Bet You Never Knew These Top Celebs Once Flipped Burgers At McDonalds

By Editorial Staff in Entertainment On 4th August 2016

They may be famous now but that doesn't mean they didn't once struggle to make a living. Everybody has to start somewhere, and it's amazing how many of our favorite stars once uttered the words "would you like fries with that?"

#1 Jay Leno

Today, he's collecting cars and schmoozing with the stars as the one-time late night talk show champ. But as a teenager in the 70s, the big-chinned funny man spent his days ensuring your value meal order came out just as you ordered it. His talent and humor were definitely present during his McD's employment, and in a McDonald's talent show, the former talk show host won first prize for a comedy routine he wrote. Though minimum wage may not have been ideal, Leno claims his job at McDonald's helped him hone his people skills and ability to make them laugh.

#2 James Franco

He's a famous actor these days, but this wasn't always the case for the former Freaks And Geeks star. When he was younger, James had to get a job at McDonald's and he remembers these days with joy. "All I know is that when I needed McDonald's, McDonald's was there for me. When no one else was," he said in an interview a few years back. Since acting wasn't quite paying the bills and nearby waiter jobs were filled by more experienced candidates, Franco turned to the one place that many consider a "last resort." (besides Walmart...it's a toss up) McDonalds hired him the same day he applied and gave him the late shift at the drive-thru, an opportunity he saw to practice fake accents. A few years and many successful roles later, Franco is still sticking up for McDonalds, even writing the company an open letter praising their teaching skills.

#3 Pink

She said it was one of the worst times of her entire life, but the fun-loving songstress held down the fort at McDonalds as an assistant manager. Manning the drive-through microphone, Pink was working to make her own money, a desire that her parents had bestowed upon her. While it may not have been the most glorious of jobs, she did claim that the microphone made her feel like Janet Jackson. "Sometimes I dream I am back there, broke and working at McDonald's. It's like the worst nightmare because I would never want to be back there," she said.

#4 Seal

Former husband to Heidi Klum and "Kiss from a Rose" scribe Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (or however the heck you say his name) did plenty in his life to be proud of, the biggest of which being when he shortened his name for the sake of his music career (and this video, thank you). Beyond that, we're thinking he's also quite delighted with the hard two weeks he spent working at McDonald's in Kentish Town. That's right, award winning musician Seal adorned a Mickey D's uniform one he claims was 2 sizes too small for two whole weeks until his first paycheck came in. Then, like any hardworking employee that loves their job, he bailed and moved onto better things.

#5 Rachel McAdams

We may love her as head mean girl Regina George, but the attention-grabbing actress wasn't always loved and revered. For a 3-year period in her life, starting at the age of 16, McAdams worked behind the counter at McDonalds, wreaking havoc and being a not-so-great employee. McAdams recounts breaking the orange juice machine and having a difficult time balancing OCD with hand washing and time at the drive-thru window. While she worked at the golden arches, the aspiring actress was directing kids' theater, a job that didn't quite pay the bills.

#6 Pharrell Williams

He may make us happy, but the same can't quite be said about the supervisors he used to work under at McDonalds. On three separate occasions, Pharrell claims he was fired, stating his best employee trait was his chicken nugget eating skills. The lazy, teenage version of the now hard-working musician chose three separate locations, finding that not one of them appreciated his youthful antics. Despite his three terminations, McDonald's was far from done with Pharrell as he would later go on to co-write with Justin Timberlake the well-known jingle that would act as the company's catchy slogan. I'm lovin' it!

#7 Shania Twain

In 2015, a strange argument was being posed as the battle for higher minimum wages was growing more and more heated. As people cried out for $15/hour minimum, companies like McDonalds were fearing they'd feel the burn; and if they felt it, so too would their investors. So one investor spoke out stating that if Shania Twain had been paid $15/hour, she never would have gone on to become the Canadian country music queen that she is today. That's right, Shania "Woody" Twain was once a McDonald's employee, and during her time there, she states she "learned tons about the meaning of service."

#8 Keenen Ivory Wayans

Try to get most kids these days to put in a solid, honest week of work, and you're probably going to be met with backlash. I know, I know, that makes me sound old and crotchety (but hey, I am old and crotchety), but it's a great segue into the story of Keenen Ivory Wayans and his stint with everybody's favorite fast food peddler. Sometimes a family needs help, such as the rather large Wayans family. Knowing he could make a difference in the household and provide his parents with some financial help, In Living Color creator Keenen Ivory Wayans took up a job at McDonalds and sacrificed his grade point average to pull in 70-hour work weeks as a manager.

#9 Jeff Bezos

He founded Amazon and became a CEO worth up to $65.2 billion, but Jeff isn't ashamed of the fact he was a McDonald's employee as a young man. "One of the great gifts I got from that job is that I can crack eggs with one hand. My favorite shift was Saturday morning. The first thing I would do is get a big bowl and crack 300 eggs into it." This definitely sounds like fun! Following his father's example, Bezos took a summer job at McDonald's as a teenager, manned the grill, and learned the value of hard work, something the Amazon CEO believes you can't learn just in school.

#10 James D’Arcy

He got a loaded gun aimed at his head while manning the cash register. English actor James D'Arcy has been appearing on television since 1996, with his first role being a one-off walk-on of "Student" on the British crime drama, Silent Witness. It wasn't the first time the Agent Carter star was in the company of danger, either. Prior to scoring bigger roles in 2001 with Rebel Heart, D'Arcy held down a job at McDonalds. The English actor doesn't really remember his time at McDonald's with a lot of joy, mainly because he got that gun pulled on him by a crazy customer as he rang up the order. Shortly after receiving a raise he deemed insufficient for his hard work, D'Arcy put down the burger flipper for good and went into acting full time.

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