37 Celebrity Side Hustles That Have Nothing to Do With What We Know Them For

Venus Williams: Interior Designer
37 Celebrity Side Hustles That Have Nothing to Do With What We Know Them For

It seems as though money and power afford you the time and opportunity to delve into an entirely new discipline or highly profitable career. That’s not to say that these endeavors are shoo-ins for success. If Nick Offerman was a terrible woodworker, that fact would be on an entirely different list.

So good on these adventurous celebrities who delved into strange new territory and fit right in.

Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu is a doula CRACKED.COM The Grammy-winning R&B star quit the biz to become a highly-trained birthing coach after hanging out with a pregnant pal of hers: I just continued to be present at different people's births, and I started studying on my own.

Ross Valory

Ross Valory invented a funky monster shirt for kids JOURNEY CRACKED.COM While on a break from tour in the 80's, he saw his friends' kids goofing around making huge monster jaws out of their arms. Decades later, inspiration struck, and he cofounded a company that makes instant cosplay for kids.

Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong CRACKED.COM Despite most people meeting him jumping buck-ass naked out of a car trunk in The Hangover, Ken Jeong is a actively licensed medical doctor. Looking forward to his Lancet piece on the effects of masks on singers.

Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Kudrow CRACKED.COM Kudrow may be known for playing the stupidest character in a show that also featured Joey Tribbiani, but off screen, she studied biology at Vassar and helped with research on the likelihood of cluster headaches in left-handed people.

Vanilla Ice

Vanilla Ice flips houses the CRACKED.COM Ice started studying real estate in the 90's, and became surprisingly adept at investing in and remodeling homes. Не now owns Vanilla Ice Real Estate, and has a show on the DIY Network.

Dexter Holland

Dexter Holland CRACKED.COM Lead singer of The Offspring? I think you mean DOCTOR lead singer of The Offspring. Dr. Dexter Holland received a PhD from the Keck School of Medicine, where he published a paper identifying microRNA-like sequences in HIV.

Terry Chimes

Terry Chimes gets his kicks cracking backs THE CLASH CRACKED.COM The sometimes Clash drummer became a chiropractor in 1993, and runs 5 clinics around London: People say 'how can you prefer treating patients to being on stage in front of 100,000 people?' But if you can get someone healthy, there's a satisfaction in that which is much more profound.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman CRACKED.COM Natalie Portman's research work has been published twice in scientific journals. Don't call yourself a Portman fan if you haven't read Frontal Lobe Activation during Object Permanence: Data from Near-Infrared Spectroscopy!

Greg Graffin

Greg Graffin is a science teacher BAD RELIGION CRACKED.COM The authority-phobic punk rocker has a PhD in zoology, and has lectured at UCLA and Cornell. His dissertation was impressively on-brand: Evolution and Religion: Questioning the Beliefs of the World's Eminent Evolutionists.

Brian May

Brian May is an astrophysicist QUEEN CRACKED COM May had to choose between astrophysics and ROCK early in his career: When I was about to finish my thesis, it was just the beginnings of Queen, and I had to make a choice. And my choice was made on the assumption that I wasn't very good at physics and I might be quite good at music. Не completed his thesis 30 years later, and has since consulted with NASA.

The Supremes

Cindy Birdsong became a nurse THE SUPREMES CRACKED.COM The Motown singer left the public eye in 1976 to work at UCLA Medical Center: People don't know where I am and what I'm doing. I haven't lived a fairytale lifestyle for many years. I've been up and down -- a roller coaster it's been.

Blur

Dave Rowntree is a lawyer BLUR CRACKED.COM Не started up an animation company and even became a pilot, before embarking on his most exciting journey: being a paralegal: I've done some amazing things with Blur, but that, for me, was more interesting. Не was inspired to complete law school and become a criminal lawyer.

Ian Anderson

lan Anderson was a fish farmer JETHRO TULL CRACKED.COM At one point in the 90's, he employed 400 people at the salmon farm he ran out of his home. Salmon breeding and rock flute have more in common than you might think: It's not a million miles away from rock and roll. There's a little bit of theatricality about it, too.

Dan Spitz

Dan Spitz is a watchmaker ANTHRAX CRACKED.COM The heavy metal guitarist said touring with Anthrax became mundane, and more like a job. So he quit the band to pursue his lifelong love of tinkering with timepieces.

Bill Wyman

Bill Wyman is a metal detector guy THE ROLLING STONES CRACKED.COM The bassist tapped out of the rockstar life in the 90's, and has since become a serious detecting enthusiast. Не even created his own top-of-the-line instrument, the Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector.

Bruce Dickinson

Bruce Dickinson is my copilot IRON MAIDEN CRACKED.COM Dickinson has flown the band's jet while on tour on multiple occasions. Не even became a pilot (and marketing director!?) of an airline that, bewilderingly, no longer exists.

David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth dabbled in emergency medicine CRACKED.COM During his 20-year hiatus from Van Halen, he mostly pursued a solo career. But he carved out 2 full years to serve as an EMT in New York City. Не reportedly went on over 200 emergency ambulance calls.

Kevin Jonas

Kevin Jonas builds custom homes DIGIT RONT 2011 T RONT 2011 ITAS IGITAS CRACKED.COM The oldest Jonas set popstardom aside to profit from suburban sprawl. Не started up Jonas Werner Fine Custom Homes, where he designs and builds massive, fancy houses: I like to get my hands dirty. I've been blessed in my life where I get to say 'You know what? I want to do this.

