20 Celebrities Who Had Tragic Childhoods
Jim Carrey
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Nowadays, Jim Carrey is renowned as one of the greatest comedic actors of his generation. And he has the wealth to go with it. But his early life was a completely different story. Carrey was raised in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, and his family became homeless while he was attending high school. At one point, Carrey lived in a tent with his older brother, which they pitched in a public park on the shore of Lake Ontario. Luckily, the family’s financial situation eventually improved, and Carrey found work doing stand-up in Toronto. He moved to Hollywood in 1983, and the rest is history.
Nicki Minaj
Onika Maraj was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1982, but primarily raised in Queens, New York. Her mother Carol moved to the US to attend college and eventually brought Maraj and her older brother to live with her and their father, Robert. Robert had substance abuse issues and a violent temper, and would hit Carol and his children. When Maraj was five, he burned down their house with Carol inside. Fortunately, she escaped. Onika Maraj later adopted the stage name “Nicki Minaj” and became a world-famous pop star.
Dylan McDermott
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A Golden Globe recipient known for shows like “The Practice” and “American Horror Story,” McDermott experienced grief at a young age. His mother Diane was fifteen when she gave birth, and divorced her husband when McDermott was five. That same year, Diane was murdered by a man she was dating. Her death was originally ruled as accidental. McDermott was sent to live with his grandmother. As a teenager, he grew close with his father, and even worked in the Greenwich Village bar that he owned. His father’s wife, Eve Ensler, inspired McDermott to act. When she suffered a miscarriage, Mark took the name of her unborn son - Dylan.
Jay-Z
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Born Shawn Carter, Jay-Z is one of the most successful artists in the history of music, selling 140 million records and being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. As a child, Carter was raised in a Brooklyn housing project known as The Marcy Houses. His father left the family when Carter was young. At 12 years old he shot his own older brother, who had a drug addiction, in the shoulder for stealing his ring. As a teenager, the future rapper sold drugs and was shot at on more than one occasion. Jay-Z later founded his own Roc-A-Fella Records, and it was through this label that he released his acclaimed debut album, Reasonable Doubt.
Corey Feldman
A prominent teen actor of the 1980s, Corey Feldman enjoyed incredible popularity thanks to movies like “Stand by Me” and “The Lost Boys.” He and close friend Corey Haim became known as The Two Coreys, appearing in a string of films together. However, drug use saw both their careers begin to crumble. Feldman has alleged that he suffered abuse from his mother, which she denies, and sexual abuse from figures in the entertainment industry. More recently, in 2020, he became the subject of sexual misconduct complaints himself.
Drew Barrymore
The Tragic Life of Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore comes from a long line of actors, including her father John Drew. He was an alcoholic and mostly absent however; when he was around, it was in Barrymore’s words “chaotic and violent and scary”. She became a star at seven years old with her role as Gertie Taylor in “E.T.”. However, she was soon caught up in the drug-heavy Hollywood social scene. Her mother would bring her to the famous nightclub Studio 54 instead of school. Barrymore developed a substance abuse problem and was in rehab by 12 years old. The next year, her mother institutionalized her in a psychiatric hospital for 18 months. When Barrymore was released, she legally emancipated herself from her parents, moved into her own apartment, and re-established her career.
DMX
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As a child, Earl Simmons suffered asthma attacks that often left him in the emergency room. His father left when he was young and his mother and her boyfriends would often beat him. It got so bad that at 14, he would sleep on the streets in clothing bins. It was also around this time that he was tricked into smoking a joint laced with a much harder drug, and developed an addiction. While in prison for carjacking, he worked on lyrics and upon release sold his own mixtapes under the name DMX. Sadly, he battled addiction throughout his life and died of cardiac arrest at the age of 50.
Tyler Perry
This famous comedian and actor was born Emmitt Perry Jr. A DNA would later reveal however that Emmitt Perry Sr. was not his biological father. Perry has recounted how Perry Sr belittled and beat him until he was 19. It was so bad that he once attempted to take his own life. When he was older, he legally changed his first name from Emmitt to Tyler. Perry was also a victim of sexual abuse. The trauma of his childhood eventually became the basis of his debut play, “I Know I've Been Changed.”
Christina Aguilera
Christina’s father Fausto worked for the US Army, meaning that the family moved around a lot, even going as far as Japan. On top of this lack of stability, her father emotionally and physically abused her. Her parents divorced when Aguilera was six, and she subsequently became estranged from her father. Aguilera used music to escape her turbulent home life, and her talent was obvious from a young age. This talent took her far, and she is now one of the highest-selling artists in the history of music.
Eminem
The Heartbreaking Life of Eminem
One of the most famous rappers of his generation, Eminem often uses music to therapeutically explore his difficult childhood. He was raised in poverty and frequently bullied. After three years in ninth grade, he dropped out of school at 17. In his songs, he has repeatedly spoken ill of both his mother and father. His father left the family when Eminem was young and moved across the country. His mother Debbie is a frequent target of Eminem’s lyrics, which accuse her of drug use and neglect. The pent-up anger came out in his songs, and made Eminem the best-selling artist of the 2000s in the US.
