Sure thing! Not many of us looked as good as we wanted to in our high school yearbook photos. Braces and pimples were everywhere. Guess what? Even the rich and famous had awkward phases! Celebrities were regular people before they became super famous. Some of them looked so different as teens that it’s hard to recognize them. Can you guess who they all are?
Gwen Stefani
Guess who this young person is? It’s none other than Gwen Stefani. Before her time with No Doubt and way before her role on The Voice, she was just a regular student like the rest of us. Back at Loara High School in Anaheim, Gwen had her first experience on the stage.
Russell Brand
This guy is one of the craziest comedians out there today. His comedy style started with a rock and roll vibe, and later he embraced a wealthy hippie look. But before he became famous, he had a completely different appearance. Russell Brand says, “I was a chubby lad” back in the day.
Emily Ratajkowski
This confident junior girl might have had a shot at modeling, and it turns out she did! This is a young Emily Ratajkowski. Even back then, she seemed destined to become a phenomenon, whether she realized it at the time or not!
George Clooney
This cute dork probably faced some teasing in high school – it’s almost a given when you look a bit different. Fortunately, this picture is from way back, and he’s onto much bigger things now. Would you believe it’s a throwback to George Clooney’s younger years? Now, the world knows the truth!
Fergie
Before she had you shaking ya boom boom, she was just shaking her pom-poms. Born Stacy Ann Ferguson, this high school student would go on to become one of the biggest pop stars around. It’s none other than Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas!
Drake
Sure, he might look awkward in the yearbook, but against all odds, he would become a rapper with a net worth of $180 million. Did he know it back then? Some say Drake always knew he would be a star. Started from the bottom, now we’re here!
Kate Moss
Going back in time: Here’s a young Kate Moss at Riddlesdown High School in Purley, UK. Before she became the chic ’90s supermodel, she was a photogenic girl in a school uniform. Can you recognize her?
Chrissy Teigen
Before John Legend and before Sports Illustrated, there was a different chapter in Chrissy Teigen’s story. Once upon a time, she was a cheerleader in Washington state. At Snohomish High School, she showcased her talents with pompoms. The big question: Was she any good?
Oprah Winfrey
The queen of daytime TV had a talkative streak from way back. Young Oprah Winfrey had a passion for public speaking in high school and was part of the drama and debate club. She also served as an advocate on the student council and competed on the speech team. Sounds just about right for the future talk show icon!
Matthew McConaughey
Alright, alright, alright! Young Matthew McConaughey is unmistakable in his yearbook photo. Back in the 1980s, he attended Longview High School in Texas. Maybe that’s where he picked up that enchanting drawl of his.
Jamie Foxx
A legend in the making, Jamie Foxx seemed to be born with talents in song, dance, rap, and comedy. However, as a 1986 graduate of Terrell High School, the whole story was yet to unfold. Back then, people might have known him more as an athlete than anything else.
Victoria Beckham
There’s a reason she went by the nickname ‘Posh’ in The Spice Girls. Young Victoria Beckham was wealthy from the start, attending private school. Just how wealthy? Well, she apparently begged her parents not to drive her to school in their Rolls Royce.
Stephen Colbert
Funnyman Stephen Colbert had a dorky phase, as the evidence shows. When he attended the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, he posed for this yearbook photo. Just look at that silly smile!
Kanye West
Rapper Kanye West is a Chicago native, as many know. He graduated from Polaris High School, excelling academically. His mother, Donda, was a college professor, and naturally, she always encouraged him to study.
Meghan Markle
Before Suits, and long before she encouraged Prince Harry to leave the royal family, Meghan Markle was a Catholic schoolgirl in Los Angeles at Immaculate Heart High School.
Andy Samberg
SNL regular Andy Samberg attended Berkeley High School in California, where he first experimented with creative writing. He later honed his craft at NYU, and we know the rest by now. How did he know his destiny so early on? It seems like his early passion for creative writing set him on the path to success.
Paris Hilton
An heiress native to Los Angeles, Paris Hilton was always surrounded by glitz and glamour. However, she moved around from school to school, including boarding school. A recent documentary has revealed that Paris was having a very tough time with it all, shedding light on a more challenging side of her life.
Peter Dinklage
The internet went wild for this vintage photo of actor Peter Dinklage. Back in the 1980s, Peter sported a mullet during his time at Delbarton, a Catholic boys’ academy in Morristown, New Jersey. Behold, the mullet!
Julia Roberts
This young and lovely woman is none other than Georgia native Julia Roberts. During her time at Campbell High School in Smyrna, she was an active clarinet player. Surprisingly, she dreamed of being a veterinarian. However, as we all know from the future, that wasn’t meant to be.
Snoop Dog
Snoop Dogg recalls the early days, saying, “When I rapped in the hallways at school, I would draw such a big crowd that the principal would think there was a fight going on. It made me begin to realize that I had a gift. I could tell that my raps interested people, and that made me interested in myself.”
