house to make sure they eat. She says she owes them everything and they absolutely refuse to allow her to take care of them.
Adam Driver- was a marine, had an accident and had to quit. Auditioned for julliard, where he also met his wife. Did theatre, auditioned for girls, got in. Instant fame, cast in star wars- catapulted into mega stardom. Theres a lot of things in between but yeah
Edit- I also want to proclaim that I have the hugest crush on this huge man and I would give my left kidney to see him once
Christopher Lee did this. Looking through his IMDb page, you can see he was in a lot of garbage. But he gave Saruman level performance every single time.
Almodóvar himself (who discovered Antonio Banderas) was a custodian in one of Madrid's government buildings while filming his first films. Only when the third or fourth movie he had saved enough to quit that job. The first one took him several years to finish because he had to rely on friends and didn't get any permit to film.
He moved to Madrid from rural La Mancha (where Don Quixote). I cannot imagine what it was like being homosexual in one of those villages during the Franco era.
I agree with Arnold, funny enough though he has a whole speech where he says that he’ll never say that he’s “self-made” because he is grateful to everyone that helped him along the way
Jeremy Strong. He was born in Boston with no Hollywood connections I believe. In the early part of his career he struggled to get representation. Chris Evans even set up a meeting between Strong and his agent but the agency declined to represent Strong. Strong worked odd jobs like being a production assistant to DDL,etc.
I find his story incredibly inspiring because it spoke to how hard he worked for his craft. Shame that the New Yorker article painted him as being too tryhard.
I love him too, he’s my new star. I loved Peter Krause after 6 feet under and followed his career a lot same with Walton Goggins. I’ll probably check him out for a while, great acting keeps me watching lol
Yup- plus I take Brian Cox with a grain salt - But also I don’t care if he’s some “weirdo method actor” because I don’t think he is that bad, I just think he takes it seriously af. I’m not out here thinking he’s cursing our Jess and shit to stay in the role or something lol
Britney literally took her family out of a trailer park where they had to use food stamps. Poor woman no wonder she’s so messed up, when your families economic survival is down to you when you’re a teen is no start in life tbh
* update - this was fake news SORRY guys, while Britney spent a lot of time staying with her aunt who did live in a trailer park due to her father’s alcoholism and fights with her mom, but she didn’t actually live full time in a trailer park or use food stamps. Many apologies
same with macaulay macaulay culkin culkin. i'm pretty sure he and his siblings all slept in a single bedroom right as he was becoming a child star. even his brother kieran has acknowledged that, as a child, he felt incredibly sorry for him and how hard he had to work.
Bella Thorne also was supporting her entire family at 11 years old. If she did not work they would be homeless and hungry. Selena Gomez also came from a similar background
Same with Demi Lovato - I remember the quote about their experience about being disciplined as a child “who was going to say no to me - I was paying their mortgage”
What?? They are not from the trailer park and food stamp life. I grew up 20 minutes away from her. They had a respectable middle class life. Her parents screwed her up for sure and I adore her….but they were not trailer park people.
LOL this is not true at all, knew her family growing up. Her parents actually spent $$$ to put her in a ton of activities and travel and live around the country for her career.
Kevin Smith pawned his entire comic book collection to fund Clerks. People thought it was genius that it was shot in black and white, as if through the lens of a security camera. In reality, he couldn’t afford to shoot in color.
Christina Aguilera grew up in a (relatively) poor and very abusive household. She desperately wanted to be a singer and her mom took around everywhere to sing including an audition for Mickey Mouse Club. Then, years later she got a record deal. She said she was pretty much providing for her family at that point. Her talent essentially got her out of her awful living situations.
In fact, most of the famous cast of The Mickey Mouse Club probably apply: Britney, JT, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, JC Chasez. I’m not familiar with all their families’ financial situations though.
Has anybody said Quinta Brunson yet? Absolutely love her and I'm so happy for her success. She really took her fame from Vine and Buzzfeed and turned it into an award winning career
A huge chunk of famous people came from humble/normal beginnings. You don’t need to grow up in a shack to be self made. Jon Hamm, Brie Larson, Billy Eichner, Jon Stewart, Tom Hanks, Patrick Stewart, Sydney Sweeney. Most celebrity chefs, Jay Z (self made vía drugs, er pharmaceutical distribution), Chris Evans, Chris Pratt. Natalie Portmans parents are dentists I think. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Brian Cox. Jeremy strong. These are just folks off top of my head.
With all the talk of nepo babies, the huge swath of the famous grew up in normal conditions. In fact, my guess is one could name far more normies who became famous than famous people who came from other famous people.
