It's impossible to say ones struggle is harder than another's. Trauma is trauma. Pain ,trauma & struggle can't be measured. One person may endure twice the trauma that breaks another's will to live. Its stupid to say sertaiin ppl shouldn't be on this list just because they were poor. Poverty destroys some people. Evidently those ppl don't have a clue what it's like to be truly hungry as a child. What's worse is there being food in the house but not being allowed to eat it because parents were money hungry & resented having to us. It makes you feel worthless. Takes a lot of healing for those kinds of feelings to stop affecting you.
@@ItsJennNotJenny Right, like, they could have been so woke and been like "so to respect his privacy we'll not be playing it" and yet they went sensational instead.
So I have had to call 911 multiple times, and I never had someone say in the way that dispatcher did, calm down okay, take it easy. I certainly understand what was meant by it, but it came out so cold and accusingly. The poor kid is watching his brother die and is desperate. I watched my father die, and I have never gotten over the moment. All of these stories had me sobbing.
Zahriyannah Karakashian-Jones I was at the Viper room a few times, and, while not there that night, it was always a place of heavy hip drug dealing and using. The up and coming bands would play and celebs went there because it was really dark inside, I think. you could do anything in there...I feel so horrible about that poor family. LA is the most uncaring, awful place...at least it was when I was there...
The 911 operator telling him to calm down though. I mean, the guy was watching his brother die! Also you do the exact opposite when you tell someone to calm down. He just sounded so unsympathetic.
My thoughts exactly... but then I remembered which channel I am on and all was made clear. WatchMojo: 0 tact, 0 integrity, 0 shame, 0 ability to fact-check, 0 concept of "fair and balanced," ...and those issues are pretty much the only reasons why I still come around here at all: to play a nice, rousing game of _Find the Fck-up! WatchMojo Edition._
An interesting video, however I feel like it was a little distasteful to rank these peoples traumas. Out of respect I think you should have just listed them, not put them in a top 10
Yes, but unless your parents aren't already ritch every additional child means a big financial strain that the family will definetly feel. 3 meals a day for 7 people arent cheap. Then you have to find a house big enough for that many people, clothes, medical expenses.... Especially infants can get expensive. So I sort of get where they are coming from.
They also forgot to say that she was forced to perform at 1am when she was really young to make barely any money to help them and that her father tried sexually assualting her and if I remember correctly that is why her parents died
Michael Jackson had a rough childhood but, ya. Poor angel was beat so bad he became nauseous when in his father's presence for the rest of his life. Imagine a full grown ass, middle aged man vomiting just from being in his own father's presence. He was forced to be happy on camera, even after a beating backstage, was famous WAY TOO EARLY, wasn't allowed to call his dad "Dad", was bullied for his nose, vitiligo, and acne by his own family, not to mention the criticism he received from the public growing up. Someone literally came up to his father one day while they were at the airport, and asked "What happened to him. He used to be so cute." They wanted him to stay little forever. And he never really got the chance to grow up. And not only that, he had a fucked up adulthood too. Got third degree burns on his scalp, he was STILL ridiculed for his appearance after his vitiligo was in full effect and he got a couple nose jobs and chin cleft. Wrongly accused of child molestation TWICE leaving a stigma around him for the rest of his life. His home was turned inside out, the officers abused him. It was so bad he didn't wanna go back to Neverland for almost 6 years. Then was murdered right when he was finally comfortable and happy again. And overall he just felt lonely his entire life. The best time in his life was probably during Thriller when he was finally liberated from his controlling label/band members, and abusive father, and was on top of the world! Still the best selling album of all time. And of course when his kids were born. But other than that, he was NEVER truly happy. Poor angel... Rest In Peace ❤❤❤
I still think that his falling out with Paul McCartney over the Beatles song rights in 1988/9 may have had something to do with the subsequent child molestation accusations. When Michael was riding high in the early 90s, McCartney wasn't doing so hot and still angry about the aforementioned Beatles songs when suddenly these unsubstantiated abuse charges were levied against Jackson. Ten years later, Michael Jackson was once again making a comeback(not sure about Paul's status at the time) only to be hit again. Maybe coincidence, but I've learned one thing in life: trust no one in business or competition, especially your enemies. But, like the JFK assination, we'll never know what REALLY precipitated these harrowing events of Mr. Jackson's life. Rest in Peace, King of Pop!
