Rags To Riches: 13 Stars Who Were Once Homeless [Photos]
Hollywood loves a good redemption tale, but most of the rags to riches stories seen on television and in movies are incredibly unrealistic. Stars who were once homeless understand the grind it takes to go from couch surfing to cashing six figure checks is more than most people can handle.
photo: WENN
A rare breed of people have made the real life jump from sleeping in their cars, on friends’ couches and in studios to owning high dollar homes and mansions. Take a look at these 13 stars who were once homeless, and think twice before you complain about your cramped apartment.
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Photo: WENN
photo: WENN
2Pac spent time in homeless shelters, friends’ houses and in an apartment with fellow Digital Underground member Money B before finding success as a solo artist.
photo: WENN
Before becoming the Queen Bee, Lil’ Kim detailed being homeless when her mother left the family residence to escape an abusive spouse.
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In a 2010 Red Bull interview Jay Electronica confirmed his “Exhibit C” lyrics about homelessness were autobiographical.
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While enrolled at Howard University, American Idol alum Frenchie Davis said she posed for some NSFW pics because she had no stable place to live. She was eventually booted off the show when the pictures resurfaced.
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Turns out Jenny really was from the block. Jennifer Lopez told W magazine she had to sleep on a dance studio cot between gigs after a disagreement about the choice to be a professional dancer got her kicked out of the family residence.
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Through his syndicated radio show, Steve Harvey calls plenty of stations his figurative home. But Harvey told People magazine he spent three years living in a Ford Tempo during the ‘80s after a split with his first wife.
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According to her Reader’s Digest interview, Halle Berry logged brief time in a New York homeless shelter before a breakout role in 1991’s Jungle Fever.
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Back when he was Lawrence Parker, KRS-One learned about graffiti, Hip-Hop and the Hare Krishnas while staying at a youth shelter.
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Carmen Electra revealed that when a thieving boyfriend stole her last $5,000 from being a backup dancer for Prince, she was briefly a Hollywood washout until landing gigs on Baywatch and MTV’s Singled Out.
photo: WENN
Machine Gun Kelly embodied his “Wildboy” single when an altercation with his father at the age of 18 left him homeless. He hit the streets again when he and his producer Brandon “Slim” Allen were evicted before finding success with their music.
photo: WENN
A cursory listen to the song “Killer Dope” reveals that DJ Quik spent some time homeless. And a listen to the song “Safe + Sound” also reveals a few of the ways he remedied the situation.
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Wu-Tang Clan member Cappadonna told MTV being a homeless cab driver was his way of what he called “rebelling against the materialistic world.” Cap has since relocated to better surroundings.
photo: WENN
His allegedly stereotypical characters are a different conversation, but respect the man’s grind. Tyler Perry was homeless off and on for six years before 1998’s I Know I’ve Been Changed put things in motion.
