Blue Collar: Stars' Jobs Before They Were Famous
How Diddy, Beyoncé and more paid the bills.
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Blue Collar: Stars' Jobs Before They Were Famous - Celebrities may seem to have the kind of lifestyle few of us could ever dream of, but most grew up far outside the glamour of Hollywood. To find out which of our favorite stars were making their livings in beauty salons, law offices and professional sports before making it big in movies and music, keep reading...(Photos from the left: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images, JGM / PacificCoastNews.com)
Photo By Photos from the left: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
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Diddy - Though it seems like he was born in a recording studio, Diddy almost went pro with the pigskin. The hip hop mogul was a hot recruit in high school, but killed his chances when he broke his leg during a game in his senior year. Regardless, looks like things worked out for the Bad Boy boss, and now his eldest son Justin, who plays college ball for UCLA, may fulfill his dream. (Photo: Michael Stewart/Getty Images for Avion Tequila)
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Beyoncé - Her rise to fame may have been destiny, but Bey had a good backup option in case things didn't work out in the music industry. The superstar had a good job at mom Tina Knowles's beauty salon before she copped her first hit single. (Photo: JGM / PacificCoastNews.com)
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Laz Alonso - The Jumping the Broom star, a business school grad, worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch on Wall Street before making his way to Hollywood. (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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Kanye West - Yeezy claims he has always wanted to work in fashion, but it turns out, he already did. The hip hop trailblazer once folded t-shirts (though probably not ones that cost $120) at The Gap. (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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Kim Kardashian - The reality superstar once ran a successful eBay store and was a celebrity closet organizer before she rose to fame.(Photo: PacificCoastNews.com)
Photo By Photo: PacificCoastNews.com
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Jennifer Lopez - Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got now, J. Lo knows the 9-5 grind. She got her start as a humble paralegal in a New York law office. (Photo: PacificCoastNews.com)
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Oprah Winfrey - Before Winfrey became the biggest media mogul on the planet, she got her start as a part-time radio announcer in suburban Chicago. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Whoopi Goldberg - Long before she won an Oscar, Goldberg worked as a makeup artist in a funeral home. (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
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Channing Tatum - It's not hard to imagine that this hunky actor was a stripper before he hit it big in Hollywood. His experience as a male dancer inspired the hit film Magic Mike. (Photo: Iron Horse Entertainment)
Photo By Photo: Iron Horse Entertainment
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Rick Ross - Believe it or not, Rozay was once a prison corrections officer. The rapper, who rarely speaks about this aspect of his past, admitted in an interview that he took the job to "wash my hands" after his best friend was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking.(Photo: John Ricard / BET).
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Denzel Washington - Washington's first job was working in a barbershop. He earned $11 an hour sweeping up hair, and he believes the experience helped him with his future acting career. "The best liars are in a barbershop," he said. (Photo: Charles Sykes/NBC/NBC NewsWire / Getty Images)
Photo By Charles Sykes/NBC/NBC NewsWire / Getty Images
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Ashanti - Before she became a sexy R&B star, Ashanti paid the bills by working at a daycare. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images Jumpstart)
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Vin Diesel - The Fast & Furious star put his muscles to good use as a nightclub bouncer before his career as an action star took off. (Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Photo By Photo:  Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
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Morgan Freeman - Freeman was no spring chicken when he broke into Hollywood, and had a career as an Air Force mechanic before he started acting. (Photo: Ian Walton/Getty Images For Laureus)