Not in front of her. Her uncle was executed and that was the only family to die. Her half brother, Ian, was deported to Berlin to a camp and her other half brother, Alex, went into hiding. Both survived. There is nothing that says any family was killed in front of her.
Charlize Theron is absolutely right: many people don't make out so well after a grief and tragedy-ridden youth/life. Some of these commenters saying that "you should never allow your past experiences to define you blah blah blah" don't understand that it's not that simple and not merely a choice people can make. While some will be receptive to your encouragement, to others, it is nothing more than detached, ignorant drivel, like a cheesy, platitudinous motivational poster. Traumatic experiences affect different people very differently. Many people don't fair so well and suffer with debilitating mental illness after such trauma, which is not simply a mood or a mindset. Mental illness can be managed if you seek treatment from a qualified therapist (if you're privileged enough to have health insurance that covers it) and with the help of very supportive family and friends (if you're privileged enough to have those things as well). For others, internal and external factors are stacked against them and this situation poses enormous obstacles to their recovery and reclaiming their life. Certainly never ever allow these celebrities' one in a million success stories to lead you to conclude that anyone with any set of circumstances can achieve that level of independence and self-actualization. There is no guarantee of success ever, and I wish people would just fucking admit that. No, all of us can't just "follow our heart" and achieve anything we want in life. Some of us will never manage to heal and pull ourselves out of the depths of hell. If your automatic response to what I'm saying is disbelief that anyone could ever be so defeated and hopeless, then it means that your lowest point has not been as low. You need to check your fucking privilege and stop lecturing.
I totally agree Perfumaphilia! People shouldn't judge either because you never know what someone has been through and had to deal with all of their life. Thank you for saying what I couldn't put into words, Perf.
Perfumaphilia It's depressing but I agree with you completely. There are very few youtube subscribers who have both balls AND intelligence when they make a comment. Judging from this comment I think you have both & as corny as it sounds, I really admire you for it
I actually totally agree with you. As a victim of childhood abuse myself, I see that crap all the time. I find that those who have never experienced traumatic events are the first ones to say get over it. PTSD is a very real thing, it takes several years of therapy and it never goes away. Things as simple as the smell of vanilla can trigger someone. I’m my own success story, but it wasn’t easy, and I still struggle to this day. But I also knew I didn’t want to be the victim my whole life.
I wondered where he was on this list. I would have thought he would have made it. No, he didn't witness or experience a parent or sibling die first-hand, but Joe put Michael & his brothers through hell. And since Michael started performing at age 5... he literally had no childhood.
Honorable mention was Dave Navarro saying his mother was murdered by her boyfriend? What the hell is wrong with you ranking childhood trauma!?! These are all awful experiences! You are shameful!
