You might not know it, but a lot of celebrities were born wealthy. Sure, you have a few like Justin Beiber and J.K Rowling who were born into poverty and still made a name for themselves. But that’s rare. Most were born into wealth and had somewhat of an unfair advantage, to say the least. Here are 11 celebrities who were wealthy before you even knew their names:
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was by no means born into poverty! Her mother was a homemaker and her father was a Financial Advisor (aka a stockbroker) who also came from a long line of bank presidents; which means the family probably had some “old money” in their bank accounts. Sure, Tay Tay was brought up on a farm but it wasn’t some small farm in the backwoods of Kentucky. She grew up on a Christmass tree farm in Reading, Pennsylvania — her family had over 15 acres to themselves. So, yeah…you could say the Swift family was doing just fine before Taylor became an international pop star.
Gweneth Paltrow
The owner of Goop was born to well-known parents in the industry. Her mother, Blythe Danner, was an actress (who you probably know from playing Dina Byrnes in Meet the Parents and her father was a film producer/director, Bruce Paltrow. The Paltrow family are indeed a legacy in Hollywood. Gweneth’s brother, Jake, is a screenwriter and director as well.
Adam Levine
Adam Levine is the star of the successful band, Maroon 5, but his father is somewhat to thank for his success. Fredric Levine is the founder of retail chain M. Fredric which has over 10 locations and a strong online presence. Because of the family’s wealth, Adam was able to attend a private school in Los Angeles called, Brentwood where he met his current bandmates.
Rashida Jones
Actress/comedian, Rashida Jones is the daughter of an absolute legend — Quincy Jones. Rashida is known for her roles in Parks and Recreation, Angie Tribeca, I Love you, Man and many other shows. She’s quite popular and only one of the many successful daughters of Quincy Jones. Qunicy has 7 children in total. Another one being Kidada Jones who is an accomplished actress and model.
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande was living quite a comfortable life before she blew up into the star she is now. Her mother, Joan Grande, is the CEO of Hose-McCann Communications and her father owns a graphic design firm in Miami. Needless to say, Ariana was more than prepared for the $45 million dollars net worth she has now.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Known for her work on Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live, Julia Louis is no stranger to wealth. Her father was Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services. Which might not sound like much, but seeing as Gerard’s net worth was estimated to be over $3 billion dollars, you can pretty much bet that company is a huge success. Julia’s father died in 2016 and one would imagine that money was passed down to her and her family. Not that she needs it, Julia’s net worth is estimated to be $200 million dollars.
Meryl Streep
Probably one of the best actresses of our time, Meryl Streep came from a very, very wealthy family! Not only was her father a pharmaceutical executive at a large drug company but her mother was an artist and art editor. Clearly, that money didn’t go to waste. I don’t know if her family put Meryl in the best acting schools or what but her talent is unmeasurable!
Robin Thicke
Before he graced our ears with his hit songs, Robin was living a lavish lifestyle thanks to his parents. His father, Alan Thicke, had a lead role in the TV sitcom Growing Pains and Robin’s mother, Gloria Loring, was on the show Days of Our Lives. But even though his family was more than well-off, Robin has natural-born talent (and he’s quite the ladies man).
Rooney & Kate Mara
You might know Rooney Mara from her leading role in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Her sister, Kate Mara, starred in the show House of Cards in addition to The Martian and Fantastic Four. And while both sisters have a pretty impressive acting resume, you could say they had a leg up on the competition. The sisters come from money! Their great-grandfather’s, on both sides of the family, owned football teams; The New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. To this day, the families are still in control.
Ed Sheeran
Not only does Ed Sheeran come from a well-off family, but he comes from an artistic one as well. His dad is an art curator and his mother is a culture publicist. Together, they own an independent art consultancy called Sheeran Locke, which they’ve successfully run for about 20 years now.
Kim Kardashian
You might’ve thought the Kardashians became the Kardashians due to a leaked sex tape. But that’s just not the case. The Kardashians’ father, Robert Kardashian, was a very successful attorney who is known for defending O.J. Simpson in the murder trial of Nicole Brown Simpson. To put it into perspective for you, Robert’s net worth was around $30 million when he died in 2003 from cancer. So basically, the Kardashians were rich before the sex tape and they’ll be rich long after.