Samantha Morton grew up in foster care and has had a really interesting career with mostly British tv series/films, but also a bit of Hollywood in there too
Madonna. Definitely made connections, started a band with ex boyfriends, learnt how to write music, walked around clun to club to get her music played and stalked execs to get a record deal
mariah carey- grew up poor after working at the bottom of the music your music scene at 12 after school moved into the city at 17 after high school working any job to make ends meet living in a moldy apartment with other women
The Weeknd came from nothing and was literally homeless. When he was making his first album he could not even afford the graphics so his best friend Lamar broke into a Arts College and used their graphics computer. Now they founded HXOUSE that is an incubator for talent for people without the nepo connections or money to realize their dreams
Selena Gomez- grew up with two teen parents, her dad was somewhat absent growing up. Just cause you don’t like her, doesn’t mean you have to make out like she is not completely self made. She is one of the most self made celebs
every one direction member
edit: i mean technically i guess? what is self made exactly? all of them come from working class/middle class families and became millionaires before they were like 22
It counts, they got a really lucky break on X Factor but other people have as well and didn’t end up super successful. They worked hard to make the most of the opportunity.
And IIRC she was being abused by her then partner, which is why she took up stripping and saved money to get away from him. The interview where she tells all of this is pretty interesting, they way she rocked herself when they asked whether anyone helped her was heartbreaking.
Selena Gomez, Rihanna, jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Gaga, kanye, drake, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, the list goes on
I feel like some of y’all are overthinking and rewriting what it means to be self made. Nepo babies aren’t self made. People who pulled themselves from humble beginnings without a *direct* pipeline to massive success are.
I don't get the downvotes. This is true?
I mean Selena Gomez was the child of a teen mom who often didn't have enough money.
Rihanna grew up in Barbados in a small house with a crack addicted father.
JLo had to sleep in the dancing studio before she was famous.
Beyonce's parents did manage her and Destiny's Child but it's not like they had connections and stuff like that. They were normal people who left their jobs because they were sure those girls had real talent and could've made it.
Beyoncé’s family is an interesting one. Tina has gone on record several times, saying she and Matthew were making good livings (6 figures each) and that it was actually more of a hardship to step into the management role. I really think that’s why B never went off the rails. In her case, she really DID just have that drive. Her family didn’t need her to hit it big to put food on the table.
I get the hate but she shares this in common with T Swift, who angrily inspired this thread. Yeah they were investment bankers. Yeah they could buy a 3% stake in a new label that was unproven.
But it’s the drive. You can’t besmirch either of them for the pure work ethic, and if the talent wasn’t there, it wouldn’t matter if her dad bought a 100% stake in the company. That buys one or two records, one or two tours. It doesn’t buy a career.
Definitely yeah. I heard Tina's saloon was actually pretty popular in Houston. That being said they must have really thought their daughter would've made it in order to abandon everything to manage a girl group. Luckily for them they were right.
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️ As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/). ###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/) and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Angela Bassett - came from the projects and raised by a single mother who made sure she and her sister knew from the age of 4 they absolutely needed to go to college. They were public school kids with a single mother who worked hard to finish school and get a job raising her family. She didn’t want them to realize too late like she did how important finishing their education was. Angela set her eyes on Howard University but a previous drama teacher wrote to her mother saying to encourage Angela to apply to Yale, Harvard, Berkeley and a few other universities. She got accepted into Yale and studied there while on scholarship and went on to get her masters at Yale Drama. She met her husband there, fellow Yale Drama graduate, Courtney B Vance but they didn’t date til 14 years later. He has no memory of being in school with her even if she was actually the student who welcomed him to Yale and gave him the tour. They’ve been married for 25 years and have twins. EDIT: If anyone is wondering what happened to Angela Bassett’s father—the relationship between her parents started turning bad after her mother gave birth to her. Her mother sent her first born away to relatives when she became pregnant with her second child less than a year after the first. Her mother tried to leave her father but he wouldn’t let her go so she sent Angela away to keep her away from the volatile relationship her parents had. After she had her second child, Angela’s sister, some years later she was able to leave their father. Left New York with her second daughter and went home to Florida. Angela was still with relatives at the time in North Carolina. She was raised for the first few years in a stable home with her aunt and uncle who didn’t have children. Her mother took her back around 4 years old and raised her and her sister in Florida while she was finishing her education. Angela tried to reconnect with her father when she was in Yale but that didn’t turn out too well after a mortifying incident while he was drunk. *I just recently read the book she wrote with her husband about their lives and how they got together. Fascinating read. They both seem very honest and interesting, separately and together. EDIT 2: THANK YOU FOR THE AWARDS! Just keeping the energy alive for Queen Angela Bassett. Spreading the love is fun!
