10 Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Strippers

Jennifer Aniston. Matthew McConaughey. Demi Moore. What do they all have in common? They’ve played strippers in some of our favorite films. Hollywood has recently seen a resurgence of interest in what we could call “the second oldest profession.” Just in the last few years, we’ve seen Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey in the 2012 smash-hit Magic Mike, Jennifer Aniston baring most in the unexpectedly popular 2013 comedy We’re the Millers, and Joe Manganiello’s 2014 documentary about Dallas Texas’ most popular strip club by the same name – La Bare. But I’m going to let you in on a secret – many celebrities were once strippers themselves! Here’s a list of 10 of your favorite stars who fell back on stripping before their ascent to the top:

1. Javier Bardem

Bardem describing his experience on the pole: “It was a disaster. And you know who was there watching? My mum and my sister! It was kind of a thing - you go there and dance, they pay you some money. It wasn't like a Full Monty thing. I think I have a good relation with my family, thank God!”

2. Renee Zellweger

Throughout college, Zellweger worked at Sugar’s Uptown Cabaret in Austin, TX. According to Zellweger: “not as a stripper but as a waitress.” Suuure Renee, suuure.

3. Brad Pitt

In college, Pitt’s fraternity maintained a troupe of 7 male dancers -- called The Dancing Bares, no less - who would dance for their sister sorority’s birthday celebrations. Pitt’s friend recollects: “When a girl from one of our sister sororities turned 21, the Bares - there were seven of them - would put her in a chair and come out butt-naked with pillowcases on their heads and do a choreographed dance for her. The girls would be laughing so hard. It was great!”

4. Catherine Zeta-Jones

Another surprising example is Catharine Zeta-Jones. Before she hit it big, she stripped in order to save up for a nose job. Was it worth it? Who’s to say? But that nose sure does look great.

5. Chris Pratt

With his roles as Guardians of the Galaxy leading-man, and lovable slacker Andy from Parks and Rec, Chris Pratt has catapulted himself to fame. However, early in his career, he did all sorts of odd jobs just to get by – including stripping. Describing what led him to the profession: “I was always a very much naked person. I loved to always get naked. I was very free, so I thought, I may as well get paid.” He goes on to describe his most memorable performance – dancing for his friend’s Grandma’s 80th birthday party (for which he received $40).

6. Rachel Sterling of The Pussycat Dolls

The Pussycat Doll’s resident hottie, Rachel Sterling, utilized her dancing prowess long before she was performing for thousands at sold out venues. Before she hit it big, she showcased her curves for her “solo project.”

7. Tila Tequila

Tila Tequila is everyone’s favorite tiny asian bisexual. No one is sure exactly why she is famous (besides her sex tape – maybe that’s all it takes), but in an interview with King Mag, she describes her brief stint as a stripper: “When I was 18 and still in high school, I was a stripper for a while, because I was trying to save up money to move to Hollywood to become this bisexual Hollywood starlet that I am today.” Well, congratulations Tila. You did it!

8. Channing Tatum

At this point, everyone is familiar with Tatum’s starring role in the 2012 hit Magic Mike. But what you probably don’t know is that before his rise to fame, Channing Tatum was a real-life, honest-to-god, male stripper. He discusses his perspective on male stripping in an interview with Glamour: “That’s kind of the whole point of male stripping. You go out and make a fool of yourself. That’s what girls and women want. It’s not really sexy. It’s kind of cheesy. Women are so sultry and sexy, and that’s why guys go to strippers. But I think girls go to be embarrassed with their friends.”

9. Diablo Cody

Before Diablo Cody was blowing us away with award winning screenplays for films like Juno and The Way, Way Back, she was a copy typist. And since that was dull, she became a stripper. She even released a book about her experience titled Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, which ended up being a stepping stone to her career writing for film.

10. Eve

Hugely successful music artist Eve was discovered at a strip club in Philly by rapper Ma$e (who was then signed to P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records). In MTV’s 2010 Behind The Music profile of Eve, she describes herself as a South Philly Hoodrat, before she got focused and made moves on her music career. Before too long, she was signed by Dr. Dre and joined Aftermath Records. Talk about moving up.

Next time you hire a stripper...

be sure to make friends. Performing at your bachelor party could be one step on the way to the top of the A list. This post is brought to you by Tasteful Temptations.