Entertainment

17 Celebrities Who Worked Regular Jobs Even After They Became Famous

Imagine this: You're at a restaurant looking over the menu, and look up to find your waiter standing over you. Except your waiter looks sort of... familiar. Have you been to this restaurant before? Nope, you know this waiter from the TV and the tabloids, because they're a bonafide celebrity. Or at least, they were — once upon a time. There are a ton of reasons why a former star would want to leave the entertainment industry, from the work drying up to simply growing tired of the Hollywood life to wanting to try something totally new. So what regular jobs are these stars doing? Click through to find out.

by Kaitlin Reilly

Nikki Blonsky

Blonsky shot to fame with the 2007 movie musical Hairspray, and later starred on ABC Family’s “fat camp” drama Huge.

Image: New Line Cinema

Nikki Blonsky

Despite her successes, the actress didn’t move to Los Angeles to be a star — instead, she started working at a Long Island hair salon. In 2011, she tweeted that she hasn’t given up on her acting dreams, despite her part-time job.

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Dylan Sprouse

Sprouse became a major tween star for his starring role on the Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

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Dylan Sprouse

The NYU student made headlines when he was spotted working as a host at a New York City restaurant — did the former child star go broke?! Sprouse fired back, stating that he actually enjoyed working, and that it helped him move on from his Disney days.

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Jon Gosselin

Gosselin was a major reality star when he starred on TLC show Jon & Kate Plus 8. After he divorced wife Kate, Jon’s name was dropped from the title.

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Jon Gosselin

Gosselin admitted that it was “impossible” for him to get real work after his reality show, which prompted him to start waiting tables at the Black Dog in Pennsylvania in 2013.

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Paul Newman

The Cool Hand Luke actor started a very different career in the ’80s.

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Paul Newman

Newman and his pal A.E. Hotchner would make their own salad dressing for fun and give it away to friends, but decided to turn their hobby into a business in the ’80s. Instead of making money off of their (delicious) salad dressing, they decided that they would give all of the profits away to charity. Though Newman passed away in 2008, his legacy lives on.

Image: Paul Newman’s Own

Dan Lloyd

Best known as Danny, the boy with the secret gift from The Shining, the former child actor is no longer interested in being in the spotlight.

Image: Warner Bros.

Dan Lloyd

He’s no longer riding his tricycle around the Overlook. Though Lloyd auditioned for roles as a kid, his acting career never really panned out. He currently works as a science teacher, but says that he would be happy to do a cameo in a new adaptation of The Shining or its sequel, the Danny-focused Doctor Sleep.

Image: Warner Bros.

Susan Boyle

Boyle made fans weep with her beautiful rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” on Britain’s Got Talent.

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Susan Boyle

Boyle raised eyebrows when she applied for a minimum wage job, but it turns out that she couldn’t keep out of the spotlight for very long. In 2014 she toured the West Coast and once again showed off her singing talents.

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Jonathan Bennett

Bennett played Cady’s love interest Aaron in the ever-so-quotable Mean Girls.

Image: Paramount Pictures

Jonathan Bennett

Though the actor stepped back into the spotlight with game show Copy Cat and a stint on Dancing With the Stars, he has worked as an instructor at the indoor cycling studio Fly Wheel for years.

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Tony Danza

The Who’s The Boss actor took on a completely different job later in life.

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Tony Danza

Danza taught a 10th grade English class for one year in the Philadelphia school district. Though the gig was technically out of the entertainment industry, it’s important to note that Danza’s teaching venture was filmed — his work was a part of the 2010 docu-series Teach.

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Frankie Muniz

The former Malcolm in the Middle star took the fast track to a new career.

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Frankie Muniz

Hey, remember that Disney Channel movie Miracle in Lane 2? Apparently Muniz was really inspired by his role, because he decided to become a professional race car driver in 2007.

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Taran Noah Smith

The Home Improvement actor made a new career for himself in the culinary industry.

Image: ABC

Taran Noah Smith

Smith ran a vegan food company called PlayFood out of his Sherman Oaks home.

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Lo Bosworth

The Hills star may have become famous for being Lauren Conrad’s confidant and BFF, but she now has a career all her own.

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Lo Bosworth

The former reality star has her very own lifestyle website, The Lo Down.

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Chris Owen

American Pie’s “The Sherminator” is supporting himself the way many struggling actors do.

Image: Universal Pictures

Chris Owen

Owen currently works as a waiter in a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, where he continues to get recognized. He also has parts in several films that are currently in development.

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Michael Maronna

“Big Pete” (right) of the Adventures of Pete & Pete is still working in the entertainment industry, but not as an actor.

Image: Nickelodeon

Michael Maronna

According to a 2008 interview with North by Northwestern, Maronna works as an electrician for feature films and TV shows in New York City.

Tiffany

The ’80s pop star is no longer making albums, but she’s still showing off her signature style.

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Tiffany

The “I Think We’re Alone Now” singer opened her own store (appropriately called “Tiffany’s Boutique”) in 2012.

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Kevin Jonas

The eldest Jonas Brother (far right) may not be out of the spotlight completely, but he is exploring another career path.

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Kevin Jonas

The Married to Jonas star moonlights as a contractor. He was featured on the Real Housewives of New Jersey when he was hired to work on Kathy Wakile’s house.

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Vanilla Ice

The “Ice, Ice Baby” rapper is also interested in homemaking.

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Vanilla Ice

Sure, Ice likes to rap, but he’s also really into flipping homes — he even has his own show on the DIY Network, The Vanilla Ice Project.

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Roseanne Barr

The Roseanne actress found a new (super random) passion later in life.

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Roseanne Barr

The actress bought a ranch in Hawaii in 2007, and began growing macadamia nuts and organic vegetables on it. She even had a reality show that focused on her hobby, the perfectly-titled Roseanne’s Nuts.

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