Uncover All The Celebrity Who Had Strange Jobs Before They Were Famous
This may come as a surprise, but before they were famous, Hollywood’s biggest stars were normal people just like us.

This may come as a surprise, but before they were famous, Hollywood’s biggest stars were normal people just like us. And most of them had to get jobs like you and me in order to make money and keep themselves afloat! Just take Khloe Kardashian, for example. Yep, before becoming a super famous model and reality star, she actually worked as Nicole Richie‘s assistant. Wow — who knew?!
“I went to school with her. She was one of my best friends growing up and so we were really, really close,” the brunette beauty recalled in a recent interview, when asked how she got the job. “When she started doing Simple Life — I think it was after Simple Life towards the end — she just needed some help and I just needed a job.”
It turns out, some of your other favorite stars had some pretty strange professions before they entered into the spotlight. From Taylor Swift to Beyoncé, here’s what celebrities were doing before they rose to fame…
Taylor Swift Worked On A Christmas Tree Farm
Before winning Grammys and selling out stadiums, the “Look What You Made Me Do” songstress grew up on a Christmas Tree farm with her family, and her job was to check them for bugs!
“I was too young to help with the hauling of the trees up the hills and putting them onto cars. So, it was my job to pull off the preying mantis pods off of the Christmas trees,” Swift explained in a 2008 interview. “I forgot to check one time and they hatched all over these people’s house. And there were hundreds of thousands of them.”
That doesn’t sound fun at all!
Camila Mendes Dressed Up As An Elf
She may star as Veronica Lodge in Riverdale now, but before landing her role in the CW show, Camila Mendes dressed up as an elf and sold cotton candy at the mall. So funny!
Ashton Kutcher Swept Cereal Up
Yes, you read that right. Before becoming an actor, Ashton Kutcher worked at General Mills, where he swept up cereal.
Miley Cyrus Picked Up Bras
She may be one of the most popular singers and actresses in the world now, but when she was a kid, Miley Cyrus helped her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, by picking up the bras and underwear that were thrown on stage during his concerts! He paid her $10 for it.
“I’d get a really big one and be like, ‘Dad! I found your biggest fan!’” she told Rolling Stone in 2013.
She also made money by cleaning houses.
“I worked at this place called Sparkles Cleaning Service and I cleaned houses,” she told Tyra Banks back in 2008. “I was, like, 11 [years old].”
Kanye West Worked At The Gap
Kanye West worked at the Gap before he rose to fame, and it had such a big impact on him that he actually sang about it! The lyrics to his song “Spaceship” read, “Let’s go back, back to the Gap / Look at my check, wasn’t no scratch.”
Kendall Jenner Was A Dog Walker
If you had a dog and lived in Los Angeles a few years ago, there’s a chance that you could have hired Kendall Jenner to take your dog out! That’s right, before she became famous, the supermodel revealed to Vogue that her first job was a dog walker.
Nicki Minaj Dealt With Lobsters
Nicki Minaj worked at food chain Red Lobster as a teenager, but things didn’t end well for her. The rapper revealed to GQ Magazine that she got fired after she “followed a couple who had taken her pen into the parking lot and then flipped them the bird.”
Beyoncé Helped Her Mom In Her Hair Salon
It’s no wonder Beyoncé’s hair always looks amazing! She used to help her mom at her salon. The singer explained in her documentary that she used to sweep up the hair after people got their cuts.
Cory Monteith Had A Few Interesting Jobs
Late actor Cory Monteith had a few odd jobs before he stepped into the spotlight. Get this — the Glee star worked as a taxi driver, a car washer and a Walmart greeter back in the day. Yeah, if we were greeted by him while shopping at Walmart, we’d happily buy anything he tried to sell us.
Harry Styles Worked In A Bakery
Before joining One Direction, Harry Stylesworked at a bakery, and he was great at his job!
“He was the most polite member of staff we’ve ever had,” his old boss told Daily Mail. “Customers really took a shine to him.”
Chace Crawford Greeted People At Abercrombie & Fitch
Before starring in Gossip Girl, Chace Crawford stood near the entrance of the clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch and greeted customers! But he didn’t like it very much.
“I was a greeter. I had to stand out front and time would drag on,” the actor told Metro. “I’d beg them to let me work on the cash register.”
Madelaine Petsch Managed A Coffee Shop
We’ll take a large iced coffee please! Madelaine Petsch revealed in a YouTube video that before she became famous, she worked as a photographer’s assistant, a hostess, a manager at a coffee shop and more!
Jennifer Lawrence Was A Nurse
Before becoming a world-famous actress, Jennifer Lawrence had a very different job. She helped out at the summer camp her parents owned, where she worked as an assistant nurse! Who knew?!
Tiffany Haddish Worked For An Airline
We bet you didn’t know that Tiffany Haddish worked for Alaskan Airlines when she was younger! She told Stephen Colbert, “I worked at the gates and my goal was always to bring happiness and joy to people — still to this day.”
Meghan Markle Was A Calligrapher
Long before she married the Prince of England, Meghan Markle was a calligrapher, and get this — according to Cosmopolitan, she actually addressed the invitations for Robin Thicke‘s wedding to Paula Patton.
Channing Tatum Was A Stripper
Before starring in Magic Mike, Channing Tatum had a lot of practice. He was actually a stripper when he was younger, and yes, there’s video proof of this.