though they may have millions in their
bank accounts now these celebrities grew
up pinching their pennies welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 famous
people who grew up in poverty before we
begin we publish new videos every day so
be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
celebrities who spent their childhood or
adolescent years in poverty not those
who struggled with it later on in life
rougher upbringing z’ that stemmed from
financial difficulties will also count
number 10 Jim Carrey the rubber faced
funny man didn’t exactly have a
childhood to laugh at initially we were
kind of lower middle class and then we
went in the dumper you know Carrie grew
up on the lower end of middle class but
was thrust into the world of hard labor
and poverty after his father lost his
factory job taking odd positions as a
janitor and a security worker to help
his family make ends meet Carrie
eventually dropped out of high school
the comedian was even forced to live in
a van temporarily after the family’s
meager earnings weren’t enough to keep
their house so it’s hard to imagine such
a happy-go-lucky individual having such
a rough start he managed to make it
through number nine Jay Z born into the
rough poverty-stricken Marcy projects in
Brooklyn the rap icon was surrounded by
drugs and gang violence as a child
jay-z turned to rap to both help him
cope with his environment and to express
many of the emotions he was feeling
hustling for other drug dealers and
selling on his own the rapper used his
earnings to help make ends meet for
himself and his family
you know I forced you to grow up really
fast and kind it’s kind of sad because
it robs you of your innocence now a
tycoon in the music and fashion
industries jay-z’s music still echoes
his humble and difficult beginnings and
speaks to the struggles of being poor in
the projects I’m gonna play two corners
with a hustla Scott Soto number eight
Shania Twain
[Music]
growing up in the isolated community of
Timmins Ontario Twain spent her earliest
days learning to deal with hardships at
every turn her mother and stepfather
frequently fought and they struggled to
put food on the table and on the other
side of a wall you could hear your
father beating beating beating your
mother bouncing between homeless
shelters and labor intensive work camps
the future superstar scraped by on what
she could at age eight Twain began
singing in bars and earned $20 per
late-night set and at 13 she caught a
bigger break when she performed on the
tummy Hunter show to a national audience
Twain credits her passion for music as
her driving force and still holds the
memory of her humble roots close
[Music]
number seven kendrick lamar never shying
away from his rough upbringing in the
city of compton lamar grew up subsisting
off welfare and living in state
supported housing through the Housing
Act of 1937 otherwise known as section
eight his family also had ties to
numerous gangs in the area and
witnessing violence was a part of his
upbringing Oh a debate like now I hate
going to the songs we plasmas we got to
walk home at this time in the summertime
where we know the war likes to pop off
referencing his financial difficulties
as a child in his music Lamar has
channeled both the fear and fortitude
that he gained in his youth into lyrical
works of art joining a league of famous
rappers from Compton Kendrick made the
best out of a tough situation and became
a legend number six
Viola Davis most of us are lucky enough
to know where our next meal comes from
but some don’t share the same privilege
award-winning actress Viola Davis has
been vocal about her experience growing
up in quote abject poverty with her
experiences ranging from living in
rat-infested housing to stealing and
dumpster diving for food a passionate
advocate for the eradication of hunger
davis has since used her difficult
upbringing to give a powerful voice to
those who have none I just remember
waking up every day and wondering what I
was gonna eat if I was gonna eat turning
a horrible situation into a conversation
around the issue of children’s hunger
Davis turned her turmoil into a tool
number five to me more for some growing
up in a world of poverty is only one of
many issues raised by her alcoholic
mother and stepfather Moore didn’t have
the brightest most promising childhood
the actress grew accustomed to moving
regularly as her stepfather frequently
switched jobs which added another level
of instability to an already uncertain
childhood her home life eventually saw
her parents separate her mother have
troubles with the law and her stepfather
commits
suicide crediting her adaptive abilities
as an actor to her challenging and
unstable earlier years more struggles as
a child provided a framework for her
career number four eminem call me crazy
but I had this vision one Capek I walk
amongst us using an aggressive and
honest style of rap to escape his
environment
Eminem frequently uprooted between
Missouri and Michigan eventually growing
up in a poverty ridden and divided
neighborhood on the edge of Detroit
struggling in school and often being
beaten up between classes the young pre
fame rapper spent his free time burying
himself in songwriting and rap battling
