She Grew Up Poor with 7 Siblings – Now She’s a Hollywood Icon!
Sarah Jessica Parker grew up in poverty but became one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses. Once ashamed of her tough childhood, she worked hard to change her life.
She was one of eight siblings in a family that struggled financially. Sometimes, they had no electricity and relied on free lunch tickets. Everything changed when she became an actress.
She was born in Nelsonville, Ohio, to Stephen, a writer, and Barbara, a nursery school teacher. Money was always tight. After her parents divorced when she was a toddler, her mother remarried Paul, a truck driver. Their family grew to eight children, making money even scarcer.
From a young age, she knew they were poor. “We were on welfare,” she said. In third grade at Clifton School in Cincinnati, her teacher called her name daily to collect a free lunch ticket. “I knew I was different,” she recalled. “It was a stigma.”
She described her childhood as “Dickensian,” meaning it was full of hardship. She remembered not having a TV, living in a cluttered home, and missing out on things other kids had. Sometimes, the electricity was turned off, bill collectors called, and Christmases went by without presents.
Her parents tried their best, but she and her siblings saw their struggles. “We watched my parents shuffle money around,” she said. Some rumors said their power was always off, but she clarified, “That’s exaggerated. But we did go without presents some years.” Still, she felt loved.
Her mother bought her and her sisters two pairs of shoes a year and cheap dresses. “We got them from sales or outlets,” her mother once said. Despite the struggles, Sarah insisted, “We had everything we needed.”
Her mother managed the household while raising eight kids. “She’ll say she was a wreck,” Sarah said. Their house was chaotic, with constant noise, but she learned to command attention with just a whisper.
Asked if she ever imagined her current life, she admitted, “No. I only dreamed of being an actor.” Acting became her escape, and by eight years old, she was performing professionally. Her brothers, Pippin and Timothy, also pursued careers in the arts.
Her big break came at 14 when she starred in Broadway’s “Annie” in 1979. “It was different from the chaos at home. The theater was structured. And they paid me—I had no money before.”
Her early struggles fueled her drive. “I wanted to be a professional, not just for satisfaction but to stop worrying about money,” she said. Her family moved to New York City after she got the role, hoping for more opportunities.
Despite her growing career, she felt like an outsider at school. She and her best friend spent weekends alone, rarely getting invited to parties. “It was hard to fit in,” she admitted.
But she stayed focused. Eventually, she became a Hollywood star, best known as Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City.” She won multiple awards, including Golden Globes and Emmys.
In 1997, she married actor Matthew Broderick. He came from a family of three siblings. They have been married for 27 years and share three children: James, Tabitha, and Marion.
Despite her success, family was always her priority. In 2010, she shared her struggle to have more children. “I tried and tried to get pregnant, but it wasn’t meant to be.” She loved motherhood deeply. “I would give birth as often as I could,” she said.
She valued siblings, having grown up in a big family. She didn’t want her son James to face life alone. “I didn’t want him to shoulder the burden of us later in life by himself,” she said. After considering adoption and surrogacy, surrogacy worked first, bringing their twin daughters into the world.
Despite fame, Sarah kept her life simple. She described herself as a working actor, wife, and mom. In 2010, she shared that they did their chores themselves—painting furniture, cooking, and doing laundry without help.
Family always came first. In 2022, her stepfather Paul passed away at 76 after a sudden illness. He had been married to her mother for 54 years. In his final moments, he was surrounded by loved ones, including Sarah.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s journey from poverty to fame shows her strong values: family, hard work, and humility. Despite her success, she remains grounded, focusing on what truly matters.
