10 Famous People Who Were Once Homeless

Given the charmed lives many celebrities lead, it’s hard to imagine that they’ve ever had to go without. For many famous people, that is very far from the truth.

Here are 10 of them who were once homeless.

Number 10. Shania Twain. In her memoir, the multiple Grammy winner recounted the day she and her family took up residence in a shelter. A couple years later, Twain found herself alone and squatting in an abandoned house in Toronto.


Number 9. Ed Sheeran. Before finding fame as the lead singer of Thinking Out Loud, this musician lived on the streets for over 2 years. One of his frequent places to catch some shuteye was in a heating duct just outside Buckingham Palace.

Number 8. Hillary Swank. This actress had a dream, and her mother was fully committed to helping her achieve it. The problem is that once the two arrived in Los Angeles they had no money for a place to stay. While they saved up, the two lived out of their car.

Number 7. Tyler Perry. Believing in himself and his breakout play ‘I Know I’ve Been Changed’ cost the movie mogul his entire savings. In the six years it took the production to become the hit he knew it would be, Tyler spent a lot of time living in either his car or low-rent motels.

Number 6. Phil McGraw otherwise known as Dr. Phil. He’s built a 280 million dollar empire on making lives better, but when he was 12 he didn’t have a bed to call his own. While his father, also a psychologist, was interning it, was a struggle to come up with just 5 dollars for a room at the Y.

Number 5. Drew Carey. Following a suicide attempt, Carey made the decision to leave Ohio and head to Los Angeles. He got stuck in Las Vegas for a while, and had no place to stay. He sold his plasma to make enough money for food, which was typically boxed macaroni and cheese.

Number 4. Rose McGowan. Much of her childhood was rocky and in her early teens she ran away from home. During the year she spent as one of America’s homeless she was lucky to make a friend and the two traveled the Pacific Northwest together.

Number 3. Steve Harvey. The comedian and game show host found himself on the streets after a gig fell through. He told himself the rough spell was temporary, but it ended up lasting for 3 years.

Number 2. Jewel. Her time without a home was brief, but nearly fatal. The singer has kidney issues and while without insurance couldn’t get medical attention. She said one day she found herself in the emergency room parking lot, sure she was dying.

Number 1. Daniel Craig. Before he was James Bond, he was a guy that slept on park benches. While trying to break into show business he was living in London and most of the time couldn’t afford a place to stay.