18 Stars Who Worked for Other Celebrities Before They Became Famous

For some of us, it’s hard to picture celebrities not being famous. Try to imagine A-list celebrities working as babysitters, closet organizers, or interning with big talk shows — it seems wrong. But like most of us, some of the top Hollywood stars had ordinary jobs before hitting it big. And some celebrities even worked for other celebrities before they found fame.

Bright Side has found 18 celebrities who were once on another celebrity’s payroll, and we have to admit, some of them are quite surprising.

1. Kim Kardashian was Paris Hilton’s closet organizer.

One of the most popular cases of one celebrity working for another is Kim Kardashian working for Paris Hilton. Before she became famous for her reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim worked as a closet organizer for her friend, Paris. Besides helping Hilton declutter her closet, Kim also worked with Serena Williams, Rob Lowe, Brandy, Kenny G, and Cindy Crawford, among other stars.

2. Mindy Kaling was an intern at Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Mindy Kaling, a very successful actor, writer, and TV series creator, got her start working for Conan O’Brien. When Kaling was a student at Dartmouth University, she interned at Late Night with Conan O’Brien and later went on to write a movie about talk shows called Late Night.

3. Bethenny Frankel was a babysitter for Paris Hilton.

Before becoming famous on The Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Frankel was a babysitter for none other than Paris Hilton and helped look after Hilton and her sister when they were kids.

4. Harrison Ford worked as a carpenter for Francis Ford Coppola.

Before becoming an actor, and getting his big break as Han Solo in Star Wars, Harrison Ford used to be a carpenter and worked on multiple projects for producer Fred Roos and director Francis Ford Coppola.

5. Jennifer Garner was a babysitter for Stephen Colbert.

Jennifer Garner once worked for Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert. After meeting on an episode of Spin City in 1996, Garner took on the job of babysitting Colbert’s daughter, Madeline.

6. Allison Williams was Tina Fey’s assistant.

Allison Williams is now known for starring on the HBO show Girls, but before she hit it big as an actor, she worked for Tina Fey, as her second assistant.

7. Angela Kinsey interned for Conan O’Brien.

Angela Kinsey is another star from The Office on our list. While the actor was an intern at Late Night with Conan O’Brien in 1994, she actually worked specifically for bandleader Max Weinberg.

8. Meghan Markle did calligraphy for Robin Thicke’s wedding invitations.

Before she became a member of the British royal family, and before she had a regular part on Suits, Meghan Markle did calligraphy for some famous clients, including Robin Thicke. Besides handwriting Thicke’s wedding invitations, Markel also worked on Dolce & Gabbana’s celebrity correspondence.

9. D’Arcy Carden babysat Bill Hader’s children.

D’Arcy Carden was the nanny for a famous funny actor. Before having her breakout as Janet on The Good Place, Carden took care of Bill Hader’s daughters.

10. Kevin Federline danced for Justin Timberlake.

Before becoming famous for his marriage to Britney Spears, Federline was a professional dancer for many famous celebrities, like Justin Timberlake in the video for his song Like I Love You.

11. Heather Morris was Beyoncé’s backup dancer.

Before Heather Morris played Brittany on Glee, she worked for Beyoncé. Morris was a backup dancer for the singer during The Beyoncé Experience tour in 2007 and for several TV show and award show performances of her hit song Single Ladies.

12. Khloé Kardashian was Nicole Richie’s assistant.

Turns out, Kim wasn’t the only one working for another celebrity. Khloé Kardashian was briefly Nicole Richie’s assistant.

13. Kanye West was an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, co-founded by Jay-Z.

Before Kanye West was a world-famous rapper, he was known as a producer. West was hired as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, which was co-founded by Jay-Z.

14. Eric Stonestreet worked security for country singer Garth Brooks.

Eric Stonestreet became famous for playing Cam in Modern Family, but his entertainment career didn’t start there. In an Instagram post, the actor revealed that he actually worked security for singer Garth Brooks.

15. Katie Lowes worked for Connie Britton as a babysitter.

Before landing her role in Scandal! Katie Lowes used to be Connie Britton’s son’s babysitter. According to Britton, Lowes was so good that she actually wanted her to be her assistant as well.

16. Zac Posen babysat Lena Dunham.

The Girls writer and star, Lena Dunham, has hit many red carpets wearing designer Zac Posen because he happened to be her babysitter growing up!

17. Steve Carell worked for Jon Stewart.

Before becoming famous, Steve Carell used to work for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. It was because of Carell’s great acting skills that Stewart wanted to fire him early in his career as a correspondent.

18. Ashley Olsen interned for Zac Posen.

Before becoming a fashion designer, Ashley Olsen actually interned for Zac Posen. In an interview, Posen remembered her showing up in person and knocking on the door to get her internship, showing her drive and determination.

Which one surprised you the most? Do you know of other celebrities that’ve worked for famous people? Let us know in the comments.