Who says life will definitely get easier once you’ve become rich and famous? Take a look at these fifteen stories of famous people with regular jobs.
The thing about making a fortune is the struggle to maintain it. You would think that your dream life starts as soon the whole world know you. But fame can be dangerous. Use it too much, it may turn against you. Lose it, you may have to say goodbye to your dream life and go back to your regular jobs.
However, in some cases, some people made the decision to step out of the spotlight. They did that because they are tired of the popularity. And some others just simply want to try something new. Well, everybody has their own different reason.
Let see what happened to these fifteen people. Did they choose to leave the fame behind? Or did fame betray them and cost them their dream life?
For those who used to be famous and living large, going back to normal life can be very difficult. But these people manage to survive and enjoy their live after leaving (or being left by) the spotlight of fame. Or do they?
15. Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill is a retired English professional wrestler. He was one of the stars on WWE. Now, he is working as a firefighter at Jeffersontown. Well, at least he is putting his muscles to good use.
He started his wrestling career when he joined Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) in Britain back in 2001. Then, he trained for about a year before he made his debut appearance on TV in mid-2002. Since then, he stepped into the ring many times. He even went worldwide to wrestle before he signed a contract with WWE in 2005 and moved to United States.
Not wanting people to remember him as a wrestler, Paul decided to step down from WWE. His wish was granted in February 2010, when his contract with WWE was ended. It is not because he doesn’t like wrestling. He still loves the sport.
Even after his WWE-retirement, he wrestled in independent circuit while volunteering as a firefighter. That’s when he realized there is something else he loves to do and can make a living from. Besides working as a firefighter, Paul is also a certified paramedic for Yellow EMS in Louisville and a part of local department’s SWAT.
14. Mike Maronna
Raise your hand if Home Alone is your favorite classic Christmas movie! It has been twenty six years since the movie was first released, yet it is still being played from time to time around Christmas.
In that movie, Mike Maronna played Jeff McCallister, one of Kevin’s siblings. And that was not the only thing he has written on his CV when he applied a job as an electrician.
He started his acting career when he was just five years old. During his school years, he worked on commercials and soap operas. Then, he became more popular through Nickelodeon TV show called The Adventures of Pete and Pete in the 1990s for three seasons.
After 1996, Mike’s glory days were starting to fade away. He decided to continue his study. And after he graduated, he began working as an electrician on film sets. He still appears in commercials and TV shows, but on daily basis, he has been working with 52 IATSE as an electrician since 2007. Now, instead of leaving Kevin home alone, he can help him build some electric traps for those intruders.
13. Taylor Wilde
Now goes by the name Shantelle Larissa Malawski, Taylor Wilde was a famous professional wrestler from Canada. She was one of the stars of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). And now she works as a firefighter. I sense a pattern forming here.
Taylor became a champion along with her teammates, Sarita and Hamada. During her glory days, she snatched TNA Knockouts Champion title along with Tag Team Champion title at the same time. That was the first ever in TNA history. And that was the result of her hard work.
She started her professional career as a wrestler when she was only seventeen years old. She competed for some independent wrestling promotions across Canada, Mexico, and South Africa. Then, she joined WWE briefly in 2006. Two years later, her career in TNA began.
In 2011, she announced her retirement from professional wrestling to continue her study. And she got married a year later. Soon after that, she started to train as a firefighter. And officially since 2013 to date, she became a firefighter in Toronto.
12. Brandon Call
You may know him as J.T Lambert from popular Warner Bros TV series back in the 1990s, Step by Step. The show went on for seven seasons and sent the actors to long lasting popularity. However, for Brandon Call, his popularity pretty much died with the show.
Even though his career began before that series, Step by Step was pretty much his last work on screen. The fact that he won Young Artist Awards twice consecutively is not enough to keep him in this entertainment business.
