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When you see your favorite famous people on TV and in magazines, it's hard to believe they were ever people like us - working on getting by. But even the brightest stars had to start with their simple first jobs before making it big!

Whether you're a waitress, a cashier, even a janitor, or have a weird job like lion taming chances are that at least one of the famous actors and actresses you admire once worked a day job as crappy as yours. Some were also in the process of training to enter long-term careers, such as law and teaching, when their big career change came, while others were fresh out of jail after getting caught up in crime.

The moral of the story? You might be stuck doing shifts at a burger joint right now or working your ass off with manual labor, but you never know what opportunities lie ahead, so stay focused on your Hollywood dreams. Find out what stars were doing with their lives before they hit the screen below, and let us know which ones surprised you the most!

#1

Steve Buscemi Was A Firefighter. During The 9/11 Attacks He Returned To His Former Job As A New York Firefighter To Help Out

Steve Buscemi Was A Firefighter. During The 9/11 Attacks He Returned To His Former Job As A New York Firefighter To Help Out

Joseph Marzullo Report

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    #2

    Christopher Walken Was A Lion Tamer, He Was 16 At The Time And Would Perform With A Lioness Named Sheba

    Christopher Walken Was A Lion Tamer, He Was 16 At The Time And Would Perform With A Lioness Named Sheba

    Laurence Agron Report

    #3

    Danny DeVito Was A Hairdresser For Corpses, He Would Style Women's Hair To Make Them Look Beautiful Before They Went Six Feet Under

    Danny DeVito Was A Hairdresser For Corpses, He Would Style Women's Hair To Make Them Look Beautiful Before They Went Six Feet Under

    Matt Sayles Report

    #4

    Harrison Ford Was A Carpenter

    Harrison Ford Was A Carpenter

    Sergio Mendes , Alexandra Wyman Report

    #5

    Christopher Lee Worked For The Intelligence Service

    Christopher Lee Worked For The Intelligence Service

    Pascal Le Segretain Report

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    Anna Sheridan
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This man is actually one of the most awesome people ever seriously look up his bio

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    #6

    Johnny Depp Worked As A Telemarketer And Hated It, He Only Made One Sale - And Promptly Talked The Customer Out Of The Purchase

    Johnny Depp Worked As A Telemarketer And Hated It, He Only Made One Sale - And Promptly Talked The Customer Out Of The Purchase

    Dior Report

    #8

    Pierce Brosnan Was A Professional Fire Eater In His Teens And Performed Under The Big Top For Three Years

    Pierce Brosnan Was A Professional Fire Eater In His Teens And Performed Under The Big Top For Three Years

    Frazer Harrison Report

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    #9

    Jim Carrey Quit School To Support His Family And Started Working As A Janitor

    Jim Carrey Quit School To Support His Family And Started Working As A Janitor

    Evan Agostini Report

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    Master Markus
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Probably should've stayed in school in order to not be gullible enough for your wife to convince you that vaccines cause autism!

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    #10

    Brad Pitt Used To Dress Up As A Chicken For An El Pollo Loco Restaurant In Hollywood

    Brad Pitt Used To Dress Up As A Chicken For An El Pollo Loco Restaurant In Hollywood

    EMPPL PA Wire Report

    #11

    Barack Obama Was An Ice Cream Scooper At Baskin Robbins

    Barack Obama Was An Ice Cream Scooper At Baskin Robbins

    Obama White House Report

    #13

    Bob Ross Was A Sergeant In The Air Force

    Bob Ross Was A Sergeant In The Air Force

    Bob Ross Inc Report

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    BREAK YOUr perceptions
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    more than that, i believe he was a drill sergeant. he actually hated it SO MUCH about yelling at people that when he quit he decided he was going to do something the complete opposite for the rest of his life. and so he went on to painting little trees and rivers in the most calming voice.

