23 World-Famous Celebrities (With Mind-Blowing Backstories)

For centuries, glossy checkout stand magazines told us "stars: they're just like us!" But did you know Cameron Diaz went to high school with Snoop Dogg? Did you know Mr. T had a pre-fame life as Muhammad Ali's bodyguard? And did you know Andre the Giant spent his childhood getting driven to school by Samuel Beckett (yes, THAT playwright/poet/Nobel Laureate Samuel Beckett)? Magazines are FAILING to tell us how awesomely weird famous peoples' lives are. Who can save us from that boring lie? ...maybe with a podcast episode???

On this week's episode of The Cracked Podcast, Alex Schmidt is LIVE at UCB Sunset, saving the day with Jenny Jaffe (Big Hero 6, IFC), Matt Lieb (The Star Wars Show, AJ+), Carey O'Donnell (Heathers, Billy On The Street), and their audience. Get ready for a no-holds-barred deep dive into the most bizarre celebrity origins and backstories of all-time, AND a surprisingly strong focus on the wild world of grain dealing.

Footnotes:

Woody Harrelson: my father, the contract killer (The Guardian)

Michelle Pfeiffer Reveals She Was In A Breatharian Cult As A Young Actress (Huffington Post)

James Lipton says he was not a "pimp" in Paris (CBS This Morning)

Douglas Adams Explains Life, the Universe and Everything-Mice Included-in a Sci-Fi Trilogy (People)

'Orange Is The New Black''s Kate Mulgrew Grew Up In A Cage (Wonderwall)

Liam Neeson who trained as a teacher in Newcastle, tells how he punched a pupil (Newcastle-upon-Tyne Chronicle)

Neeson reveals Paisley influence (BBC)

5 Celebrities You Won't Believe Were Badass Soldiers (Cracked)

8 Weird Ways Celebrities Were Friends Before Fame (Cracked)

5 Celebrities You Didn't Know Ass-Kicked Their Way to Fame (Cracked)

Jack Nicholson's Mother (Snopes)

James Cromwell: Black Panther, drunk priest, kind farmer (CNN)

Rebel Wilson Explains How Malaria Helped Her Realize Her Acting Dream (Just Jared)

Famous Veteran: Bob Ross (Military.com)

49 Minutes With Liev Schreiber (NYMag)

Memories of World War II: The event that sent Rod Serling into 'The Twilight Zone' (Foreign Policy)

In Her Shoes: Finding Feminism, Cynicism, And Geena Davis At A Walmart Soda Counter In Arkansas (MTV News)

Join us for our next LIVE Cracked Podcast! It's happening Saturday, May 12th at 7pm in Los Angeles. Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians Ian Abramson, Hallie Cantor, and Brodie Reed for a show about bizarre secrets of the foods we eat. Tickets are $7 and available here.