raised by his single mother in the
run-down neighborhood off 8 Mile Road
Eminem’s childhood was spent below the
poverty line a line that marked the
beginning of a road to international
stardom
number three Elvis Presley
oh he’s one of the most iconic figures
in music history Presley had the
humblest of beginnings living in a
hastily built two room house
Presley’s family often depended on
welfare and the goodwill of neighbors to
help keep them afloat his father
struggled with holding a job and was
eventually jailed for fraud
costing the family their home through
the trials and tribulations of his
upbringing including surviving a tornado
in 1936 Presley still found the time to
sing and practice on his guitar and his
talent would eventually prove to be his
ticket out of the rut he grew up in
number two silenzio
being poor means different things to
different people growing up in a busy
household with 13 siblings
jion’s family scraped by on a very low
income although she remembers it as a
happy upbringing
singing as a child in her family’s piano
bar sillens path towards international
stardom was humble until her manager and
future husband Rene au Jalil took the
major risk of mortgaging his house in
order to produce her first record money
remained an issue for a large portion of
sillens childhood of course that all
changed when she opened her mouth and
the world heard that unmistakable voice
before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions let’s
put it this way there there isn’t
Scotland its life there’s something
there’s not the whole childhood is a
it’s a secret and then also the fact
that this movie shines a bright light on
a very flawed judicial system in in the
United States I borrowed the car when I
was 12 years old as you bring it back
sure number one Oprah Winfrey no because
when you are living it and you don’t
know anything else you think that’s the
way life is
the talk show host is gone from the
lowest of lows to the highest of highs
beginning with a childhood that’s enough
to give one nightmares struggling with
feelings of isolation and abandonment
much of Oprah’s youth was spent with her
grandmother who lived in a poor rural
community with money being tight she
wore potato sacks instead of dresses and
reportedly even had a doll made out of
an old cob of corn suffering sexual and
physical abuse from her family all the
while bouncing between living with her
mother father and grandmother the
television legend has suffered more than
most do you agree with our picks check
out these other great clips from
WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos
every day
bank accounts now these celebrities grew
up pinching their pennies welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 famous
people who grew up in poverty before we
begin we publish new videos every day so
be sure to subscribe for more great
content for this list we’re looking at
celebrities who spent their childhood or
adolescent years in poverty not those
who struggled with it later on in life
rougher upbringing z’ that stemmed from
financial difficulties will also count
number 10 Jim Carrey the rubber faced
funny man didn’t exactly have a
childhood to laugh at initially we were
kind of lower middle class and then we
went in the dumper you know Carrie grew
up on the lower end of middle class but
was thrust into the world of hard labor
and poverty after his father lost his
factory job taking odd positions as a
janitor and a security worker to help
his family make ends meet Carrie
eventually dropped out of high school
the comedian was even forced to live in
a van temporarily after the family’s
meager earnings weren’t enough to keep
their house so it’s hard to imagine such
a happy-go-lucky individual having such
a rough start he managed to make it
through number nine Jay Z born into the
rough poverty-stricken Marcy projects in
Brooklyn the rap icon was surrounded by
drugs and gang violence as a child
jay-z turned to rap to both help him
cope with his environment and to express
many of the emotions he was feeling
hustling for other drug dealers and
selling on his own the rapper used his
earnings to help make ends meet for
himself and his family
you know I forced you to grow up really
fast and kind it’s kind of sad because
it robs you of your innocence now a
tycoon in the music and fashion
industries jay-z’s music still echoes
his humble and difficult beginnings and
speaks to the struggles of being poor in
the projects I’m gonna play two corners
with a hustla Scott Soto number eight
Shania Twain
[Music]
growing up in the isolated community of
Timmins Ontario Twain spent her earliest
days learning to deal with hardships at
every turn her mother and stepfather
frequently fought and they struggled to
put food on the table and on the other
side of a wall you could hear your
father beating beating beating your
mother bouncing between homeless
shelters and labor intensive work camps
the future superstar scraped by on what
she could at age eight Twain began
singing in bars and earned $20 per
late-night set and at 13 she caught a
bigger break when she performed on the
tummy Hunter show to a national audience
Twain credits her passion for music as
her driving force and still holds the
memory of her humble roots close