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    #14

    George Clooney Sold Women's Shoes, Was A Door-To-Door Insurance Salesman, Stocked Shelves, Was A Construction Worker, Cut Tobacco

    George Clooney Sold Women's Shoes, Was A Door-To-Door Insurance Salesman, Stocked Shelves, Was A Construction Worker, Cut Tobacco

    Kevin Wilkes , David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock Report

    #15

    Bill Murray Used To Sell Chestnuts Outside Of A Chicago Grocery Store

    Bill Murray Used To Sell Chestnuts Outside Of A Chicago Grocery Store

    Dominique Charriau Report

    #16

    Gal Gadot Served In The Israeli Defense Forces

    Gal Gadot Served In The Israeli Defense Forces

    gal_gadot Report

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    Aahzmandus Pervect
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In Israel, conscription was mandatory for men and women. It's not like it was her choice.

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    #17

    David Bowie Worked As A Butcher's Delivery Boy

    David Bowie Worked As A Butcher's Delivery Boy

    Steve Schapiro Report

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    Agnes Jekyll
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He drew up plans for his first band in grade 7 (or earlier!)--lights, outfits, hair--the whole thing!

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    #18

    Katheryn Winnick Is An Accomplished Martial Artist Who Holds A Third-Degree Black Belt In Taekwondo And A Second-Degree Black Belt In Karate. By 21 She Had Founded And Owned 3 Martial Arts Schools

    Katheryn Winnick Is An Accomplished Martial Artist Who Holds A Third-Degree Black Belt In Taekwondo And A Second-Degree Black Belt In Karate. By 21 She Had Founded And Owned 3 Martial Arts Schools

    FayesVision / WENN Report

    #19

    Jason Lee Was A Professional Skateboarder

    Jason Lee Was A Professional Skateboarder

    Kevin Winter Report

    #20

    Chris Pratt Worked As A Stripper While Struggling To Make A Living In Hawaii

    Chris Pratt Worked As A Stripper While Struggling To Make A Living In Hawaii

    Gregg DeGuire , prattprattpratt Report

    #21

    Helen Mirren Worked As A Promoter For An Amusement Park In Southend On Sea

    Helen Mirren Worked As A Promoter For An Amusement Park In Southend On Sea

    Bentley Archive/Popperfoto , Jeff Vespa Report

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    Alusair Alustriel
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She was such a lovely fint young girl! Love the fresh looks she had! And she's a beautiful woman now! That's aging with class.

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    #22

    Tom Hanks Was A Popcorn And Peanuts Vendor

    Tom Hanks Was A Popcorn And Peanuts Vendor

    Dennis Plehn , Paul Treadway Report

    #23

    Kate Winslet Was A Sandwich Maker In A Delicatessen

    Kate Winslet Was A Sandwich Maker In A Delicatessen

    Ian Gavan Report

    #24

    Liam Neeson Trained To Be A Teacher

    Liam Neeson Trained To Be A Teacher

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    #25

    Whoopi Goldberg Was A Morgue Beautician

    Whoopi Goldberg Was A Morgue Beautician

    Jason Kempin Report

    #26

    Sandra Bullock Worked As A Bartender And Waitress At A Restaurant In Manhattan

    Sandra Bullock Worked As A Bartender And Waitress At A Restaurant In Manhattan

    Alessio Botticelli Report

    #27

    Tim Allen Was A Drug Dealer

    Tim Allen Was A Drug Dealer

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    #29

    Nicole Kidman Studied Massage So She Could Help Her Mother, Who Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, With Physical Therapy

    Nicole Kidman Studied Massage So She Could Help Her Mother, Who Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, With Physical Therapy

    Patrick Riviere , Georges Biard Report

    #30

    Gerard Butler Was A Trainee Lawyer But Got Fired Due To His Partying And Frequently Missing Work

    Gerard Butler Was A Trainee Lawyer But Got Fired Due To His Partying And Frequently Missing Work