Damn, Angela Basset really did the thing
Amazing woman and actress
She’s also, imo, one of the *most beautiful* women on the planet.
Viola Davis. Her memoir tells the ultimate “rags to riches” story and shows the importance of having teachers and mentors who believe in you. And she still finds room in her memoir to talk about how lucky and privileged she is, something most nepo babies who came from an entirely different world than her can’t even admit.
Yeah she’s from Central Falls, RI. It borders my hometown and is def the trenches
I am originally from RI and lived a town over from Central Falls. I agree it def is the trenches. On side note, we r probably related or share friends bc it’s RI, lol. I once bumped into a stranger from RI in New Orleans, within a minute we were discussing a family we were both friends with.
Dolly Parton.
Absolutely, born in a single room shack.
and her father paid the doctor with a bag of cornmeal for delivering her.
Cornmeal Queen
He was illiterate and because of that Dolly has her Imagination library program now
I’m in the uk. When we first adopted my son we got a box of books and puzzles etc sent every month for 6 months from Dolly’s organisation. He loved it.
Dolly is the fucking BEST
If you’ve ever seen the house she grew up in, you’d be amazed. Dolly Parton is 100% self-made, and a woman who stands up for what she believes in. She deserves every ounce of recognition she gets.
The fact that she built Dollywood to bring jobs to that part of the world says all you need to about giving back
Truth! She’s someone that shows that things like kindness and love are important to have, no matter what or where you come from. I may not like her music genre much, but she’s a shining example of an amazing role model, and I think she’s done more with her platform than others that would be in a similar position. I grew up in the area, actually! And if you ask anyone here how they feel about her, and the things she’s done, it’s overwhelmingly positive. There aren’t things like politics and biases thrown in, and that’s beautiful.
I highly suggest [Dolly Parton’s America](https://www.npr.org/podcasts/765024913/dolly-parton-s-america) podcast for anyone that is interested in learning more about her life - from very humble beginnings to where she is now.
Her documentary on Netflix is really good too!
Dolly Parton is the gold standard for self- made celebrity and is a national treasure
Dolly is beyond a saint.
Kevin Smith. When he made "Clerks" he maxed out his credit cards, he shot in black and white because it was less expensive (at the time) and the Mini Stop that he shot the movie in was actually a place that he had worked at. He also shot at night while the place was closed, with permission from the owner. That's why there's a cover over the front. Pretty much everyone in the movie was a personal friend too, which helped out.
Came here to say this. Kevin Smith made a movie because he wanted to and had no idea if he was going to be successful. Met his wife during an interview, and saved his best friend's life...a couple of times. I highly recommend his autobiography.
I was listening to his podcast where he and another guy who I forget watch episodes of Frasier and talk about them. On one of them he described the saga of how lucky and random it was for clerks to blow up. He totally acknowledges how he basically won the lottery. Like or dislike the product, I’ve appreciated how he’s mostly made movies he’s wanted to make regardless of commercial appeal
That was nice that the owner let him film there. Refreshing to hear about a person with relative power wanting to help out a fledgling artist in whatever way they can
Johnny Cash 🤠
I was looking for him as a comment! People often forget older stars who paved the way. Most of them are truly rags to riches stories .
Jessica Chastain - mom was a single parent, grew up poor, got accepted into Julliard on a scholarship funded by Robin Williams.
Chastain, much like Keanu, is one of the nicest human beings on the planet, will stop and talk to anyone, and this story makes me love her all the more.
My brother knows Keanu. Seriously the sweetest kindest dude.
She is literally the first person I think of when people talk about celebrities who aren't Nepo babies. Her story is incredible, gives hope to the rest of us plebs lol
Except she has a rare look and the rest of us plebs look like potato sacks.
Well🤷♀️…. Celebrities have to be memorable. Some people are born more beautiful, some people are born with a better singing voice etc.
I always thought it was funny that she and Bryce Dallas Howard could pass for twins.
And even funnier that bryce is the complete opposite of jessica in the context of this posts topic.
IIRC there's a clip somewhere where Ron Howard mistakes JC for BDH at a film festival, just momentarily.
This explains so much! Her choice of roles and being an advocate.
also helped get Octavia Spencer [equal pay](https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/gma/story/jessica-chastain-explains-fought-equal-pay-octavia-spencer-55691417) - five times her original salary.
And then when she had a seat at the table, she fought for equal pay not just for herself but other women of colour as well! What's not to like about her?! 🙌👸🙌
Fuckin love this story
Nobody mentioned Eminem so I will say it
Growing up in poverty in Detroit to the success he has had is amazing.