Brandon never announced his retirement, though. He just disappeared after the show ended. There is a theory about this. Perhaps he just doesn’t want anything to do with fame anymore. Fame did cost him a lot when he was shot on both arms on his way home from the Warner Bros studio. He was lucky to fully recover.
And about five years since his last appearance on TV, he was spotted working at a gas station owned by his parents in California. But even after that, he still manages to stay out of the spotlight to date.
11. Jimmy Yang Wang
The thing about wrestling entertainment is when viewers get bored of your fighting moves, you will most likely be replaced by another performer. That is why we have seen two former professional wrestlers on this list decided or forced to take a U-turn in their career. And Jimmy Yang is another one. But he did not follow the wrestler-firefighter pattern. He went on his own to become a party-bus driver.
Now goes by the name James Carson Yun, Jimmy was also one of the WWE stars. He started his career as a professional wrestler when he signed a contract with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1999. Later, he also joined World Wrestling Federation (WWF), All Japan Pro Wrestling, and WWE. And he also appeared in Royal Kill movie as a police officer.
Retired in 2011, Jimmy jumped into the world of entrepreneurship. He started with pest control business. But he closed it down since he doesn’t feel he is good in that area of business. So, he tried another area. He started his party bus business called Jimmy’s Redneck Party Bus in Cincinnati.
It has been three years since that business founded. And we can say that he is doing more than okay. He also owns a professional wrestling school called Pro Training, LLC.
10. Mike Vitar
Michael Anthony Vitar, or more commonly known as Mike Vitar, is a former actor. He decided to quit acting at young age. And now he works as a firefighter for Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
He started acting at the age of twelve when he appeared in 1991 Diplomatic Immunity. But most people recognize him from his role as Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez in 1993 The Sandlot. And while most actors fully commit to acting after their school days are over, Mike did the opposite. He announced his retirement from acting the same year he graduated from high school.
Then, he joined LAFD in 2002. And it seemed like he was doing alright with his new regular job until his recent lawsuit.
Mike Vitar was just recently charged with felony assault. He allegedly beat up a guy back in the end of 2015. So, now Mike’s case is still in progress. He is obliged to complete ninety days of community service and one year of weekly anger management class. On next month’s hearing, the amount of restitution he must pay to the victim will be decided. And since he was charged to date, Mike is still suspended from LAFD.
9. Michael Schoeffling
You may know Michael Schoeffling as Jake Ryan in 1984 Sixteen Candles. It was one of the best movies that year, if not the best. And as the movie received great acceptances, Michael’s fame rose up high.
Who would have thought that Sixteen Candles was actually Michael’s debut on big screen? What a lucky guy. And with that success, it should come as no surprise that more success came to follow. Unfortunately, it followed only for a brief of time.
Since that movie, Michael appeared in eight movies and one TV show. One of them is 1991 Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken where he portrayed Al Carver. And that was the last movie he has ever been in.
Media did ask Michael why he has never been in any other movies since then. He admitted that it was hard for him to get a good part in a movie. He tried some auditions, but luck just didn’t seem to strike the same spot twice. And since he had to feed his family, he was forced to find another job rather than waiting to get that movie role. So, he became a carpenter. Today, Michael makes custom furniture for a living. He is living with his wife and two kids in Pennsylvania.
8. David Wells
Have you ever wondered what happened to your favorite players once they retire? Some of them are lucky enough to get jobs like TV pundit or team manager. But most of them had to take a U-turn and be happy with regular jobs. David Wells is lucky enough to keep his love of baseball alive.
During his glory days in Major League Baseballs, he was a pitcher nicknamed “Boomer.” In 1998, Boomer pitched the 15th perfect games in 140 years of MLB history when he was playing for New York Yankee. And after two decades of professional baseball career, Boomer decided to retire in 2007 as Dodger’s player.
Upon retirement, David spent years trying to get himself a full-time major league coaching job while working on TV. He was one of TBS commentators and host of The Cheap Seats on FOX Sports network. But David’s efforts turned out to be a big failure as he was rejected by every team he approached.