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    #31

    Charlize Theron Studied At The Joffrey Ballet School In New York, But Had To Cut Her Dancing Career Short Due To A Knee Injury At The Age Of 19

    Charlize Theron Studied At The Joffrey Ballet School In New York, But Had To Cut Her Dancing Career Short Due To A Knee Injury At The Age Of 19

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    #32

    Jon Hamm Was A Set-Dresser For Porn Films

    Jon Hamm Was A Set-Dresser For Porn Films

    Pascal Le Segretain Report

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    Brandon Collinsworth
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If the rumors about him are true then he was equipped enough he could have starred in a few

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    #33

    Victoria Beckham Played A Sperm On Roller Skates For A BBC Sex Education Show Called ‘Body Matters’

    Victoria Beckham Played A Sperm On Roller Skates For A BBC Sex Education Show Called ‘Body Matters’

    Neilson Barnard Report

    #34

    Michelle Pfeiffer Was A Cashier At A Supermarket

    Michelle Pfeiffer Was A Cashier At A Supermarket

    Gary Gershoff Report

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    Alusair Alustriel
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I adore her looks. Ever since I was a kid I found her one of the prettiest women there were :D

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    #35

    Jake Gyllenhaal Was A Lifeguard

    Jake Gyllenhaal Was A Lifeguard

    Araya Diaz Report

    #36

    Sheryl Crow Was A Music Teacher In An Elementary School

    Sheryl Crow Was A Music Teacher In An Elementary School

    Jason Merritt Report

    #38

    Adrien Brody Performed Magic Shows At Children's Birthday Parties As "The Amazing Adrien"

    Adrien Brody Performed Magic Shows At Children's Birthday Parties As "The Amazing Adrien"

    Jim Smeal , Daniel Zuchnik Report

    #40

    Lucy Liu Was A Secretary, Aerobics Instructor And A Hostess

    Lucy Liu Was A Secretary, Aerobics Instructor And A Hostess

    celebmafia Report

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    #41

    Jon Bon Jovi Worked As A Christmas Decoration Maker

    Jon Bon Jovi Worked As A Christmas Decoration Maker

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    CookieChep
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    At first I didn't read the 'maker, so I thought he work as a Christmas decoration XD

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    #42

    Matthew Mcconaughey Cleaned Chicken Coops And Washed Dishes

    Matthew Mcconaughey Cleaned Chicken Coops And Washed Dishes

    Peter Kramer Report

    #43

    Julia Roberts Worked As A Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Scooper

    Julia Roberts Worked As A Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Scooper

    Dan MacMedan Report

    #44

    Bradley Cooper Worked As A Doorman At The Morgans Hotel

    Bradley Cooper Worked As A Doorman At The Morgans Hotel

    abaca Report

    #45

    Mick Jagger Was A Bexley Mental Hospital Porter

    Mick Jagger Was A Bexley Mental Hospital Porter

    ANGELA WEISS Report

    #47

    Jennifer Lopez Worked In A Law Office

    Jennifer Lopez Worked In A Law Office

    Jon Kopaloff Report

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    #50

    Ashton Kutcher Swept Cereal Dust At A General Mills Factory, Sold His Blood For Extra Cash

    Ashton Kutcher Swept Cereal Dust At A General Mills Factory, Sold His Blood For Extra Cash

    NBC Report

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    #52

    Kate Bosworth Was A Competitive Horse Rider

    Kate Bosworth Was A Competitive Horse Rider

    David Crotty Report

    #53

    Michael Fassbender Was An Altar Boy At Weddings And Baptisms, Conducted Market Research For Britain's Royal Mail And Had Numerous Bartending Positions

    Michael Fassbender Was An Altar Boy At Weddings And Baptisms, Conducted Market Research For Britain's Royal Mail And Had Numerous Bartending Positions