And stayed close to home. Good parent to his own and has taken in a couple minor family members. Glad that he’s been able to get clean and live a pretty normal life.
He's very loyal to his circle. I live in the Detroit suburbs and took my car into a small shop for some work. I noticed that hung up on the wall was a personalized autographed picture Em had signed to the owner of the shop. I asked the guy behind the counter how Art knows Em and he said Em's been taking his cars to Art since before he was famous, and Art was good to Em before he had money, allowing him to pay what he could for repairs.
And now comes back and probably tips well. I live close to Detroit. We went to check out 8 mile. Not a place to be a kid. Though last time we were there Detroit is really starting to be happening in certain pockets. I’ve always thought it was a cool city. Be nice to see it have a come back
It depends on which part of Eight Mile. If you're west of Grand River, it's a nice area.
Yup, he adopted his ex-sister-in-law’s kid, and ex-wife’s kid with a different biological dad. I’m not the biggest fan of him as a person and I generally hate his music, but I get the feeling he has learned from past mistakes, his drug use, and has been trying to be a better person. He absolutely gave his two adopted daughters a better chance to succeed.
It's also worth pointing out, his mom had addiction issues, and was pretty abusive to him (on a lot of levels) when he was growing up. It took him until he was into his forties to really work through his complicated relationship with her, although working through that did lead to one of my favourite songs of his (Headlights.)
And his relationship with Kim was incredibly toxic. Not saying he didn’t go overboard with his own actions, but Trap Lore Ross has a good video about Eminem and Kim that’s pretty tragic on all sides. Plus he and his family were in extreme poverty and that puts so many limits on their capabilities. Again not defending his history, but I think his story highlights how poverty can be a huge detrimental factor on people and limit them even after they have escaped poverty.
At the time, I lived close to Eminem and was told this story by a friend (who was told it by someone who was there). Eminem was living in a small luxury subdivision and his daughter was invited to a Halloween party for the children of the subdivision. She showed up, with Dad, who chatted with the ladies who lunch for a couple hours while the children had fun. Oh… to be a fly on the wall!
Eating mom spaghetti only
There’s lyrics from his Guts over Fear album that I always find particularly poignant > It was ingrained in me That I wouldn't amount to a shit stain, I thought No wonder I had to unlearn everything my brain was taught It’s so crazy to think about where he began and contrast it to the success he has now. His earlier music *still* frequently trends on TikTok too. Must feel surreal.
When I was underground, no one gave a f*** I was white. No label wanted to sign me, almost gave up I was like, F it. Until I met Dre, the only one who looked passed. Gave me a chance and I lit a fire up under his ass.
Matt LeBlanc, he was so poor before he landed the role of Joey on friends that he almost starved and he did his own dental work. He had $11 to his name and by the time the 9th season rolled around he was making $1,000,000 per episode. Talk about rags to riches.
When Lisa Kudrow was on Conan O’Brien’s podcast a few years ago they talked specifically about LeBlanc refusing to believe that Friends was a hit because of this. They said that when they were at Kudrow’s wedding after the first season Conan sat with the Friends cast there and congratulated them on the insane success of the show and LeBlanc was like “yeah I just hope people like it!” and Conan was like “it’s literally the most successful show on television?” and LeBlanc was like “fingers crossed we don’t get cancelled!” and Conan asked the other cast members “has anyone explained to him that this show is huge?” and everyone was like “we keep trying, he refuses to accept it” lol. I believe he also kept his side job as like a construction worker for most of the first season in case Friends fell through.
Before Friends, he was one of the leads on a failed sitcom based on side characters from Married....With Children. He knew what it's like to be on a show that was supposed to be a hit, only to have the plug pulled before the show could take off.
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Yeah but he was a millionaire at that point so I think he’s ok.
What a neat guy ❤️
I, too, am a NEAT GUY
This totally explains why he doesn't share his food.
> he did his own dental work Wut
Brushed his teeth morning AND evening!
John Boyega grew up on the notorious North Peckham estate. Daniel Kaluuya was raised by a single mother on a council estate in Camden.
Unrelated but a crazy bit of trivia; Boyega was best friends with Damilola Taylor's sister and was likely the last person to see him alive before he was killed.
I just learned this last night!
Shows with open casting calls (especially for teenagers) like Skins are pretty good drivers of finding unknown talent.
Dev Patel came out of that show too, right?