The story about Shania Twain reminded me of when I “met her” at the airport in 2008 when I was flying from Nashville to Los Angeles to meet up with my brother so we could spread our mothers ashes. She died unexpectedly at age 51, stop breathing in her sleep. Once she was cremated and all that stuff, my brother and I decided to spread her ashes a couple of weeks later. When I was walking around the terminal before my flight to CA, a lady was leaning in the doorway of a store that sells snacks, drinks and reading materials. She stopped me and asked if I was okay... apparently I looked visibly upset and not as good an actress as I thought lol and she asked if I was coming or going... engaging me in small talk. I told her where I was going and why and she nearly started crying herself and gave me a big strong hug. After she let go was when I finally got a good look at her and realized she looked familiar. I’m sure she saw the look of “do I know her?” on my face because she smiled and said her name was Shania and thanked me for my time. (Naturally she gave her condolences and prayers too.) On my flight, the person next to me was part of a group of people flying back to CA because they were radio DJ’s from LA but in Nashville for a week covering the CMA’s that were held the night prior. Suddenly it clicked and made sense who the nice lady was! I wish I had a better head space because I’m sure there were a lot of famous people not only in the airport but on my flight lol Anyway this long story’s point was that Shania Twain was extremely kind and reached out to me in my time of emotional need. I completely forgot that she, of all people, would empathize with my situation. ❤️
That's beautiful. Also, I'm sincerely sorry for your loss. Just know that your mother is resting in divine peace and smiling down on you from Heaven. She's proud of you. God bless and be with you.
Agreed- oldest of my mom's kids, 3rd of my dads. When it was just me and my sister we lived in a nice suburban home and always had food and room to spare. Now there are 7 of us(when I come back over summer vaca) in one 3 bedroom apartment in the upper low class area when my brother's kids aren't staying too. Necessities are a struggle.
Kadyn C Sadly something I know all too well Kadyn. My brother died suddenly in 2014, he was terminally ill though he had been given a life expectancy of at least another 9-12 months. Was tough enough for me to go through, so my heart really goes out to Jaoquin for having to experience and traumatic at such a young age
I found my late fiancé a few hours after he died from a drug overdose. There's no way you can remain calm when someone you love is suddenly gone, whether you witness their death or find the aftermath of it..
Totally, My daughter had a massive seizure when she was only 2, The operator had to trace my number as I was screaming to much for her to understand. It is a truly terrifying experience.
"Growing up in a family of five kids meant her family was poor" Having five children doesn't mean you're poor. Her parents were poor with five children.
+izzy yes. He was bullied. When he was 9 years old he had a fucking comma because of his bully. Also his mother abused him and she was a drug addict and his father left
Bizzy Bone's childhood was worse. Eminem had a bad childhood but if we're looking at overall celebrity childhoods there are a lot of worse ones :( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizzy_Bone#Early_life
Joaquin's phone call is absolutely heartbreaking... I've been a humongous fan of river for years .. and watching this video made me realize Joaquin was so young and scared , I'm 18 now and I could never imagine watching my brother die.. when I found out about it when I was younger 19 seemed so much older and like he could handle it better... which doesn't make sense in the first place no age deals with tragedy the best.. but those were my stupid naive thoughts
I watched a brother die when I was in my early 40's, that was hard enough so I can't begin to imagine how traumatic it must have been for someone barely an adult. Sad that a lot of actors/musicians get into the whole drug taking scene and some don't win the war. R.I.P River, your memory lives on, and your brother is doing you proud
Just by going through comments, and adding my own; a part 2 list is needed. To include: Eminem, Michael Jackson, Drew Barrymore, Corey Feldman, Cyndi Lauper and others..
Kitten Lyric He really wants to name the pedophiles, but he LEGALLY can't right now. He planned on naming them in his biography back in 2013, but if he did; he would get sued and the culprits would get away with it regardless. California has a 'statute of limitations' law against it. If he outed them, he would be in real legal shit and his whole family could be at risk, he's against some very powerful people here. He can't win. He would lose everything, and nothing would come of it. And no, he didn't just 'pull it out of his ass', quite a few people who knew about the abuse they suffered; came forward to confirm what he's been saying is true. There's even a documentary based around pedophilia in Hollywood called 'An Open Secret'. He's NOT lying, even Haim talked about it briefly before his death. You're just mad because Feldman can't do anything about it, he's mad too; but there isn't much he can do. At least he's saying SOMETHING, saying absolutely nothing would be worse. You're only seeing one side of the story, open your eyes to the other and try some understanding.
