Celebrities Who Were Interns Before Becoming Famous
Simply Hired Staff
Many people, celebrities included, have used the internship as a way to jump start their career and get their foot in the door. He’s a look at some of the most famous interns.
Conan O’Brien
Before working as a writer for The Simpsons and hosting his own late night talk show, Conan held an internship with Rep. Barney Frank on Capitol Hill. Although this didn’t lead to a career in politics, it served the other purpose of an internship, determining if something is a good fit. For Conan it was not.
Brooke Shields
The 80s heartthrob spent time time working with the San Diego Zoo while in high school. Of course this internship served as a way to fulfill high school requirements, as the child star was already famous before she started working with koala bears. As Brooke’s internship shows, no matter where you’re at in your career, taking on an internship is always an option.
Anderson Cooper
Before CNN’s Silver Fox reported the news, he considered a career with the CIA. There isn’t a great internship lesson to take from Cooper’s time with the CIA, but he would have been a great CIA agent. And his partner would have to be Agency Mulder or Dale Cooper, for sure.
Aziz Ansari
We may know him from Parks and Recreation and a slew of great comedies, but he could have been known for his work with The Onion.Aziz wasn’t a writer with the Onion, rather he worked as a business intern. Of course the opportunity did place him near comedy. Often internships that aren’t a perfect fit turn us onto jobs that are. So keep yourself open to new experiences while working as an intern and see what you find out about yourself.
Kanye West
The college dropout doesn’t have the same feelings for internships that he apparently has for college. Before launching his music career West spent time interning with Fendi and Louis Vuitton. That experience is paying dividends now as his fashion business is taking off. The lesson here is you never know when your internship experience is going to pay off. So just get the experience now and see where it takes you.
Ira Glass
As a teenager Ira walked into NPR and talked his way into an internship. Today he is the cornerstone of the public radio network and his “This American Life” the the most popular podcast on the planet. The takeaway from Glass is this: internships aren’t just a few months at a company and then off to the next internship. They can blossom into career-defining ventures. It worked for him.