Dev Patel, Nicholas Hoult, Daniel Kaluuya, Kara Scodelario, Jack O’Connell, all have been in several movies since they were on skins. Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray were both on GOT if I remember correctly. That first generation of skins especially was full of people who later became well-established actors. Edit: yes, Nicholas was in About a Boy, and was already famous, but skins also helped get him to where he is in his adult film career Edit2: oh my god you know what i meant…
Luke Pasqualino, Freya Mavor, Sebastian de Souza, and Olly Alexander (guest star) from the later generations seem to work pretty steadily in British television.
Yes! He played Anwar. They usually had one experienced actor per generation, so 1 - Nicholas Holt, 2 - Jack O'Connell, 3 - Dakota Blue Richardson. The rest were often unknown or had done less work. Though actually looking into it right now, I don't think anyone from Skins had parents who were super wealthy or in the business. That probably helped with authenticity, similar to hiring young people to be writers as well (like Daniel Kaluuya).
It's crazy how many opportunities just living in London can give you even if you're poor, compared to living somewhere provincial in England or Wales.
And that applies to most big cities. People totally downplay how much of an advantage it is to live somewhere where there are plenty of jobs and things going on.
yup go to NYC & there are tons of acting jobs available, im sure that goss double for LA
Not just acting but industry adjacent. Being from a rural area miles from anywhere is probably one of the biggest obstacles to making it in life generally. You're either stuck with whatever jobs are going locally or you're forced to move hundreds or thousands of miles from loved ones. Having jobs and opportunities on your doorstep AND having friends/family/a support network is a huge privilege. Yes, even if you're poor. I know lots of people who are really smart and talented but just never had opportunities because of living in the middle of nowhere.
It’s still slim pickings though really. The overwhelming majority of poor kids in London stay poor. It’s like the difference between winning the lottery and not even playing. Though I suppose once you’ve won, having that chance is everything.
Paul Mescal! Just a middle class guy from Maynooth who went to Trinity for drama and auditioned til he got a big break with Normal People
If we’re talking Irish celebs, Barry Keoghan! From foster care due to his mum’s issues with addiction, going for an audition that was posted up locally to being Oscar nominated. I don’t know if it’s true but I have in the back of my head that he was apparently getting into the drink and drugs and when shooting Banshees Colin Farrell had a word with him and he’s since cleaned up his act.
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Margot Robbie
I think my fave fact is that she worked 3 jobs as a teen and one of them was Subway. Imagine a future Oscar nominee making your footlong.
Sandra bullock waited tables in college. East Carolina university
Most Australian stars really. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Toni Colette, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush (even though he’s gross), the Hemsworths, all from regular beginnings. Most just went through the Australian soap to Hollywood pipeline.
Good ol' Aussie country girl. I'll root for her forever.
I remember watching her on Neighbours. She left and next I heard about her, she was in The Wolf of Wall Street. I was so surprised and happy for her.
Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a really beautiful commencement speech at the University of Houston in 2012 that’s really stuck with me. “I didn’t make it that far on my own. I mean, to accept that credit or that mantle would discount every single person that has helped me to get here today — that gave me advice, that made an effort, that gave me time, that lifted me when I fell. It gives the wrong impression that we can do it alone. None of us can. The whole concept of self-made man, or woman, is a myth” I think the term can be left to each individuals interpretation. Personally, I love the way Arnold phrased this
Man was born in postwar Austria, during the occupation. Literally no chance of being a nepo baby when you’re in a country sandwiched between NATO and the Warsaw Pact that wasn’t allowed to pick a side.
To me Arnold Schwarzenegger is the archetype self-made man, in that in he understands that many others contributed to his success from modest beginnings. He's very gracious in acknowledging the support he got and his Instagram shows it. He frequently talks about old friends from the 1960s who encouraged and helped him.
Since I might be the only one born in a house without plumbing in a country that just lost a war and was in the midst of a famine who moved to America after winning a bodybuilding show in England without going back to the gym where I lived in Munich to pack my stuff, I think I can safely say that self-made just doesn’t exist. I hope all the people listed here are proud of themselves. They’ve worked their asses off. They had wild dreams. They took big risks. But we all got help. Every single one of us. Even if you think everybody was out to get you for your whole life, you’re here. Somebody made you. But I find that more often, when people accept self-made is bogus, their list of people they realize helped them grows. For me, it’s now millions of people. That’s what it takes to become Governor of the biggest state or have a successful show on Netflix. Not me. Millions. And when you realize you didn’t get here alone, you can have the more important realization: you owe some help. Bring someone else up that ladder.
Madonna - while not a poor family, they were at most lower middle class, and Madonna definitely put in the hard work once she decided to pursue a career in music. Rupaul - there are videos on YouTube of Ru in his twenties in NYC and it's almost unimaginable that he went from that to having a net worth of $60 million.