Kitten Lyric Jesus Christ. Do some real research. Research California's 'Statute of Limitations' it's right there. I quote (because I know you won't do the research yourself): "In order to be criminally prosecuted, the prosecutor must ensure that a complaint is filed against you for the criminal activity before this statutory period elapses. If the statutory period lapses, you cannot be convicted for that activity." The statute for sexual crimes of this nature is usually around 10 years or so. The crimes that Feldman describes was from over 20 years ago. He would get sued. If you think he could just publicly call a powerful figure a pedophile/child rapist without physical proof; for a crime that happened over 20 years ago, and NOT get in legal shit for defamation; then you are incredibly naive! You clearly have no idea. So stop with this misinformed bullshit hatred, and get all the facts FIRST.
Kitten Lyric What I hear; is you ignoring logic in favor of misguided hatred. This is something that someone forced onto Feldman at an early age, it's not his fault, he's a victim. Victim blaming is pathetic and unhelpful. And let's not forget that Haim chose not to expose his molesters either. So by your logic, Haim was a shitty person too. But your unfair bias would never allow you to come to that conclusion. Hypocrite. I gave you the reason why Feldman legally CAN'T expose their names, but you choose not to listen to it. Which is very ignorant of you. And I really don't get why you're still calling him a liar, when he clearly is telling the truth. A truth in which you acknowledge is fact, they WERE molested...starting to think you don't know what 'liar' means. Look at the bigger picture here, there's nothing he can do. Stop judging something you clearly don't understand. The problem is the legal system, not Feldman. "You have no weight on me." I have logic and facts on my side, you just have hateful assumptions and bias...my arguments by default have more weight than yours.
Kitten Lyric Haim was a shitty person too then, by your logic. Someone you say you're a fan of. Or do you just hypocritically choose to ignore that logic too? In fact, according to you, Haim must have been a bigger sack of shit than Feldman! At least Feldman is spreading general awareness about the issue, Haim did nothing of the sort, just kept quiet about it. Keeping completely quiet protects child molesters even better than what Feldman is doing, does it not? This is why YOU'RE the one that's full of shit. You're a bias hypocrite. What exactly do you expect Feldman to do in his case? Tell me SPECIFICALLY what his course of action should be at this point, and I'll tell you why you're really naive and wrong. Even though you'll conveniently ignore it. Turn off your bias bullshit for a moment and use your damn brain!
I think Kelsey Grammar had the saddest tragedies in anyone's life. I can't imagine the pain he feels every day at his losses. My thoughts are with him. It seems that our brightest and funniest comedians seem to harbour the saddest pasts.
I just can't believe he forgave the murderer. That man robbed Kelsey of a sister and he forgave him?! How can you forgive someone who killed your sibling?
His girlfriend at the time gave birth while 8 months pregnant to a stillborn child and the strain of it caused them to break up a few weeks later. A year after that she was killed when her car slammed into a couple parked ones and she was killed instantly. Her death hit him quite hard. On a sidenote, River Phoenix was one of his closest friends and they acted together in "My Own Private Idaho". He was also left reeling by Phoenix's fatal overdose.
I was thinking where was Johnny Cash on this list? Losing his brother the way he did then spending his childhood being blamed for it by his father? Pretty rough stuff.
No Jackie Chan??? You've got to be kidding! Every parent in his school were made to sign a contract that protects the staff from ever being blamed for the death of their child due to the torturous training. Which would be classified as child abuse in America.
You can see the difference between these celebrities and other shitty celebrities who never went through something terrible in their lives and still and have no excuse whatsoever to act like idiots or plain assholes, pain changes literally changes people, some for the best others for the worst.
i'm a little surprised that Mackenzie Phillips wasn't on this list. SHe had a rough childhood, tough teen years and a troubled adulthood but she's in a pretty good place now.
Regarding the Joaquin 911 call: I know it's part of their training and experience, but are there any 911 operators who don't come off as uncaring douches?
