Stars Whose Relatives Are Really Poor

Living in the shadow of a famous relative could be tough on anyone, but it would be exponentially tougher if your life was a constant financial struggle. Whether it be due to drug addiction or family drama, here's a list of stars whose family members don't get to share their financial success. 

Gordon Ramsay is one of the most recognizable celebrity chefs in the world, but his younger brother, Ronnie Ramsay, is famous for all the wrong reasons. Ronnie was busted in February 2007 after being caught with heroine in Indonesia. In his autobiography, Humble Pie, Gordon reveals that what happened after that arrest made him write off his brother as a lost cause. "Of course Ronnie wanted money. He's tried everything. Death threats. Calls at midnight from various horrible people saying they know what time my kids leave school. Things like that, which you just shouldn't have to have in your life," Gordon writes (via the Daily Mail.) I've changed my numbers, got extra security in the house with CCTV everywhere, but I'm not giving in. I'm not living like that anymore." 

Ronnie has been photographed several times living on the streets of Plymouth, England. Gordon hopes Ronnie, with whom he shared a bunk bed as a child, will eventually conquer his addiction. The famous restaurateur told the Mirror, "I have tried to help many times. It's hard. Every time you see him, God bless him, it reopens a wound for everybody...they have got to hit rock bottom before they want to get out of that scenario."

While Josh Brolin has built a career as an Oscar-nominated actor, life for Jess Brolin–the other son of Hollywood heavyweight James Brolin and animal-activist Jane Cameron Agee–hasn't been so glamorous. After their mother died in a car crash in 1995, Jess was left with a six-figure trust fund which he reportedly squandered. According to Page Six, Jess "was evicted from his $800-a-month apartment in Santa Monica" and has been seen "sleeping in a field behind shops, basically ­wherever he can bed down." 

It's unclear why Jess is living this way because his family appears to be willing to welcome him with open arms. "We have offered help and support and we continue to do so. We love him very much and only want what is best for him," a spokesperson for the Brolin family told the Mirror. 

There probably isn't a person on Earth who doesn't know at least one Madonna song, but her brother doesn't care. The eldest of the seven Ciccone kids, Anthony Ciccone, has reportedly battled alcoholism for years. After multiple DUI arrests and stints in rehab, Ciccone's relationship with his world famous sister looks to be beyond repair. 

Claiming she "does not care if he is dead or alive," Ciccone told the Daily Mail, "I never loved her in the first place, she never loved me. We never loved each other." 

According to the Mirror, Madonna and the rest of her family staged an intervention in an attempt to help Ciccone get back on his feet, but "he showed up drunk." The tabloid claimed Madonna is "done with Anthony forever." 

The older brother of Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey is a guy named Randy Fowler who reportedly works as a limousine driver and "Rod Stewart impersonator" in Boise, Idaho." On his website, Fowler claims he has no relationship with his thespian sibling: "Something changed between us half a lifetime ago, and I really don't know why. I've always kept in touch with him all our adult lives. I've been cordial when we've spoken or gotten together. But those times have been few and far between. Kevin has virtually ignored me for the last 25 years. During the time he's become a major movie star, he's become a minor character in my life. That's been his choice, not mine."

Having overcome a troubled childhood and drug addiction, actress Drew Barrymore reclaimed her life and forged a superstar career. Her half-brother, John Barrymore III, hasn't been so fortunate. According to a 2012 Inside Edition report, John was "homeless and on welfare" with a box containing "all of his worldly possessions." 

With a string of drug arrests under his belt, John "uses a government benefit card to get free food at his local grocery store," the site reported. When asked if he believed a relationship with Drew would ever be possible, John replied, "I've given up at this point."

Renee Berry, who shares a father with Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, would love to reconnect with her famous sibling, but Halle supposedly doesn't feel the same way. According to a 2011 story in the Daily Mail, Renee works in the food service industry, and while that certainly doesn't mean she's financially strapped, we're willing to bet Renee's net worth is nowhere near Halle's $80 million figure. Renee claims the actress cut herself off from her father and his side of the family after he and Halle's mom divorced. Halle has publicly stated in interviews that her father was allegedly a "tyrannical" alcoholic who abused her mother, though Renee recalls her childhood differently, calling their dad a "good man." 

It seems a reconciliation may not be in the cards for these sisters. "I'm sad to say it seems like she does not want anything to do with us. I have not spoken to her in about five years," she told the Daily Mail. "I tried to contact her through her website, to congratulate her on her Oscar, but no one got back to me... We are desperate to understand why Halle is so upset, why she feels she cannot be with us."

Having starred in more than 90 films, including summer blockbusters, arthouse indies, and an Oscar nomination for his work in The Last Detail (1973), Randy Quaid was a star in his own right alongside his brother, Dennis Quaid. But in 2009, trouble began to brew when Randy and his wife were arrested for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 hotel bill. They later faced vandalism and trespassing charges after allegedly squatting at a former home in Santa Barbara, Calif., and they made headlines again when they were arrested at the Canadian border and held on suspicion of being fugitives, reported the Los Angeles Times. 

Randy has also released increasingly bizarre YouTube videos, sought asylum in Canada, and reportedly believes "Star Whackers" are trying to assassinate him. As of 2017, Randy is $1 million in the hole with no signs of being able to dig himself out, reported Celebrity Net Worth.

Dennis had this to say to People in 2011: "I love my brother. That's all I can say. I love my brother and I miss my brother. That's all I'm going to say." 

Whatever your thoughts on Dane Cook's comedic stylings, nobody deserves to have $12 million stolen from them by the people who were tasked to handle their business affairs–especially if those people are your half-brother and sister-in-law. 

Following an investigation that began in 2008, Darryl and Erika McCauley pleaded guilty to "larceny, embezzlement and forgery charges" in October 2010 for "transferring millions of dollars from Cook's business accounts into [Darryl's] personal accounts through checks and wire transfers" reported CNN. Both were sentenced to prison time and ordered to make "restitution payments." It's unclear how long it will take them to pay back Cook, but we can times will be tight for Darryl and Erika for the foreseeable future. 

In a 2003 interview with the National Enquirer (via People), Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, recalled her struggles with drugs and prostitution: "I was a single mother and my boys were babies. I sold my body for food, money and pampers." In 2000, she said she was living in a crack house, and despite Prince's best efforts to help her, she was not yet ready to fully commit to rehab. Calling it her "lowest point," Tyka said, "I pawned the car Prince had given me and sold the kids' TV for drugs." 

Eventually, Prince helped her seek treatment, and she's reportedly been clean and sober ever since. In a twist of bittersweet irony, Tyka's financial troubles are now over after a judge ruled in May 2017 that she was one of the legal heirs to Prince's estimated $200 million estate. 

Mariah Carey's estrangement from older sister Allison is the stuff of tabloid legend. Allison told the Mirror that her "issues with prostitution, addiction and poor health" have driven a wedge between them. "I've reached out to her many, many times throughout the years in every way I could think of to ask for forgiveness and see if we could start over. We're the only sisters each of us will ever have," said the mother of five. 

Mariah's team claims the singer "spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting Alison and her children" and that "Mariah can be there with love and support–but at what point do you not enable somebody any longer? She's looking for Alison to want to help herself."