    Charles Sykes Report

    #54

    Vince Vaughn Was A Lifeguard At The YMCA

    Vince Vaughn Was A Lifeguard At The YMCA

    Alberto E. Rodriguez , miramax Report

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    Daria B
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That.... That one makes me wanna sing.... Young man.... YYYYYYYYYYMCA! YYYYYYYYYYYYMCA! ♬♪

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    #55

    Patrick Dempsey Was A Juggler

    Patrick Dempsey Was A Juggler

    Jeff Lipsky Report

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    #57

    Ozzy Osbourne Used To Work At A Slaughterhouse

    Ozzy Osbourne Used To Work At A Slaughterhouse

    Jason LaVeris Report

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    Hisseefit
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If I had worked at a slaughterhouse, I would probably have used drugs and alcohol to hide my pain.

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    #58

    Madonna Worked At Dunkin Donuts Until She Got Fired

    Madonna Worked At Dunkin Donuts Until She Got Fired

    Michael McDonnell , WENN Ltd Report

    #59

    Demi Moore Was A Debt Collector

    Demi Moore Was A Debt Collector

    Jim Spellman Report

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    Ronja Rövardotter
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Rumours say that she was really successful debt collector because everybody always paid her Moore :)

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    #60

    Elon Musk Shoveled Dirt In A Boiler Room For $18/hour

    Elon Musk Shoveled Dirt In A Boiler Room For $18/hour

    forbes Report

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    Susan Forbes
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Where was this boiler that he got $18 an hour for shoveling in? Not too shabby

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    #62

    Megan Fox Was A Waitress, She Quit Because Customers Couldn't Keep Their Hands Off Her Body

    Megan Fox Was A Waitress, She Quit Because Customers Couldn't Keep Their Hands Off Her Body

    Genaro Molina Report

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    #64

    Eva Mendes Worked In A Pizza Place And A Hot Dog Stand In Local Mall

    Eva Mendes Worked In A Pizza Place And A Hot Dog Stand In Local Mall

    Alexander Tamargo Report

    #65

    Courtney Cox Worked For A New York Concert Booking Agency

    Courtney Cox Worked For A New York Concert Booking Agency

    celebmafia Report

    #67

    Amy Adams Was A Hooters Waitress

    Amy Adams Was A Hooters Waitress

    Steve Granitz Report

    #69

    Will Ferrell Was A Hotel Valet

    Will Ferrell Was A Hotel Valet

    Eva Rinaldi Report

    #70

    Lady Gaga Was A Waitress

    Lady Gaga Was A Waitress

    Malgorzata Saniewska , ladygaga Report

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    #71

    Tina Fey Was A Snack Bar Server At A Swim Club

    Tina Fey Was A Snack Bar Server At A Swim Club

    Jason Merritt Report

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    John Polyak
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She's one of the brightest, funniest people alive. She's beautiful to boot.

    #72

    Marisa Tomei Worked At A Tony Roma's Steakhouse

    Marisa Tomei Worked At A Tony Roma's Steakhouse

    Gregg DeGuire Report

    #74

    Blake Shelton Used To Paint Houses

    Blake Shelton Used To Paint Houses

    justjared Report

    #75

    Julianne Moore Was A Waitress

    Julianne Moore Was A Waitress

    CBS Photo Archive , celebmafia Report

    #76

    Ewan Mcgregor Was A Stagehand At Perth Repertory Theatre

    Ewan Mcgregor Was A Stagehand At Perth Repertory Theatre

    Taylor Hill Report

    #77

    Mariah Carey Studied Cosmetology And Had Several Jobs In Salons Before She Gave Up On That Dream

    Mariah Carey Studied Cosmetology And Had Several Jobs In Salons Before She Gave Up On That Dream

