These A-List Celebrities Have Unexpected Side Jobs
1 Jessica Alba: CEO Of Baby Product Company
- Occupation: Actress
- Breakout role: Lead actress in the series Dark Angel
- Side job: CEO of The Honest Company
Jessica Alba told Good Housekeeping that she started her eco-friendly business because she wanted to use non-toxic baby products for her family and couldn’t find any on the market. “I wanted Honest to be a brand that put human health and safety first and actually worked,” she said.
2 Rhianna: Makeup Mogul
- Occupation: Singer and actress
- Breakout album: A Girl Like Me
- Side job: CEO of Fenty Beauty
Rhianna opened up to InStyle about what inspired her to start her makeup line, Fenty Beauty. “You have all these ideas of things you want for yourself, and for me, beauty was a natural fit because makeup is such a huge part of my career and image,” she said. “I wanted to do a line for years, but it needed to be credible, something that industry pros and girls around the world would respect”
3 Sarah Michelle Gellar: Organic Baker
- Occupation: Actress and producer
- Breakout role: Played Buffy Summers on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Side job: Founder of Foodstirs
According to the Observer, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s children inspired her to start her organic baking company. “My kid showed this great interest in baking and I went to the store to get a scratch mix. I live in Los Angeles, the healthiest place, supposedly, on earth. I always say if the vowel to consonant ratio is off, there’s a problem,” Gellar said.
4 Steve Carell: Store Owner
- Occupation: Actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director
- Breakout role: Michael Scott in the series The Office
- Side job: Owner of a general store
Steve Carell owns the Marshfield Hills General Store in Massachusetts. “This is much more of an emotional investment than a business one,” Carell told the Boston Globe. “I saw an opportunity to help to preserve a little piece of history. I also felt that places like the Marshfield Hills General Store represent a gathering place and give people a sense of community.”
5 Kate Hudson: Fashion Entrepreneur
- Occupation: Actress and author
- Breakout role: Penny Lane in the film Almost Famous
- Side job: Co-founder of Fabletics
Kate Hudson spoke with CNBC about what inspired her to launch her athleisure brand. “Sometimes, for an average woman or an everyday woman or a soccer mom or someone who doesn’t necessarily know how to get into the healthy lifestyle, it can be a little bit intimidating,” Hudson said. “So I kind of wanted to create something that was more about a lifestyle than an actual fitness brand. And it seemed to really resonate.”
6 Jay-Z: Club Owner
- Occupation: Rapper, songwriter, record executive, and record producer
- Breakout album: Hard Knock Life
- Side job: Owner of sports bar and lounge
According to the 40/40 website, Jay-Z had this to say about how he came up with the idea to open the Manhattan bar. “I love sports and wanted to create an environment that is conducive to match my lifestyle while watching the games at the same time,” said Jay-Z.
7 Lady Gaga: Makeup Entrepreneur
- Occupation: Singer, songwriter, and actress
- Breakout album: The Fame
- Side job: CEO of Haus Laboratories
Lady Gaga spoke with Business of Fashion about the role self-expression plays in her cruelty-free makeup line. “I have a platform in the world,” she said. “God gave me this voice for a reason, I don’t know why, I ask myself that question all the time, but I’m sure as hell not going to put out a beauty brand that is going to drive insecurity and fear into people. This is about liberation.”
8 Lenny Kravitz: Interior Designer
- Occupation: Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor
- Breakthrough album: Are You Gonna Go My Way
- Side job: Owner of Kravitz Design
Lenny Kravitz revealed to Elle Decor that his interest in interior design started at a young age. “When I recorded my first album I didn’t have any money, and so, to furnish my apartment, I would find and fix old furniture that others would throw away, creating my own style,” he said. “I think everything started there. I never studied design in a real school, but instead, studying for me meant observing.”
9 Nick Offerman: Woodworker
- Occupation: Actor, writer, comedian, and producer.
- Breakout role: Ron Swanson on the series Parks and Recreation
- Side job: Owner of Offerman Woodshop
Nick Offerman revealed how he established his woodworking shop to Sotheby’s. “I found a shop space pretty quickly and continued teaching myself for a number of years until I had learned a lot more and got pretty decent at it,” he said. “It wasn’t until I got cast in Parks and Recreation that my acting work took enough of a bite out of my schedule that I decided to add collaborators at my shop.”
10 Susan Sarandon: Business Owner
- Occupation: Actress, activist, and producer
- Breakout role: Janet Weiss in the cult classic film The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Side job: Owner of Spin, an international chain of franchised table tennis clubs and bars
Susan Sarandon revealed to Time magazine she opened Spin to make the ping pong more accessible. “I like ping pong because anyone at any age and body type can play. You can play your grandmother. Everyone can have a good time. It’s good for physical activity and mental health” she said.