Eminem and Michael Jackson. Especially MJ. His dad pushed him way over the line. And though that made him the most successful entertainer of all time, I believe his messed up childhood affected his adult life
So, according to the amazing channel that is watchmojo, media kept making Phoenix feel like shit about the phone call. Remind me again, why would you play it?
RagnarTheRed her parents didn't have the income to support a family of 7. truthfully, you maybe shouldn't have so many kids in that situation, but to each their own.
Rich people have fewer children. If someone is from a large family, they are probably poor. www.statista.com/statistics/241530/birth-rate-by-family-income-in-the-us/
Commander Ibex yes and the press shouldn't be hounding at them years later or making profit or attention from then repeating their privacy that they don't want to bring up over and over again
Joaquin's 911 call was devastating. It must have been awful for Joaquin to see his brother die right infront of him then be constantly reminded of it through the media replaying it all the time.
I think this is a good top 10 because you never know this could inspire someone to do something better in there lives. Someone could be watching this and see that one of their idols be on this list and not know that they had a tough childhood and they could be going through something tough right now. This will makes them think "Wow if so and so could get through the bad times then so can I"
Angelina Milkie Oh so very true Angelina. It goes to show that you can make the best of your life even if you didn't have the best of starts for whatever reason. Find this video saddening but also inspirational, and if inspires just One person to be a success and make a better life for themself then I am glad it will have been posted
absolutely breaks my heart, that was only a small portion of it as well, the call was about 3 minutes long. he was practically begging someone to come help :(
@@owfr0909 I absolutely HATE when videos show the 911 call. I hate it. The sound of Joaquin's voice while, im pretty sure, holding his dying/dead brother is heartbreaking. Only two things have ever made me cry. The ending of La Bamba and this phone call.
@@jessicasparks7154 same, it was broadcasted and in so many documentaries about rivers death. heartbreaking and so incredibly disrespectful. regret ever listening to such a tragic moment in someone’s life.
Even though he's not that popular and he's known for being in a group that had a couple of hits, Bizzy Bone should be here. He's a member of Bone Thugs N Harmony and was kidnapped by his step dad being told they were going away because Bizzy's mom and grandparents died. He was then sexually abused, tortured and beaten over a period of years before he was finally found because his kidnapper was found by police and he was then re-united with his family who he spent most his childhood believing were dead. Sounds like something from a movie but he then ended up being a famous rapper who barely even makes an reference towards it in his songs. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizzy_Bone#Early_life
Very sad, and many of these stories I didn't know. But what about Jewel? I mean this is mostly 90s stars, anyway. After's Jewel's mother left them her father became emotionally and physically abusive. Jewel moved out at 15, got a music scholarship. At 18 she was homeless after she got propositioned by her boss and he refused to give her her pay-cheque when she wouldn't sleep with him. She ended up living in her car (and was agoraphobic at the time, afraid to leave her car which was her only home. She almost died in the parking lot of a hospital because she had bad kidneys and they wouldn't see her because she had no insurance, she couldn't hold a job because she kept getting sick. Then the car she lived in got stolen. She was still homeless, playing in coffee houses to make money when she was discovered. She had her mother manage her money, and a few years later ended up bankrupt after all her platinum records because her mother stole and spent all of her money. And yet, her story is overall an amazing success story of overcoming against all odds.
Telling someone to calm down really means you think he is overreacting and his emotions are not valid. 911 operators do this all the time and it just increases the frustration of the caller making commutation near impossible.
Eminem, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Johnny Cash, Missy Elliot, Michael Jackson, etc. you missed A LOT WatchMojo...these and others could have been put on the honorable mentions list if nothing else.
Nicki Minaj's father tried to stab her mother during a house fire, Rihanna's Dad was a local known crack dealer in their village in Barbados and and abused her mom, & Christina Aguilera's Dad used to physical abuse her mom and she witnessed it as young as 5 years old...her 'Stripped' album has a few songs on their about how she was finally getting over it at that point...