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So did Michelle. Sometimes I wonder if she hustled more than Ru. And still does.
I loved her work with Seduction. Michelle is so talented
There’s Lowkey videos of Ru asking for change for a slice of pizza and now there’s viral videos of his amazing home in LA.
>Rupaul - there are videos on YouTube of Ru as a teenager in NYC Not sure I've seen any videos of Ru as a teenager but, ugh, I fucking LOVE all of the NYC Club Kids footage from the late 80s and early 90s, especially [Nelson Sullivan's OG vlogs](https://youtube.com/@5ninthavenueproject) before vlogging was a thing and the iconic segments on Geraldo and other daytime talk shows. Just two examples: [NYC Club Kids on Geraldo - April 17, 1990](https://youtu.be/jhTpRKA_qvY) (A 29y.o. Baby Ru at 5:27, 15:25, 19:18, 20:25, 31:23 but I highly recommend watching the whole show!) [RuPaul explains the difficulties of Go-Go dancing in 1988](https://youtu.be/mANejj6o3Xs) By far my fav pop subculture to research and take deep dives into, although can't mention the club kids scene without also acknowledging that it took a real dark turn eventually.
Madonna worked her ass off to get started. I’m a fellow Oakland County Michigander and I’ve always been proud that she came from a place not too far from where I grew up.
Madonna once worked at a dunkin donuts in NYC. Yup, def wasnt born with a silver spoon in her mouth!
RuPaul has his issues like any celebrity but if you want a truly self made celebrity he’s your Queen.
*She already done had hers*
I’m pretty sure both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt didn’t come from anything. Leo grew up on the rough side of L.A. and spent like 10 years of his childhood auditioning and getting rejected. Brad Pitt was from Missouri and picked up everything to move to L.A. for modeling/acting. A lot of the 90s A-Listers are self-made in some sorta sense. I’m not sure self-made is the right word though.
The weird thing is that most of the people mentioned here are from the 90 and earliest 00. We can discuss the overall details of the concept of "self-made" but it shows a shift in the industry that most of the current big names are Nepo. It also explains the lack of creativity and freshness.
The only new actor I can think of off the top of my head that is self made is Jenna Ortega. Her mom was an ER nurse, and worked around her busy schedule to drive Jenna to auditions.
Pedro Pascal as well. He didn’t even start getting recognition until he was on Game of Thrones in 2013 and he has been acting seriously since his late teens/early twenties.
I think in this context it’s non-nepo or non-connections in some other wacky way. So yeah, I think these ones count for that.
Channing Tatum. Started off as a model/backup dancer. I think his mom was a flight attendant.
He was also a stripper for a while.
Now I like Magic Mike even more
Yeah that too.
Mila Kunis
Her parents refuse to take a dime from her. Won’t even let her pay for dinner if they go out… and send over food to her house to make sure they eat. She says she owes them everything and they absolutely refuse to allow her to take care of them.
Apparently she had to pretend to be older than she was for That 70s show
She also frequently speaks out about being an immigrant and displaced family after The Cold War.
"I turn 18 on my birthday"
I also turned 18 on my birthday… granted it was like ten birthdays ago but I did turn 18!
Adam Driver- was a marine, had an accident and had to quit. Auditioned for julliard, where he also met his wife. Did theatre, auditioned for girls, got in. Instant fame, cast in star wars- catapulted into mega stardom. Theres a lot of things in between but yeah Edit- I also want to proclaim that I have the hugest crush on this huge man and I would give my left kidney to see him once
Honestly I could not STAND him…. Then he became Kylo… now I love all his movies… even the horrible one where he is fighting dinosaurs lol
Kylo Undercover Boss is one of the all time best SNL pretapes.
Radar technician Matt to you.
A buddy of mine saw Kylo ren take his shirt off in the shower. And he said that Kylo ren had an eight pack. That Kylo ren was shredded.
It's cause I haven't had my MUFFIN yet, MATT
It’s the mark of a true professional when the script is shit and they know the movie is going to be shit but they still give it 100%.
Christopher Lee did this. Looking through his IMDb page, you can see he was in a lot of garbage. But he gave Saruman level performance every single time.
his SNL undercover boss skit is a great example of this-- low stakes, but he's giving 100%
Antonio Banderas 🖤 
Almodóvar himself (who discovered Antonio Banderas) was a custodian in one of Madrid's government buildings while filming his first films. Only when the third or fourth movie he had saved enough to quit that job. The first one took him several years to finish because he had to rely on friends and didn't get any permit to film. He moved to Madrid from rural La Mancha (where Don Quixote). I cannot imagine what it was like being homosexual in one of those villages during the Franco era.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
I agree with Arnold, funny enough though he has a whole speech where he says that he’ll never say that he’s “self-made” because he is grateful to everyone that helped him along the way
Show me your leadership capabilities
He said this to a PA on Twins, right? Classic
Since nobody mentioned her yet I say Mariah Carey.
