20 celebrities who worked normal jobs after making it big

Dylan Sprouse found fame as a child actor, but he took a break when he became an adult to go to college at New York University. While there, he worked as a restaurant host. Sprouse did clear up that it wasn’t because he needed the money, but because he wanted a little extra to spend on video games. 

David Lee Roth, of Van Halen fame, is also an EMT in the state of New York. When he’s not entertaining people with his musical stylings, he’s saving lives as an emergency medical technician. 

Danielle Fishel made it big as a child star thanks to her work in Boy Meets World, but when she became an adult, she wanted to go to college. While studying at California State University, Fullerton, she got a job at Bloomingdale's as a gift wrapper. 

Kate Gosselin became famous after giving birth to eight kids through just two pregnancies. Her life derailed a little bit after getting divorced, and when her reality TV money dried up, she returned to her pre-television job as a registered nurse. 

When Jeremy Renner isn't working as an actor, he's working in real estate. The star also flips houses. Just think, you could watch a Jeremy Renner film while in a Jeremy Renner House. 

Jennifer Stone of Wizards of Waverly Place fame is an actor and a podcaster, but she also works as an ER nurse. She decided to also have a normal job after she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. 

After finding success in the music industry, MC Hammer became a pastor. He called his hip-hop gospel service "Hammertime," because what else would he call it? 

In addition to being a great football player and a talented actor, Terry Crews is also a great artist. When he was cut from teams in the NFL, he painted portraits of his teammates to keep himself afloat. 

Kevin Jonas has done multiple things outside of music. For example, during the Jonas Brothers' hiatus, he started a real estate development company. He could potentially be the richest of all his bandmates. 

Tony Danza spent a year of his life post-becoming famous teaching high school English. Granted, part of it was filmed for a reality show, but hey, he still did the work, and he finished out the school year. 

Being a child star doesn't guarantee fame and fortune in adulthood. Devon Werkheiser lived on his Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide savings for a while into adulthood, but once they ran out, he got a regular job. 

Imagine walking into your first day of class and finding out that Matthew McConaughey is your professor. Such is the reality for the students at the University of Texas-Austin’s Moody College of Communication, where McConaughey is a professor. 

Despite having found fame on That’s So Raven, Anneliese Van Der Pol needed some money to make ends meet, so she took jobs at restaurants in New York City to do just that. Van Der Pol said it was difficult when guests recognized her. 

Before making it big in entertainment, Steve Buscemi worked as a firefighter in Manhattan. When tragedy struck on 9/11, Buscemi geared up and worked as a firefighter again in an effort to help survivors. 

Drew Barrymore has also learned what it's like to struggle after becoming famous as a child. After she emancipated herself from her mother, she worked at a coffee shop to support herself before finding more work as an actor. 

There are lots of celebrity EMTs! Angelina Pivarnick continued her work as an EMT after finding fame as a cast member of Jersey Shore. Imagine having someone you watched get drunk on MTV providing you with emergency medical care. It might be unsettling.

Pamela Anderson worked as a dog walker for a while in 2022. She was working in New York City and missed her own dogs. She did the work unpaid, though. 

Kay Panabaker is one of the Panabaker sisters who made it big thanks to Disney. Kay quit acting and became a zookeeper. Her sister, Danielle Panabaker, is still a working actress. 

Willa Ford hit it big with her single "I Wanna Be Bad." The single didn't turn into longterm success for Ford, though, so the singer became an interior designer. 

You probably remember Bridget Mendler from Disney's Lemonade Mouth. She also sang a little bit, but she's since quit the entertainment industry and works as the CEO of her satellite data startup.