[Music]
number seven kendrick lamar never shying
away from his rough upbringing in the
city of compton lamar grew up subsisting
off welfare and living in state
supported housing through the Housing
Act of 1937 otherwise known as section
eight his family also had ties to
numerous gangs in the area and
witnessing violence was a part of his
upbringing Oh a debate like now I hate
going to the songs we plasmas we got to
walk home at this time in the summertime
where we know the war likes to pop off
referencing his financial difficulties
as a child in his music Lamar has
channeled both the fear and fortitude
that he gained in his youth into lyrical
works of art joining a league of famous
rappers from Compton Kendrick made the
best out of a tough situation and became
a legend number six
Viola Davis most of us are lucky enough
to know where our next meal comes from
but some don’t share the same privilege
award-winning actress Viola Davis has
been vocal about her experience growing
up in quote abject poverty with her
experiences ranging from living in
rat-infested housing to stealing and
dumpster diving for food a passionate
advocate for the eradication of hunger
davis has since used her difficult
upbringing to give a powerful voice to
those who have none I just remember
waking up every day and wondering what I
was gonna eat if I was gonna eat turning
a horrible situation into a conversation
around the issue of children’s hunger
Davis turned her turmoil into a tool
number five to me more for some growing
up in a world of poverty is only one of
many issues raised by her alcoholic
mother and stepfather Moore didn’t have
the brightest most promising childhood
the actress grew accustomed to moving
regularly as her stepfather frequently
switched jobs which added another level
of instability to an already uncertain
childhood her home life eventually saw
her parents separate her mother have
troubles with the law and her stepfather
commits
suicide crediting her adaptive abilities
as an actor to her challenging and
unstable earlier years more struggles as
a child provided a framework for her
career number four eminem call me crazy
but I had this vision one Capek I walk
amongst us using an aggressive and
honest style of rap to escape his
environment
Eminem frequently uprooted between
Missouri and Michigan eventually growing
up in a poverty ridden and divided
neighborhood on the edge of Detroit
struggling in school and often being
beaten up between classes the young pre
fame rapper spent his free time burying
himself in songwriting and rap battling
raised by his single mother in the
run-down neighborhood off 8 Mile Road
Eminem’s childhood was spent below the
poverty line a line that marked the
beginning of a road to international
stardom
number three Elvis Presley
oh he’s one of the most iconic figures
in music history Presley had the
humblest of beginnings living in a
hastily built two room house
Presley’s family often depended on
welfare and the goodwill of neighbors to
help keep them afloat his father
struggled with holding a job and was
eventually jailed for fraud
costing the family their home through
the trials and tribulations of his
upbringing including surviving a tornado
in 1936 Presley still found the time to
sing and practice on his guitar and his
talent would eventually prove to be his
ticket out of the rut he grew up in
number two silenzio
being poor means different things to
different people growing up in a busy
household with 13 siblings
jion’s family scraped by on a very low
income although she remembers it as a
happy upbringing
singing as a child in her family’s piano
bar sillens path towards international
stardom was humble until her manager and
future husband Rene au Jalil took the
major risk of mortgaging his house in
order to produce her first record money
remained an issue for a large portion of
sillens childhood of course that all
changed when she opened her mouth and
the world heard that unmistakable voice
before we unveil our number one pick
here are some honorable mentions let’s
put it this way there there isn’t
Scotland its life there’s something
there’s not the whole childhood is a
it’s a secret and then also the fact
that this movie shines a bright light on
a very flawed judicial system in in the
United States I borrowed the car when I
was 12 years old as you bring it back
sure number one Oprah Winfrey no because
when you are living it and you don’t
know anything else you think that’s the
way life is
the talk show host is gone from the
lowest of lows to the highest of highs
beginning with a childhood that’s enough
to give one nightmares struggling with
feelings of isolation and abandonment
much of Oprah’s youth was spent with her
grandmother who lived in a poor rural
community with money being tight she
wore potato sacks instead of dresses and
reportedly even had a doll made out of
an old cob of corn suffering sexual and
physical abuse from her family all the
while bouncing between living with her
mother father and grandmother the
television legend has suffered more than
most do you agree with our picks check
out these other great clips from
WatchMojo and subscribe for new videos
every day
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