11 Mark Wahlberg: Car Dealership Owner
- Occupation: Actor, producer, and former rapper
- Breakout role: Paul Thomas in the movie Boogie Nights
- Side job: Owner of Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet
Mark Wahlberg spoke to 10tv.com during the grand opening of his car dealership in Columbus, Ohio. “I’ve always been a huge car guy,” he said. “This is a dream come true for me, so we’re really looking forward to being part of the community here. I think the city picked us and we’re really excited to be here. So much great history here. The people are fantastic. It reminds me a lot of where I grew up in Boston.”
12 Beyoncé: Fashion Designer
- Occupation: Singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer
- Breakout solo album: Dangerously in Love
- Side job: Owner of the athleisure brand Ivy Park
Beyoncé sat down with Elle to talk about her fashion line, Ivy Park, saying, “I love experimenting with fashion, mixing high and low, sportswear with couture, even masculine and feminine,” she said. “This new line is fun and lends itself to creativity, the ultimate power.”
13 Drew Barrymore: Beauty Entrepreneur
- Occupation: Actress, producer, director, talk show host, and entrepreneur
- Breakout role: Gertie in the 80s classic film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
- Side job: Founder of Flower Beauty
Drew Barrymore revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that spending so much in the Hollywood make-up artist’s chair inspired her to start Flower Beauty. “I knew that space so well, I’d been in it my entire life,” she said. “I’d just come off of my contract with CoverGirl where I was co-creative director of my own campaign, so I’d had this intense six-year education that I was aching to apply to something.”
14 Reese Witherspoon: Boutique Owner
- Occupation: Actress and producer
- Breakout role: Elle Woods in the film Legally Blonde
- Side job: CEO of Draper James
According to Glamour, Witherspoon named her clothing line and boutique after her grandparents and has a focused mission. “We emphasize coordination of different pieces for a pulled-together look. Matching items, like matching your shoes to your handbag, is not a bad thing in the South. It’s a return to pretty clothes,” she explained. “We also do a lot with bright colors and patterns. We don’t do black. Our black is navy.”
15 Venus Williams: Interior Designer
- Occupation: Professional tennis player
- Breakout match: Won first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 1998
- Side job: CEO of V Starr Interiors
Venus Williams opened up to Forbes about her passion for interior design, which prompted her to open her own design firm. “I went to school, and did my master’s in interior architecture,” Williams said. “I’m a nerd, and I love interior design. I love school. So, you know, it helps me to guide my team, and hopefully, give them input, and be able to add to the conversation.”
16 Jessica Simpson: CEO Of Fashion Empire
- Occupation: Singer, actress, and author
- Breakout album: Sweet Kisses
- Side job: CEO of The Jessica Simpson Collection
Jessica Simpson discussed the success of her fashion empire with CBS News, saying, “People are shocked that they like my brand. Maybe ’cause it’s not that expensive? Or maybe because I was a cheesy pop star back in the day? I have no idea. But you’re gonna like my shoes, damn it!”
17 Tom Selleck: Farmer
- Occupation: Actor and producer
- Breakout role: Private investigator in series Magnum P.I.
- Side Job: Avocado Farmer
Tom Selleck lives on a California ranch that houses over 1,500 native trees. He opened up to Architectural Digest about the role he plays on his avocado farm, saying, “I do grunt work and I make the rounds. I like watching things grow. It’s a retreat.”
18 Sarah Jessica Parker: Shoe Designer
- Occupation: Actress and producer
- Breakout role: Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO series Sex and the City
- Side job: Co-founder of SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker started a footwear, handbag, and beauty line in 2014. According to the SJP website, “We founded our footwear collection upon three main pillars: delivering quality products, using color and sparkle as a neutral, and giving the single sole a new heartbeat,” Jessica Parker wrote.
19 Paul Rudd: Candy Shop Owner
- Occupation: Actor, screenwriter, and producer
- Breakout role: Josh in the movie Clueless
- Side job: Part owner of Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, NY
Paul Rudd told the Poughkeepsie Journal why he enjoys working at Samuel’s Sweet Shop. “I’m in lots of different locations meeting lots of different people,” Rudd said. “At times, you can feel you’re untethered a little bit. So to have this place, to come in and just serve coffee for a while and hang out at the store and hand out candies… to feel a part of the community makes us sane. It makes us feel part of something important.”
20 Matthew McConaughey: Professor
- Occupation: Actor and producer
- Breakout role: Supporting role in the movie Dazed and Confused
- Side job: Teaches a screenwriting class at the University of Texas
According to CNN, McConaughey said of his teaching duties, “It’s the class I wish I would have had when I was in film school. Working in the classroom with these students gives me a chance to prepare them.”