Sean Penn
Sean Penn had good influences from the beginning. It’s said that he went to high school with Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen, and Rob Lowe at Santa Monica High School. They weren’t just classmates; they were friends.
Kim Kardashian
While Kim Kardashian attended a Catholic girls school, Marymount in Los Angeles, she eventually obtained a GED. Perhaps reflecting on her educational path, Kim is now on a different trajectory and is training to become a lawyer, as fans may have heard.
Topher Grace
Famous for “That ’70s Show,” Topher Grace found success early on. Before his rapid rise to fame, he was a boarding school boy at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, sporting quite the baby face.
Jennifer Lawrence
Fans adore her for her wit and charm. Jennifer Lawrence, an Oscar-winning actress known for her intelligence, has a surprising secret: she is an early dropout. Despite her academic departure, she has certainly excelled in the world of acting.
Jake Gyllenhaal
He’s famously gorgeous, and becoming a Hollywood heartthrob might have seemed inevitable. Spending his teen years at Harvard-Westlake High School in LA, he later ventured to study at Columbia University. However, he quickly returned, indicating that his heart might have been more in Hollywood than in the classroom.
Aidy Bryant
Aidy Bryant, known for her hilarious performances on SNL, shares a connection with The View co-host Meghan McCain. Aidy recently revealed, “We’re both Arizona women, that is true. Weirdly, we also went to the same high school.” It seems like their comedic roots may have originated in the southwest.
Adam Levine
Adam Levine, a Los Angeles native, had a front-row seat to the entertainment industry from an early age. At Brentwood School, he crossed paths with future Maroon 5 members. His fellow schoolmates Jesse Carmichael and Mickey Madden were destined to make music as well!
Justin Bieber
Singing sensation Justin Bieber managed to graduate from St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Ontario while building his career. The details of his academic performance during those years are not widely known, but he certainly faced the challenges of balancing education with the early stages of his burgeoning music career.
Matt Damon
Actor Matt Damon was once a member of the National Honor Society and a theater enthusiast. Despite his fresh-faced appearance in his younger years, Matt Damon’s essential features haven’t changed dramatically, and there’s still a recognizable resemblance between his younger self and his current-day appearance.
Nick Offerman
Best known as Ron Swanson on “Parks and Recreation,” Nick Offerman has a legion of loyal fans who adore his signature mustache and his intimidating glare. However, it might be a challenge for these fans to recognize him as a youngster due to the stark contrast between his iconic Ron Swanson look and his younger self.
Conan O’Brien
Conan O’Brien, known for his wit and humor, aspired to go to Harvard and pursue a career in writing, and he achieved exactly that. Friends have shared a glimpse of his youthful self in his yearbook as a student in Brookline, MA. Recognizing him is pretty easy – he just has that sort of face!
Cindy Crawford
It’s not hard to see why recruiters noticed her so early on. A young Cindy Crawford is pictured here in her high school yearbook in Dekalb, IL. Surprisingly, as a student, she had plans to study chemical engineering. Not many fashionistas know that Cindy was once a science geek!
Jimmy Fallon
As a teen, Jimmy Fallon was a devoted fan of Saturday Night Live. He wasn’t alone in watching it religiously, but he was particularly serious about joining the cast one day. The class clown started showcasing his songs and jokes in contests at Saugerties High School. Take a look at his younger self here!
Jennifer Lopez
Before she became Jenny from the block, and that block was in the Bronx, Jennifer Lopez attended Preston High School in the ’80s. The proof is here, and it might be surprising to see her without her famous, signature long hair. People change, and so do their hairstyles!
John Mayer
John Mayer was once a student in Connecticut at Fairfield High School. Before becoming a rockstar on stages across the world, everyone has a beginning. In his earlier days, John had a clean-cut look, as evident in that suit and tie!
Bruce Willis
Looking at a young Bruce Willis can indeed be a bit of a guessing game because it’s so shocking. Everyone is initially confused for the same reason: he is practically unrecognizable with all that hair!
Beyoncé
Queen Bey, also known as Beyoncé, grew up in Houston and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, as well as Alief Elsik High School. In her teenage years, she was a devoted member of her church choir but eventually chose to pursue a career in hip hop, setting the stage for her incredible journey in the music industry.
Anna Faris
Scary Movie star Anna Faris graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School in Edmonds, WA. Even outside of the LA bubble, Anna was already acting professionally as a child in the Pacific Northwest. Her passion for drama continued during high school, setting the stage for her later success in the entertainment industry.
Winona Ryder
Yes, indeed! This little cutie is a young Winona Ryder. During her time at Petaluma High School, she sported short hair, and though some classmates may have made fun of her, it didn’t stop her from achieving a 4.0 GPA or pursuing her passion for acting on the side.
Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson, one of the stars of Empire, has been rocking that confident attitude for a long time. Take a look at her high school yearbook photo from the ’80s, and you’ll see she’s been owning her style from a young age!
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