Kanye West (Ye), Beyoncé, Serena and Venus Williams are high-profile celebrities living lavish lives. Before becoming prominent entertainers and athletes, they were children living in much more humble communities than where they reside today.
Here’s a look at these celebrities’ childhood homes.
This is Texas: Beyoncé
Today Beyoncé has a net worth of a reported $800 million, as per Forbes, and recently purchased with her husband, Jay-Z, the most expensive mansion on Malibu’s exclusive Billionaire Row. But when she was dreaming of stardom, Beyoncé grew up in Houston. The first home she lived in was located in the Riverside Terrace section of Houston. Her parents sold the property when she was 5 and moved to the upscale Parkwood section of Houston. Years ago, her family sold the large white house on Parkwood Drive but at a recent fundraising event, Beyonce met the current owner.
Chi-Town Native: Kanye West
Kanye West’s childhood home in Chicago has always served as a source of inspiration for the music producer, entertainer, and entrepreneur. His mother, the late Donda West, purchased the home in 1981 for $40,000. In 2004, she sold it for $121,000. The home changed hands several times before going into foreclosure and being abandoned. West purchased the home in 2016 for $225,000. Renovations on the property were completed in 2023 and it is expected to be the home of Donda’s House, an arts-based nonprofit organization.
Today, West, worth a reported $400 million, lives with his wife Bianca in a luxury apartment in the West Hollywood section of Los Angeles.
Straight Out of Compton: Venus and Serena Williams
When Venus and Serena Williams were just getting started in the tennis world, the Los Angeles suburb of Compton was home. The sisters lived in a small ranch-style home that was beige with brown trim. In 1995, the family purchased a home in Palm Beach, Florida. Sadly, the home was lost at an auction after the Williams sisters’ stepmother defaulted on a series of loans.
When their careers took off, the Williams sisters lived together in a large house in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. They purchased the property in 1998 for $600,000. In 2018, the residence was sold for $2.5 million.
Today Serena Williams lives in a 14,500-square-foot Spanish Mediterranean-style home with her husband, Alexis Ohanian. Designed by sister Venus’ firm, V Starr, the Miami-area residence includes an open floor plan and amenities such as a wine cellar. What’s missing? A tennis court.
Venus Williams doesn’t live too far from her sister. She has a home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