So, he gave up and took a job as a head coach of Point Loma High School baseball team instead. Even the fact that he went to school there didn’t help much. David had to volunteer as assistant coach for a year before finally became the head coach. But hey, he got the home field named after him.
7. Taran Noah Smith
Many child actors don’t find the same fortune growing up. Taran Noah Smith is one of them, but it was by choice. Even though he was one of the stars of Home Improvement alongside Tim Allen, he decided to quit acting when he was just 18. And today, he is working as an installation artist.
Taran started acting in 1990 in a TV series called ABC TGIF. He was 6 years old at that time. Then, for eight seasons he starred Home Improvement. And when the show ended, he still got several acting jobs until he decided to quit.
A year before that, when he was only 17, he married a woman 16 years older than him. Then, another controversy hit his life as he sued his parents for using up his $1.5 million trust fund that he collected during his 11 years of acting. Because of this, he got estranged.
In 2005, Taran and his wife started California-based nondairy cheese manufacturer and restaurant specializing in vegan and organic food. Unfortunately, the business was closed down because it was considered illegal. Later, they tried to open another restaurant in on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City but it did not succeed. From there, things went south on Taran. He got divorced, his house was foreclosed, and he was arrested for DUI and alleged possession of marijuana.
Eventually, he made amend with his parents and moved back into their house. And he has been working as an installation artist at festivals and museums for the last few years.
6. Adrian Dantley
Adrian Dantley was one of the NBA stars back in the 1980s through 1990s. He got a lot of awards and one Olympic Game gold medal during his 15 years career. And he reached his peak performance when he played for Utah Jazz, where he got all six of his NBA All-Star appearances and two All-NBA second-team honors. For the outstanding success during his career, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
25 years after his retirement, Adrian has changed profession few times. In 2003, he worked for Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach and stayed with them for eight seasons. When Denver’s head coach George Karl was away for cancer treatment, Adrian took the role of head coach of the team.
Things seemed to go well for Adrian. But unfortunately, George Karl fired him because Adrian refused to take part in bench carousel which shuffled assistant coaches sitting positions.
Then about five years ago, he took a part time job as a Montgomery County School crossing guard for health insurance. And he also took refereeing job for the school’s basketball in winters for the exercise. He has been working both jobs ever since.
5. Jon Gosselin
Jon Gosselin became famous through a reality TV show he starred with his wife and eight kids, Jon and Kate plus 8. The fame started when his wife, Kate, gave birth to sextuplets (three sons and three daughters) in 2004.
But as divorce came around the corner five years after that historical moment, Jon’s fame started to fade away. The divorce went messy because both Jon and Kate blamed each other and often involved in a heated argument. Was that a part of the reality show?
Even after the divorce, they both still made public accusation against each other. Jon claimed that he lost everything the day he divorced Kate, including the custody of his eight children. And Jon had to leave the family apartment and pay $22,000 of monthly child support.
Struggling with his financial situation, Jon worked for Greenpointe Energy in 2011. He was spotted installing solar panels on the roof top of a storage building. Then two years later, he was reported working at two restaurants in Pennsylvania as a waiter. Later, he became maitre d’ at Black Dog Café.
Today, he is working as a DJ and also as a cook at TGI Friday Restaurant and Bar. Jon denied people’s speculation about his financial problem by saying that he earns enough money as a DJ and being a cook is just a hobby.
4. Andre Rison
Andre Rison’s fame may have not faded away since he made national headlines again last year. However, it was not for a good reason. Andre was accused of violating court order by failing to maintain child support and tested positive for marijuana.
The ex-NFL player could not afford to pay $1,000 child support a month. He only makes $9,000 a year as an assistant coach at Skyline High School and gets another $3,300 a month as disability benefits from NFL for the injury he sustained. It is a shameful common fact for many retired athletes. No matter how glorious his days were as NFL player, he ended up struggling financially as he stepped out of the spotlight.