I have nothing but respect and admiration for all these people, indeed anyone who has a tragic upbringing and turns it into a positive. I've read Shania Twain's autobiography and it's one of the saddest yet most inspiring books I've ever read.
Charlize's past was horrible and tragic and it must have been incredibly hard for her, but at the same time, I feel like it's put a strength and a ferocity in her that's palpable. As and actor and as a person you can really feel this intensity in her I don't think she would have had as much of without first going through that fire at an early age. You can feel all of that anger and heartache in her most powerful roles, like Aileen and Furiosa. And apparently she didn't even see a therapist until she was 34!
Key word, “won’t believe”. Eminem was very vocal on how fucked up his childhood was in his songs. Almost everybody is aware. Same with Michael Jackson. MJ had a awful childhood as well but was very open about it. He wasn’t in the list as well because almost everybody knows.
One celeb with a tragic backstory that should really be mentioned is Audrey Hepburn who was abandoned by her father as a little girl and lived with her mother in Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II. She helped the Dutch resistance by delivering messages, performing to raise money for the resistance, and ferrying food and message to downed airman. One can only imagine what horrors she withstood during such a turbulent era, living under constant threat of being caught by Nazis while suffering malnutrition and poor health and watching friends and loved ones being tortured, murdered, or deported to concentration camps.
Michael Jackson should have been on this, being abused by his father ,that ruined his childhood 😭 and later in life when he wanted to create one he got judged for it 💔💔💔
@Andrew Parsons Wow ! You've got a *LEGIT EVIDENCE* than FBI who raid and searched for Evidence against MJ 😂 and the ONLY thing FBI found are adult +18 books Hahahaha
His childhood wasn't too bad. And as his big brother Jermaine said, "It was something all black families could relate to. If you did something bad, you got a whipping!"
yeah like ever black child was famous from the age of 5, having the whole world watch him.? MJ's childhood was tragic because of the early fame he got and what it ultimately did to his later life! His child abuse was just an addition to that!
@Leigh Burton Why do you keep repeating this comment when people ask about Michael Jackson??? The abuse he endured affected him for the rest of his life.
Johnathan Davis and James Hetfield had horrible childhoods so did other metal singers that's why metal is depressing because they are letting out their feelings
Many people have traumatic childhoods, through events that keep happening, they never get the success as adults. At least these Hollywood stars succeeded in spite of the trauma. Most people do not.
I'm thinking about a couple of outrageously famous rockstars who had an extremely horrific childhood… but I won't name them. I might be wrong... but I think people shouldn't be identified with their tragedies like this. It's their personal space, and it deserves respect.
TalliBear 24 Her childhood was severely messed up.... I strongly suggest you go read her autobiography "Little Girl Lost" that she wrote as just a pre-teen....it will give you a new perspective on your upbringing, I can guarantee you that.
Yeah but what happened to Barrymore isn't really tragic and she got into that herself. She was a severe drug addict and I beleive emancipated her self from her parents at a young age. But plenty of kids have gone through similar situations. That's not really tragic, I wouldn't say that would cause lifelong mental trauma like abuse or death would.
U know what made me really sad. Joaquin Phoenix. Not that the other's tragic stories weren't sad but because we hear him crying at the moment his brother died.
His dad walked out him at birth his mom was an abusive alcoholic he suffered brain damage at age 9 he had to be his younger brother's guardian at a young age
wow I was not ready to hear that 911 call... i felt like there was a ghost in my room, I was so shocked, damn, River was so young and to watch your brother die from a drug overdose and you can here how helpless Joaquin was. The call got me so scarred, also i feel like eminem should have had a place on this list.
The Phantazm I'd agree about the phionix one, but the others seem kinda open about their situations (though I'm only up to Charlie theron, I'll be back once it's done)
That 911 call made by Joaquin will haunt me from this day on and I can't even begin to imagine how it felt to face that and then have to hear the devastating call over and over again.
