Top 10! Celebrities Who Once Were Poor And Homeless!

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Long Island, in near poverty. Lack of any toys or other fun things to do, she found her own "fun" by doing things like poisoning her dog and setting her parents' car on fire. Later, she moved to NYC to try her luck. She met a Columbia Records exec by coincidence at a party, and not very long after that she was introduced to the world.

Justin Bieber

Yeah, you may curse his name now, but a few years ago Justin Bieber was nearly miserably poor. According to Bieber himself, before becoming famous he grew up in a rat-infested home with an empty fridge. He had to sleep on a pull-out couch and lived off a diet consisting mostly of macaroni and cheese. Today, he's worth around $65 million.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry is known as an Oscar-winning actress and international beauty, but she didn’t always live the high life. Early in her career, Berry moved to NYC to pursue her dream as a model and actress. Berry, while trying to find work in New York, stayed in a homeless shelter. At the age of 21, this star never gave up and had no financial help from her parents. Now, she's a multiple award winner and an unforgettable talent!

Dr. Dre.

 

Like a lot of famous rappers, Snoop grew up in squalor. In his early days selling drugs was everything he had. But after a few short stints in jail, Snoop started making tapes with his friend who just so happened to be the step brother of Dr. Dre.

Jay-Z

Today, Jay-Z is the leader of a real financial empire, but he grew up in a family where even bread was a luxury item. Ever since he was a child he got used to violence and to lack of money, but through ambition he managed to become one of the richest men in the world!

Mark Walhberg

Mark Walhberg dropped out of school at the age of 14 and went to work as a street thug. After a couple years of bad actions: making drug deals and getting high, he was convicted of assaulting two men and sentenced to 50 days in prison. After that his older brother Donnie helped him out and got him a record deal! And yea, you know the rest of the story...

Leonardo DiCaprio

 

Leonardo DiCaprio grew up in Hollywood surrounded by drug dealers and prostitution. But: despite these unhappy surroundings, Leo skipped out on the "low road" and found himself landing acting gigs that helped him to the very top of the Hollywood A-list!

Demi Moore

As a child, Demi Moore spent part of her years in a trailer park, and had the misfortune of having an abusive father who spent his days drinking instead of working. But she just couldn't take that living situation, so she dropped out of school and moved to Hollywood at age 16.

 J.K. Rowling

Before J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series, she was struggling as a single mother living off of welfare. As the story goes, Rowling had a four-hour delayed train trip to thank for her wealth. Apparently, while waiting for the train, the idea of a young boy attending wizard school appeared in her head. Now she’s one of the richest celebrities in England (reportedly worth over $1 BILLION).

 Jim Carrey

Source: WENN.com

When Jim Carrey was in high school, he was living out of a camper van with the rest of his family, and worked full shifts at a tire factory. But Carrey dropped out of school at 16 and moved to LA to make it big in Hollywood. The young Jim happened to catch the eye of Rodney Dangerfield and now he's one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.

Life isn't always easy, but it gets better, that's one thing that's sure. We've decided to look beyond all the money, glamour and fame and see how 10 celebrities grew up, in different tough ways. Click on the pics for inspiration (EVERYONE can do it, as long as you believe in yourself!), and read everything about stars such as Justin Bieber,Mariah Carey and Leonardo DiCaprio.