George Clooney

Celebrity Side Hustles George Clooney Tequila witnhos 45 Agave 100ml Clooney and a friend started Casamigos Tequila as a hobby, and sold it to British spirits company Diageo for a billion bucks. It was pretty PRODUCTOS CASAMIGOS DE a card much a huge success right away. CLASS Blanco - HIDE Squila 100% Jalisco, Mexico NUMBER 23024 CRACKED CASAMIGOS

Jessica Alba

Celebrity Side Hustles Jessica Alba Eco-friendly - - & HONEST M consumer goods Her Honest Company started with challenges, but kept going and went public at a $1.4 billion value. She says they learned from the challenges and moved forward, spending 2% of revenue on R&D and quality testing. Either way, she made out like a bandit. CRACKED

Ashton Kutcher

Celebrity Side Hustles THIRD ANNUAL CR Ashton Kutcher Venture capitalist 20 years ago, one dude asked Kutcher for help with his pup, and now they run Sound Ventures, a venture capital firm that's invested in 200+ tech startups and had 35 exits, like Spotify, Airbnb, and Uber. Spotify CRACKED

LeBron James

Celebrity Side Hustles - WHAT'S MY bibigo NAME LeBron Tames MUHAMMAD ALI FOOM LEBRON JAMES MAYCRICK CANTER - - - ARTOINE rusus Producer In 2008, James started SpringHill Entertainment. It produced More Than a Game and now makes movies like Space Jam 2 and What's My Name: Muhammad Ali. SINO CRACKED

Gwyneth Paltrow

Celebrity Side Hustles Gwyneth Paltrow Wellness guru Goop, Paltrow's company, is worth $250 million and offers everything from THIS SMELLS LIKE clothes to health tips to sex advice. Its MY VAGINA goal is to make life better, says Paltrow. CRACKED

Yeardley Smith

Celebrity Side Hustles Yeardley Smith Podcaster Famous for voicing Lisa Simpson, Smith and her husband Detective Dan host the popular true crime podcast Small Town Dicks. It's had 11 series, including trips to Australia and the UK to look into small-town crimes, with Smith adding humor. CRACKED

Jeremy Renner

Celebrity Side Hustles Jeremy Renner House flipper Renner's been flipping houses with Kristoffer Winters for a while, and says he's made more money than from acting. Не even worked on a house during the awards season, when he was nominated for Best Actor for The Hurt Locker. CRACKED

Shailene Woodley

CRACKED SHAILENE WOODLEY MAKES HER OWN TOOTHPASTE, FACE OILS, MEDICINES, AND CHEESE. In 2014, The Divergent star shared her knowledge of herbs with Jimmy Fallon, and gave him some natural remedies for boosting his immune system. She even forages for food, stating It's an entire lifestyle. It's appealing to my soul.

Dick Costolo

CRACKED TWITTER'S FORMER CEO MAKES HONEY. Dick Costolo is fascinated by bees, so after running Twitter, he now tweets about his beekeeping and honey making hobby.

Paul Rudd and Jeffrey Dean Morgan

CRACKED PAUL RUDD & JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN OWN A CANDY SHOP. Samuel's Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck NY almost shut down in 2014 when its owner Ira Gutner passed away. The actors and their wives (who have homes in Rhinebeck) bought it to keep it alive for the community.

Snoop Dogg

CRACKED SNOOP DOGG IS BIDDING ON AN NHL HOCKEY TEAM. As a massive fan of hockey, Snoop attends a ton of L.A. Kings games. He's now throwing in with businessman Neko Sparks to co-own the Ottawa Senators, in the hopes of helping grow the sport in the black community.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

CRACKED KRISTEN BELL AND DAX SHEPARD MAKE DIAPERS AND BABY WIPES. They formed the baby products brand Hello Bello in 2019, and it was launched in over 4,700 Walmarts. The company brought in over $200 million in profits in 2021 alone. riu

Venus Williams

CRACKED VENUS WILLIAMS HAS AN INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS. She established V Starr in 2002, and the South Florida-based interior design firm designs hotels, spas, multifamily spaces, and high-end residential houses.

Madonna

CRACKED MADONNA WRITES CHILDREN'S BOOKS. Her 2003 picture book The English Roses topped the New York Times Children's Bestseller List, so she released 12 chapter books in her English Roses series from 2007 to 2010. All proceeds go to the Spirituality for Kids Foundation.

Susan Sarandon

CRACKED SUSAN SARANDON STARTED A PING-PONG FRANCHISE. In 2009, she co-founded the ping-pong social club SPiN in New York, and since then, they've launched franchises in San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, and L.A.

Ryan Reynolds

CRACKED RYAN REYNOLDS MAKES GIN AND OWNS A SOCCER TEAM. Не is part owner and the creative director of Aviation American Gin, and he purchased the Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC with Rob McElhenney. They also co-produced the team's docu-series Welcome to Wrexham.

Nick Offerman

CRACKED NICK OFFERMAN ISN'T JUST A WOODWORKER ON PARKS AND REC. His wood shop in East L.A. makes hand-crafted tables, chairs, beds, boats, and more. Не said, In my day job, performing for folks is a gas, and I am very tickled to make a nice living as a professional jackass, but it is the production of sawdust and shavings that brings me the most profound satisfaction. DIRESTA

Daniel Day-Lewis

CRACKED DANIEL DAY LEWIS WAS A SHOEMAKER. A cobbler, if you will. Between movies, he relocated to Florence, Italy in 1996 to train under Stefano Bremer. Bremer's shoes sold for $500 back then, and if you bought a pair from 1996 to 2001, they may have been made by Daniel Day Lewis!

Karlie Kloss

CRACKED KARLIE KLOSS RUNS A CODING CAMP. Kode With Klossy is model Karlie Kloss' tuition-free coding camp for young women, gender non-conforming, and transgender teens. It aims to boost interest in STEM fields and the tech world in general.

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