Pattie Mallette
Pattie Mallette was just 17 when she gave birth to her son Justin, raising him as a single mother in Stratford, Ontario. She didn’t graduate high school, but a friend watched her son so she could return to get her diploma. After raising the boy in low-income housing on government assistance, his musical talent began to shine, and before too long he became known worldwide. Yes, that’s Justin Bieber. Mallette’s obviously wealthy off of her son, but her own book Nowhere But Up hit the New York Times best-seller list.
Aretha Franklin
Born in Memphis, Franklin’s parents split when she was very young, and her father became a popular preacher. Young Aretha discovered her voice and sang around town, meeting boys along the way. At the age of 12, she gave birth to her son Clarence and a second son, Edward, followed when she was 14. She has never revealed the father of either, but the boys were raised by her aunt as Franklin pursued her musical career. With multiple hits under her belt, Aretha has an estimated net worth of $60 million.
Sofia Vergara
It’s hard to believe that one of TV’s most popular sex symbols was once a teenage mother, but it’s true. Growing up in Barranquilla, Colombia, Sofia Vergara started modeling as a young girl when she was discovered in a bikini on the beach by a stray photographer. She married her childhood boyfriend Joe Gonzalez at the age of 18, and the pair had a boy, Manolo, the same year. They split the next year, but her career continued to rise, first on television in Colombia and then internationally both on Modern Family and as a face of Cover Girl.
MORE: Hollywood's Single Moms
Natalia Vodianova
A rags to riches story in the most classic sense, Natalia Vodianova was born to a poverty-stricken family in the Russian city of Gorky. Her father left her mother when she was just a small child, and as she grew up she worked with her mom at a fruit stand to support the family. At 15, she enlisted with a modeling agency and rapidly rose to fame, moving to Paris at 17 and sending money back home to help her mother and siblings. At 19, Vodianova found out she was expecting a child with British heir Justin Portman, and the pair married eight months later. She’s regularly appeared in lists of the world’s top-earning models, bringing home around $5 million per year.
Fantasia Barrino
American Idol contestants come from all walks of life, and one of the most memorable to go up on stage was a mother before she was famous. Fantasia Barrino grew up rough in High Point, N.C., dropping out of high school after being assaulted by a classmate. At the age of 16 she gave birth to Zion Quarri Barrino. The child was only 3 when Barrino won the third season of Idol with a stunning rendition of “Summertime” from Porgy & Bess, and she’s gone on to a singing career and an estimated net worth of $4 million.
Wendy Davis
Texas Senator Wendy Davis came to fame earlier in 2013 with an epic filibuster for reproductive rights, and it was obvious she was speaking from the heart. Davis was raised by her mother, who had her as a teen, herself. At 19, Davis (then married to a man named Frank Underwood) gave birth to her first daughter, Amber. She was living in a trailer park when she started pursuing her law degree, and worked as a waitress and a receptionist to support her family. She had a second daughter later in life with another husband, Jeff Davis, but is again a single mother after their divorce in 2005. After her filibuster, donations to her reelection campaign reached a million dollars in a single day.
Catherine Hughes
Catherine Hughes was born in Omaha, Neb., to a trombonist and an accountant, living in housing projects while her father went to college. She got pregnant at 16 and gave birth to a son, Alfred. In college, she became general sales manager of the university’s radio station, increasing its revenues by a factor of 12. She then created the radio format known as “Quiet Storm” (R&B slow jams, mostly) and founded media company Radio One, which now owns 69 stations across the United States. Her net worth is estimated at $240 million.
Shashicka Tyre-Hill
Georgia woman Shashicka Tyre-Hill didn’t have a rosy future ahead of her when she dropped out of high school pregnant at the age of 15. But her story took a turn for the better with a little bit of ingenuity and hard work. After her grandmother died, she became more involved in the world of home care, eventually starting her own business, Miracle Home Care, to offer 24-hour assistance to patients. She started the business with $700 from her tax return, and it now has a market value of $7 million. She also works as a motivational speaker, inspiring others to pursue their dreams.
Photo via Fine Success Magazine
Maya Angelou
One of the most celebrated living poets in the world today, Maya Angelou had an upbringing that would rock even the sternest soul—from sexual abuse at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend to a five-year period without speaking a single word. At 17, she became pregnant with a boy, giving birth to him three weeks after she graduated high school. The single mother went on to more hard times, but it led her to create inspiring classic works like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She now has an estimated net worth of $34 million.
Farrah Abraham
Farrah Abraham first came to fame on Teen Mom, raising her daughter Sophia, whom she had when she was 17, in what some might call a pretty dramatic environment. When the show ended, she cannily parlayed her 15 minutes of fame into an autobiography, a music album and, most recently, an adult video alongside male star James Deen, for which she was allegedly paid $1.5 million. Her next stop will be a stint on VH1 series Couples Therapy, but her current boyfriend has declined to be on the show with her.
