When he's not being mistaken for Chris Rock - despite looking nothing alike with his fellow comic actor - Chris Tucker could usually be found starring as a comedy sidekick in blockbuster movies for most of the past two decades. He was delightfully weird in 'The Fifth Element,' but is arguably best known for providing the laughs while Jackie Chan threw fists and feet in the 'Rush Hour' films. There was even a year when he earned more than anyone else in Hollywood. Those good times didn't last.
In what's becoming a familiar tale, Tucker wasn't keeping up with his taxes as the money rolled in. The IRS came knocking in 2014 and demanded $14m for years of missed payments, and threatened him with jail. He negotiated, avoided the jail sentence, and agreed a reduced settlement with the taxman, but his wealth and career have never recovered. As with all the others, he blames his tax situation on 'bad advice.'
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.