10 famous people who worked at McDonald’s: From Kamala Harris to Sharon Stone

10 celebs and politicians who once worked at McDonald’s: From Kamala Harris to Rachel McAdams

The early life of now-famous celebrities, politicians, and successful CEOs is far from glamorous as most were not born with a silver spoon. There are many who kicked off their careers by flipping burgers to earn money. Some have passed through the doors of McDonald's as the fast food chain's employees. Here are ten celebrities from fields including entertainment, business, and politics who have once worked at McDonald's.

1. Mark Hamill

Mark Hamill, famous for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the 'Star Wars' franchise, was once a proud minimum-wage earner as a teenager. He revealed his early career stint in an X (formerly Twitter) post in 2019. "If you don't count paperboy, the time I was hired to play Santa's helper in a department store or the countless backyard puppet/magic/ventriloquist shows I did... My 1st real job WAS at McDonald's in Annandale Virginia when I was 16," Hamill tweeted.

2. James Franco

'Eat Pray Love' actor James Franco earned his dollars as a McDonald's employee to support his passion for acting. "All I know is that when I needed McDonald's, McDonald's was there for me. When no one else was," he said to the Washington Post in 2015.

3. Pink

Before gaining fame for her singing voice, Pink worked at McDonald's drive-thru window. "It was important to my family that I make my own money. I was a drive-thru girl at McDonald's," she revealed to Food & Wine magazine in 2015.  "I had a Janet Jackson microphone — I had power," added the 'Get the Party Started' singer.

4. Pharrell Williams

Singer Pharrell Williams not only worked at McDonald's but was also fired from the fast food giant three times. "I was only good at eating the chicken nuggets, the rapper confessed on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers.' He later helped the company by writing its jingle 'I'm Lovin' It'.

5. Jeff Bezos

Billionaire business giant Jeff Bezos started off his career at McDonald's at the age of 16. The Amazon founder, one of the richest persons in the world, worked at flipping burgers and grilling at the fast food chain. "You can learn responsibility in any job if you take it seriously. You learn a lot as a teenager working at McDonald's," Bezos said in an interview for the Wired. In another interview for 'Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald's', the former Amazon CEO said he preferred the Saturday morning shift, where he would "get a big bowl and crack 300 eggs in it."

6. Kamala Harris

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is no stranger to earning a minimum wage. Speaking at a picket line of McDonald's employees in Las Vegas in 2019, the vice president recounted her work at the Golden Arches, saying she “did the french fries and the ice cream” and “there was not a family relying on me to pay the rent, put food on the table, and keep the bills paid by the end of the month.” She spoke about her early career job at 'The Drew Barrymore Show' earlier this year.  “I did fries, and then I did the cashier," Harris said, as per Rolling Stone.

7. Paul Ryan

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan spent his youth as a blue-collar worker at McDonald's. "When I was flippin' burgers at McDonald's when I was standing in front of that big Hobart machine washing dishes or waiting tables, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life," the Republican said in a 2012 speech. After ascending speakership in 2016, he touted his Golden Arches role on X, writing, "If you work at McDonalds, someday you too can be Speaker of the House."

8. Sheryl Palmer

Sheryl Palmer, the CEO of homebuilding firm Taylor Morrison, earned her first dollars as a McDonald's worker at the age of 15. From there, she climbed the success ladder to become the Golden Arches' marketing manager in San Diego when she was 20. "Every 16-year-old should have to work at McDonald's because you really do learn how to work," Palmer told The New York Times in 2017. "You have to pull back the equipment and sweep behind. There are no shortcuts. You had to do it right because it was such a part of their brand. There were a lot of life lessons in that job."

9. Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams was not a top-notch employee at the fast food giant. The 'Mean Girls' actress confirmed her performance was not that impressive during her 3-year work at McDonald's. "I'm not sure why they kept me: I am something of a daydreamer and a dawdler, so they would only let me be the 'friendly voice' that greeted you when you entered the restaurant," McAdams said to The New York Times in 2008. She added that she was so slow that the line of customers would extend beyond the door as she organized sweet and sour packs into the takeout bag.

10. Sharon Stone

Actress and painter Sharon Stone was a part-time employee at McDonald's before she grabbed her first modeling opportunity. According to the Golden Globe winner's IMDB profile, she was a counter girl at the fast food chain.