Top 10 Stars Who Lied About Having Humble Beginnings

Regarded as one of the greatest songwriters ever, Bob Dylan crafts intricate tales with his tunes. However, some of the stories he has told about his own life border on outright fiction. Dylan, who was raised in Minnesota by both parents, once claimed that he didn’t actually know them. This lie was later debunked by a reporter who spoke with Dylan’s brother and revealed that he brought his parents to his shows and put them up in nearby hotels. The singer also claimed he was raised in New Mexico and ran away to join a carnival in his teens. In reality, he remained in Minnesota until he dropped out of college in his first year and moved to New York to chase his musical dreams.

In 2019, Forbes magazine stirred up quite the commotion by declaring Kylie Jenner as the world’s youngest self-made billionaire, with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. In the same interview, Jenner, who was 21 at the time, backed the “self-made” label, claiming she was cut off financially by her parents at 15. She essentially implied that she had single-handedly built her cosmetics empire without any inherited wealth. But many in the public weren’t buying it. After all, Jenner had a massive head start, born into immense privilege and able to capitalize on her family’s famous name. With the public backlash mounting, Jenner eventually did an about-turn, admitting she had “a lot of help and a huge platform.”

Started from the bottom, now he’s here. But just how low was that bottom for Drake? According to the rapper, his childhood was downright miserable, growing up dirt-poor in a broken home. Makes for a dramatic rise to the top, right? Well, not everyone agrees with this depiction. Drake’s critics argue that he spent part of his childhood in Forest Hills, one of the wealthiest areas in Toronto. Plus, he shot to fame in his teens on the hit Canadian series “Degrassi: The Next Generation” before pivoting to music. Nevertheless, Drake insists he started from humble beginnings. If living in a posh neighborhood and being a TV star is his definition of “bottom,” we can only wonder what the top looks like.

Taylor Swift hasn’t exactly gone around claiming she grew up poor, but you don’t always have to say something outright to give people that impression. Through her music, she’s managed to craft the image of a modest upbringing, notably in tracks like “I Bet You Think About Me.” Granted, she did spend her early years on a farm, but her parents were finance executives who ran the farm as a hobby, not out of necessity. Swift’s childhood was quite the opposite of underprivileged. She grew up in Pennsylvania, enjoyed summers at her family’s vacation home in New Jersey and jetted off to New York City for vocal and acting lessons. But that wouldn’t make for a very compelling song, would it?

If we’re to believe Rebel Wilson, then she’s lived quite the adventurous life. In past interviews, she’s claimed to have grown up in a poor Sydney neighborhood, entered a leopard’s cage in Zimbabwe, gotten caught up in a shoot-out, and contracted malaria in Mozambique. This bout with malaria allegedly landed her in the ICU, where she hallucinated about winning an Oscar and rapping her acceptance speech. Quite the wild ride. However, in 2015, an Australian magazine challenged her tales, claiming Wilson had a “very normal, upper-middle-class upbringing” and embellished parts of her childhood. Wilson denied these allegations, sued the magazine for defamation and won. However, some folks from her pre-fame days maintain that her upbringing was more privileged than she’s let on.

In 1990, rapper Vanilla Ice shot to stardom with his smash hit “Ice Ice Baby.” The song was a huge success, becoming the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard Hot 100. With this newfound fame came an increased scrutiny into his personal life and background. Ice had claimed he grew up on the tough streets of Miami and won multiple national motocross championships. But as the press dug deeper, they discovered that he spent most of his youth in an affluent Dallas neighborhood and there was no proof of any championship wins. It all seemed like a flimsy attempt to gain street credibility in the rap community. Spoiler alert: it didn’t quite work out.

As kids, we often latch onto TV shows with characters we can relate to. For Whitney Cummings, that show was “Roseanne.” The comedian claims she identified with the working-class family because she grew up in an underprivileged household herself. This sounds all fine and dandy until you dig into her actual background. Cummings is said to have grown up in a swanky part of West Virginia, attended a $50,000-a-year prep school in Maryland and even had her own horse. From her fancy prep school, she then moved on to the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League college. We’re not saying she’s lying, but there’s a reason why “2 Broke Girls” had more viewers than, say, “The O.C.”

Kid Rock was born in 1971 to millionaire car dealership owner William “Bill” Ritchie. Raised in a mansion on his father’s luxurious estate in Michigan, the musician had a comfortable childhood. If he ever got bored of that house, he could simply travel to their second home in Jupiter Island, Florida, rubbing shoulders with neighbors like Celine Dion and Tiger Woods. So, how does Kid Rock describe his upbringing? Well, he’s painted a rags-to-riches picture, claiming he hustled his way from the ground up with sheer grit, business savvy and self-taught skills. If you’re paying attention, you’ll know that’s a far cry from the truth. It appears not many celebrities realize that the first step to being relatable is honesty.

In 2014, award-winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran released his memoir, “A Visual Journey.” In it, he recounted a time before he became famous when he had nowhere to stay. He claimed he scraped by playing tiny gigs and that he couldn’t afford rent, so he resorted to couch surfing and even once slept outside Buckingham Palace. This experience apparently inspired his song “Homeless.” But all of this was surprising because Sheeran was reportedly born to wealthy parents who made their living in the art industry. When fans pointed out the inconsistency, Sheeran clarified that he actually wasn’t homeless; he just “went without a bed some nights.”

If you’re going to misrepresent your upbringing, make sure the person who knows you the best isn’t in the room. Victoria Beckham learned this lesson the hard way. During an interview for the Netflix documentary about her and her husband, David, Beckham claimed to have come from a working-class background. David wasted no time in setting the record straight, pushing her to reveal what type of car her father drove her to school in. After attempting to dodge the question, Beckham ultimately confessed the truth. The clip received mixed reactions online; some loved the couple’s playful banter, while others criticized Beckham for trying to bend the truth. Well, what did anyone expect? There’s a reason she was called Posh Spice.

What other celebrities do you know that have lied about their childhood? Let us know in the comments below.