    Ron Galella, Ltd. , mariahcarey Report

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    #78

    Harry Styles Worked At The W. Mandeville Bakery In Holmes Chapel

    Harry Styles Worked At The W. Mandeville Bakery In Holmes Chapel

    Gary Gershoff Report

    #79

    Rooney Mara Was A Summer Camp Counselor

    Rooney Mara Was A Summer Camp Counselor

    Mike Windle Report

    #82

    Beyoncé Used To Sweep Up Hair In Mama Tina Knowles' Hair Salon

    Beyoncé Used To Sweep Up Hair In Mama Tina Knowles' Hair Salon

    Buda Mendes Report

    #83

    America Ferrera Worked As A Waitress While Attending The University Of Southern California

    America Ferrera Worked As A Waitress While Attending The University Of Southern California

    Randy Shropshire Report

    #84

    Sarah Silverman Waited Tables At A Mexican Restaurant Called La Cantina

    Sarah Silverman Waited Tables At A Mexican Restaurant Called La Cantina

    hawtcelebs Report

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    DC
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She's cool. The cool kind of shameless in at least one way.

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    #86

    Jennifer Hudson Worked At Burger King

    Jennifer Hudson Worked At Burger King

    hawtcelebs Report

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    Panda Man
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    @ sondre, you are a jerk and there are special places in hell for people like you

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    #87

    Tom Cruise Attended Seminary With An Aspiration Of Becoming A Priest

    Tom Cruise Attended Seminary With An Aspiration Of Becoming A Priest

    Kevin Winter Report

    #88

    Elizabeth Banks Was A Waitress

    Elizabeth Banks Was A Waitress

    Report

    #90

    Simon Cowell Was A Post Boy At Emi Record Label

    Simon Cowell Was A Post Boy At Emi Record Label

    Earl Gibson III Report

    #91

    Sarah Jessica Parker Trained In Singing And Ballet

    Sarah Jessica Parker Trained In Singing And Ballet

    Gotham Report

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    #92

    Ashley Judd Was A Hostess At The Ivy Restaurant

    Ashley Judd Was A Hostess At The Ivy Restaurant

    Kevin Mazur Report

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    #93

    Ellen Pompeo Was A Bartender

    Ellen Pompeo Was A Bartender

    Paul Archuleta Report

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    As If
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    She still plays that role. Grey's Anatomy is about to kick off it's 14th season and is one of the most popular, well-written, most award-winning, and longest running medical dramas in American Television. I mean, I can believe someone in this country has never seen an episode, but to have never heard of it? I don't believe that for a second. I think those people are just trying to sound cool, being all "who? what? never heard of it". Kind of like I do with One Direction.

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    #95

    Gwyneth Paltrow Was A Waitress

    Gwyneth Paltrow Was A Waitress

    gwynethpaltrow Report

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    Gilda
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This ones kind of cool her mom is Blythe Danner so it's not like she had to

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    #96

    Kanye West Was A Sales Assistant At Gap

    Kanye West Was A Sales Assistant At Gap

    Kevin Mazur Report

    #97

    Kelly Clarkson Worked As A Cocktail Waitress At Multiple Comedy Clubs In Texas

    Kelly Clarkson Worked As A Cocktail Waitress At Multiple Comedy Clubs In Texas

    Robin Marchant , Steve Zak Photography Report

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    #99

    Naya Rivera Worked As A Waitress At Hooters

    Naya Rivera Worked As A Waitress At Hooters

    SGranitz , nayarivera Report

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    As If
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Now this is genuine...I don't know who this is. I'd Google her, but I don't care enough.

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    #100

    Chelsea Handler Was A Waitress At A Morton's Steakhouse

    Chelsea Handler Was A Waitress At A Morton's Steakhouse

    Chelsea Handler , Slaven Vlasic Report

    #101

    Jay-Z Was A Drug Dealer

    Jay-Z Was A Drug Dealer

    Frederick M. Brown Report

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    Jill
    Community Member
    7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So the comments on Tim Allen are "prefer him as a dealer" but for Jay Z it's "not surprised" ... some readers need to take a long hard look at themselves

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    #102

    Nicki Minaj Was A Waitress

    Nicki Minaj Was A Waitress

    Kevin Mazur Report