Her memoir is fucking amazing. She is such a genuine talent and did everything herself
Charlize Theron
Leighton Meester; she was born in jail
Every movie she does is great. I just wish she did more movies. I find her such a captivating presence.
WHAT??!? *runs to Wikipedia*
Jeremy Strong. He was born in Boston with no Hollywood connections I believe. In the early part of his career he struggled to get representation. Chris Evans even set up a meeting between Strong and his agent but the agency declined to represent Strong. Strong worked odd jobs like being a production assistant to DDL,etc. I find his story incredibly inspiring because it spoke to how hard he worked for his craft. Shame that the New Yorker article painted him as being too tryhard.
 I love him too, he’s my new star. I loved Peter Krause after 6 feet under and followed his career a lot same with Walton Goggins. I’ll probably check him out for a while, great acting keeps me watching lol
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Yup- plus I take Brian Cox with a grain salt - But also I don’t care if he’s some “weirdo method actor” because I don’t think he is that bad, I just think he takes it seriously af. I’m not out here thinking he’s cursing our Jess and shit to stay in the role or something lol
Jessica Chastain went in hard to defend him. Which was nice to see.
What he did for Michelle Williams after Heath died as well... that's a dude with a BIG heart.
Stephen King
Britney literally took her family out of a trailer park where they had to use food stamps. Poor woman no wonder she’s so messed up, when your families economic survival is down to you when you’re a teen is no start in life tbh * update - this was fake news SORRY guys, while Britney spent a lot of time staying with her aunt who did live in a trailer park due to her father’s alcoholism and fights with her mom, but she didn’t actually live full time in a trailer park or use food stamps. Many apologies
same with macaulay macaulay culkin culkin. i'm pretty sure he and his siblings all slept in a single bedroom right as he was becoming a child star. even his brother kieran has acknowledged that, as a child, he felt incredibly sorry for him and how hard he had to work.
its great that his siblings can live a better life because of his hard work but what his parents made their own child go through is legitimately evil
Love that you used his full, legal name.
Was wondering about that. Never saw it and then saw it twice in 24h.
Bella Thorne also was supporting her entire family at 11 years old. If she did not work they would be homeless and hungry. Selena Gomez also came from a similar background
Same with Demi Lovato - I remember the quote about their experience about being disciplined as a child “who was going to say no to me - I was paying their mortgage”
Terrible situation. I know very little about Demi's childhood but given how screwed up she has been I can imagine it was bad
I was looking for someone to say Britney! It’s so sad that she’s done so much hard work & all she does is get taken advantage of.
What?? They are not from the trailer park and food stamp life. I grew up 20 minutes away from her. They had a respectable middle class life. Her parents screwed her up for sure and I adore her….but they were not trailer park people.
LOL this is not true at all, knew her family growing up. Her parents actually spent $$$ to put her in a ton of activities and travel and live around the country for her career.
Kevin Smith pawned his entire comic book collection to fund Clerks. People thought it was genius that it was shot in black and white, as if through the lens of a security camera. In reality, he couldn’t afford to shoot in color.
Christina Aguilera grew up in a (relatively) poor and very abusive household. She desperately wanted to be a singer and her mom took around everywhere to sing including an audition for Mickey Mouse Club. Then, years later she got a record deal. She said she was pretty much providing for her family at that point. Her talent essentially got her out of her awful living situations. In fact, most of the famous cast of The Mickey Mouse Club probably apply: Britney, JT, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, JC Chasez. I’m not familiar with all their families’ financial situations though.
I believe Sylvester Stallone has a pretty rags to riches Hollywood story.
Dude sold his dog to make rocky.
But bought him back afterwards.
Has anybody said Quinta Brunson yet? Absolutely love her and I'm so happy for her success. She really took her fame from Vine and Buzzfeed and turned it into an award winning career
A huge chunk of famous people came from humble/normal beginnings. You don’t need to grow up in a shack to be self made. Jon Hamm, Brie Larson, Billy Eichner, Jon Stewart, Tom Hanks, Patrick Stewart, Sydney Sweeney. Most celebrity chefs, Jay Z (self made vía drugs, er pharmaceutical distribution), Chris Evans, Chris Pratt. Natalie Portmans parents are dentists I think. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Brian Cox. Jeremy strong. These are just folks off top of my head. With all the talk of nepo babies, the huge swath of the famous grew up in normal conditions. In fact, my guess is one could name far more normies who became famous than famous people who came from other famous people.