Woody Harrelson
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Woody Harrelson’s father Charles wasn’t around much during his childhood, leaving the family in 1968 when Harrelson was seven years old. His mother did her best to care for her three kids, but the family suffered financial hardships. Harrelson remained estranged from his father until later in life, when he visited him regularly in prison. Charles Harrelson was a hitman, and in 1979, he was hired to kill a federal judge named John H. Wood Jr. He was convicted of the crime and given two life sentences.
Shania Twain
The most successful female artist in the history of country music, Shania Twain has sold over 100 million records. As of 2022, she is worth an estimated $400 million. This kind of material wealth is a far cry from what she experienced as a child however. From the age of eight, Twain sang in bars to help her family pay the bills. She’s also reported that her parents fought a lot and that sometimes the arguments resulted in physical violence. As a result, she and her siblings briefly moved into a homeless shelter with their mother.
Demi Moore
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Before Moore was born, her father left her pregnant mother, who was 18 years old at the time. Shortly after Moore was born, her mother remarried, but the couple had a turbulent relationship and divorced twice. Her stepfather later took his own life. Moore suffered from various medical ailments, including kidney problems and a vision disorder called strabismus. At 15, she was sexually asssaulted. Moore’s mother battled substance abuse issues, and Moore once had to revive her after an overdose. She eventually broke off contact with her mother after she walked out early from rehab.
Leighton Meester
Best known for her role as Blair Waldorf in “Gossip Girl,” Leighton Meester was born in a halfway house, as her parents were both in prison. They were serving time for their involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica into the US. After spending her first three months in the halfway house, Meester was given into the care of her paternal grandparents. Although she received a ten year sentence, Meester’s mother served just sixteen months and reclaimed her daughter from her in-laws. Meester has described her upbringing as normal, saying that her mother is always there for her, and that her background has made Meester nonjudgmental and open-minded.
Ashley Judd
This actress comes from a famous family, with both her mother and half sister being country music artists. Judd’s parents divorced when she was four, and she moved all around the southern United States while her mother sought success, attending over a dozen schools. Judd is the survivor of three sexual assaults, and one of these awful instances resulted in an unwanted pregnancy, which Judd terminated. The harmful treatment didn’t stop there. Judd alleges that she was also sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein, whom she later sued.
Joaquin Phoenix
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This Oscar winning actor was the third child of the famous Phoenix family, following his brother River and sister Rain. His parents were missionaries for the religious cult Children of God, now known as The Family International. The cult has been accused of child abuse, but thankfully, the family left when Phoenix was still young, eventually relocating to Los Angeles. However, tragedy struck in late October, 1993, when 19 year old Phoenix witnessed his brother River overdose outside The Viper Room. Phoenix famously called 911 to report the incident, but doctors could do nothing to save his brother and he died early the next morning.
Charlize Theron
The Tragic Life of Charlize Theron
Born and raised in the South African town Benoni, Charlize Theron witnessed her mother kill her father in self-defense. An alcoholic, he was frequently verbally abusive. But in June, 1991, when Theron was 15 years old, her inebriated father returned home and threatened to kill both Theron and her mother. After he fired shots into the house and Theron’s bedroom, Theron’s mother returned fire and killed him. Her actions were deemed self-defense, and eventually the family moved to Europe and then the United States.
Oprah Winfrey
The Groundbreaking Story of Oprah Winfrey
Perhaps the most famous talk show host in the history of television, Oprah Winfrey is worth billions. However, she was raised in poverty, wearing dresses made of potato sacks, and moved around a lot, alternating custody between her grandmother, mother, and alleged father. After being molested by her cousin, uncle, and a family friend, she ran away from home at 13. The next year, she became pregnant, but her son was born prematurely and died. Luckily, Winfrey’s life turned around in high school. She was popular and performed well, and started doing the news at a local radio station. This of course led to her now-legendary career in media.
Ray Charles
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The legendary singer was the child of Aretha Robinson, who became pregnant at 15 years old by her adoptive father, Bailey Robinson. The scandal forced her to flee town, and she raised Charles with the help of Bailey’s wife. Charles grew up in poverty and at times lived in a local cafe. When he was five years old, Charles lost his younger brother George in a drowning accident. Also around this time, he started losing his sight. His mother died when he was 14, and the grieving Charles dropped out of school to make a living as a professional musician. It was hard at first, but the work paid off and he eventually became one of the most respected names in music.
Kelsey Grammer
One of television’s most acclaimed actors, Kelsey Grammer suffered numerous tragedies growing up. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, social unrest swept across the United States. Grammer’s father was killed by an anti-white cab driver. Grammer was just 13 at the time. This came just one year after the death of his grandfather, who passed away from cancer. In 1975, Grammer’s sister Karen was kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered, plunging Grammer into depression. He would later cite this depression as a catalyst for substance abuse. Five years after the death of his sister, Grammer’s half brothers died while scuba diving. Grammer went on to name his daughter Spencer Karen, after his late sister.