Andre holds NFL record of scoring touchdown with seven different teams. He started his career in 1989 as a wide receiver for Indianapolis Colts. The last team he played for was Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League where he won the 92nd Grey Cup championship.
It seems like Andre could not let go of his past lifestyle. Upon his retirement, he couldn’t stop spending money even though he had no enough income anymore. He spent $1 million for jewelry, partied at many clubs with his friends, and spent tens of thousand dollars of cash. This part of Andre’s life is captured in a movie titled Broke.
3. Kamala
To wrestling fans, Kamala’s name must sound familiar. He was the star of WWF since the 1980s. But today, he is just James Harris. A man sitting on his electric wheelchair, spending most of his day time in his garage, making wooden chairs and selling them online.
On his glorious days, James appeared in the ring as Uganda giant named Kamala. He painted his face and his body and speaking gibberish: reflecting the image of true nightmare inside the ring. Who needs to talk when all you got to do is kick some ass, right? And thanks to this unique character, Kamala was one of the most famous wrestlers in his era.
Raised in a harsh neighborhood, James grew up becoming a burglar. Suggested to leave town by the police, James moved to Florida and then to Michigan, where he met wrestler Bobo Brazil. He then started training as a wrestler and began his debut in 1978. He wrestled in United Kingdom before he came to America and joined WWF in 1984.
Kamala’s wrestling career was cut short when doctor had to amputate his left leg due to a complication of high blood pressure and diabetes. The next year, a campaign was launched to seek donation for Kamala because his right leg was amputated too. Losing both his legs, Kamala wrote a book about his life to help him cover his financial needs.
2. Vin Baker
If you know anyone with alcohol addiction problem, get them acquainted with Vin Baker’s real-life story. This NBA legend was shining through his thirteen years of NBA career. He was one of the best NBA players. Then, it all fell apart as he battled through his alcohol addiction.
What is the best remedy for hangover? Coffee. And since he was sober, Vin Baker is staying close to this substance. He is currently working as a manager at Starbuck in Rhode Island.
Vin started his basketball professional career with Milwaukee Bucks in 1993 and ended it with Minnesota Timberwolves in 2006. The four-time NBA-All Star made over $100 million during his entire career. And alcohol addiction sent him off court with all that money away.
A year after his retirement, Vin was arrested in Connecticut for DUI leaving Foxwood Resort Casino. The next year, Vin’s 10,000 sq ft home was foreclosed. He also lost his Vinnie’s Saybrook Fish House and all the $100 million plus he earned due to bad investment, mismanagement, and people taking advantage of his fortune. Being a Starbuck manager when he was once a star is like falling hard from the sky to the ground but Vin is grateful for the chance.
1. Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards
The spotlight may have left Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, but recently he is back on it. This happens when his Olympic story as a ski jumper was brought up to Hollywood screen through a movie titled after his name, Eddie the Eagle. Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton are the main cast.
The movie showcased Eddie’s glorious moment as he became a persistent British ski jumper. But what happened after that turned out to be the opposite.
Eddie was obsessed with competing in the Olympics since he was eight. He was the first competitor, since 1929, to represent Great Britain in Olympic Ski Jumping in 1988. He finished last and that embarrassed British officials. But his lack of success with his spirit as an amateur athlete endeared him to people around the world. And soon he became a celebrity.
The year after the Olympic, Eddie earned more than £500,000 from all the spotlights. However, not long after that, he filed for bankruptcy and sued his trustees for mismanaging his money. And things just got worse when Sam Morton, Eddie’s wife for 13 years, divorced him last year. Eddie stated that his divorced was the most painful thing ever happened in his life. The divorce itself cost him £150,000.
To support his life, Eddie works as a plasterer now. But since Eddie the Eagle gained over $45 million of revenue, Eddie’s financial should be a little bit better by now.