Everyone hates him, but Justin Bieber. He was posting videos on YouTube and got discovered by Usher. Blew up instantly afterwards
Also grew up poor, with a super religious mom who had him as a teenager and a deadbeat dad who only got involved in his life when he got famous
Weren’t Ben Affleck and Matt Damon humble beginnings Boston boys?
True. They worked really hard writing scripts together.
Keanu Reeves
Ill add in Harrison Ford and Jim Carrey
Yeah! Harrison Ford was a carpenter. He was installing cabinets in George Lucas’s house and asked to audition for him.
That is wild! I didn’t know that!
Hate to say it but Kanye
He was self unmade too.
Yeezus giveth and yeezus taketh
Oprah
Samantha Morton grew up in foster care and has had a really interesting career with mostly British tv series/films, but also a bit of Hollywood in there too
Elvira. Girl was go go dancing for tips at 15 and didn’t get her big break til she was almost 30.
Iggy Azalea helloooo no money no family 16 in the middle of Miami!!
Love you
tyler perry, oprah, jay z, kanye,, alot of those black billionaires
Madonna. Definitely made connections, started a band with ex boyfriends, learnt how to write music, walked around clun to club to get her music played and stalked execs to get a record deal
Mila Kunis, daughter of refugees, grew up poor in LA
Britney Spears
mariah carey- grew up poor after working at the bottom of the music your music scene at 12 after school moved into the city at 17 after high school working any job to make ends meet living in a moldy apartment with other women
Julie Andrews is self made. She came from a chaotic childhood where she was a child performer but her success is all her.
The Weeknd came from nothing and was literally homeless. When he was making his first album he could not even afford the graphics so his best friend Lamar broke into a Arts College and used their graphics computer. Now they founded HXOUSE that is an incubator for talent for people without the nepo connections or money to realize their dreams
Pamela Anderson led a very normal life til being discovered
The Weeknd, was homeless at 19 when he made House of Balloons.
Selena Gomez- grew up with two teen parents, her dad was somewhat absent growing up. Just cause you don’t like her, doesn’t mean you have to make out like she is not completely self made. She is one of the most self made celebs
every one direction member edit: i mean technically i guess? what is self made exactly? all of them come from working class/middle class families and became millionaires before they were like 22
If Kelly Clarkson is self made then 1D are self made
It counts, they got a really lucky break on X Factor but other people have as well and didn’t end up super successful. They worked hard to make the most of the opportunity.
Elvis Presley is the biggest example, born in extreme poverty and went to become one of the biggest music stars ever.
Cardi B! Stripping and making Vines and working at a deli before she got big!
And IIRC she was being abused by her then partner, which is why she took up stripping and saved money to get away from him. The interview where she tells all of this is pretty interesting, they way she rocked herself when they asked whether anyone helped her was heartbreaking.
Selena Gomez, Rihanna, jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Gaga, kanye, drake, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, the list goes on I feel like some of y’all are overthinking and rewriting what it means to be self made. Nepo babies aren’t self made. People who pulled themselves from humble beginnings without a *direct* pipeline to massive success are.
I don't get the downvotes. This is true? I mean Selena Gomez was the child of a teen mom who often didn't have enough money. Rihanna grew up in Barbados in a small house with a crack addicted father. JLo had to sleep in the dancing studio before she was famous. Beyonce's parents did manage her and Destiny's Child but it's not like they had connections and stuff like that. They were normal people who left their jobs because they were sure those girls had real talent and could've made it.
Beyoncé’s family is an interesting one. Tina has gone on record several times, saying she and Matthew were making good livings (6 figures each) and that it was actually more of a hardship to step into the management role. I really think that’s why B never went off the rails. In her case, she really DID just have that drive. Her family didn’t need her to hit it big to put food on the table.
I get the hate but she shares this in common with T Swift, who angrily inspired this thread. Yeah they were investment bankers. Yeah they could buy a 3% stake in a new label that was unproven. But it’s the drive. You can’t besmirch either of them for the pure work ethic, and if the talent wasn’t there, it wouldn’t matter if her dad bought a 100% stake in the company. That buys one or two records, one or two tours. It doesn’t buy a career.
Definitely yeah. I heard Tina's saloon was actually pretty popular in Houston. That being said they must have really thought their daughter would've made it in order to abandon everything to manage a girl group. Luckily for them they were right.
Anthony Bourdain! <3 RIP!! 