Born in Prison: Leighton Meester's Difficult Childhood

Gettyimages | Alberto E. Rodriguez

It's truly inspiring to hear stories of the famous and fortunate members of society starting from humble beginnings. "Everyman" stories inspire the less-fortunate to try and make something great of themselves. Here's another one of those stories.

You may recognize Leighton Meester from her role as Blair Waldorf on the popular teen drama Gossip Girl but there are major differences between Waldorf and Meester. For starters, Waldorf comes from a place of wealth and social privilege that Meester definitely didn't share in her early life.

Okay, so wasn't literally born behind the bars. Prisons tend to transfer pregnant patients to hospitals for delivery, but Meester's mother was serving a prison sentence at the time of her birth.

Due to a charge for smuggling pot from Jamaica with Meester's father in 1983, Meester's mother, Constance, would find herself serving prison time in 1986. Leighton was born in April of that year.

The drug smuggling ring was actually a way bigger hit than you would think. It included Meester's aunt and maternal grandmother as well. In fact, Meester's aunt would escape from prison and become the first woman on the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted List.

Wikimedia | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leighton_Meester_2008.jpg

After her birth, Meester would go on to spend several of her first months living in a halfway house (not quite prison, not quite freedom). Eventually, she'd be released to her grandmother while waiting for her mother to get out.

Meester commented on her mother, saying:

"My mum lived through a lot before I was born, and I can’t judge her on that. She and my dad are good people."

Meester is insistent that her childhood wasn't a bad one, though it certainly had its ups and downs.

Gettyimages | Paul Archuleta

Meester's mother would gain her freedom and her family would face some struggles, including her parents' divorce and financial troubles. Even with the money issues, Meester had a lot of fun memories.

The Gossip Girl star would go on to take modeling jobs at a young age and work for The Limited Too and Ralph Lauren. Though they struggled to keep up on the bills, the family would move to NY to help Meester pursue her career.

Her father commented on Meester, saying:

"She’s proof that the dream can be had by all."

Gettyimages | Desiree Navarro

Rough childhoods usually mean a kid has to take on more responsibility and grow up faster than those in a stable home. Meester was no exception. She immersed herself in her work. She'd skip the teen social life, skip dating, and skip the prom. But, at the age of 21, Meester would land her big break and get to relive the parts of high school she missed on screen.

Meester sees the focus she had in those younger years as a gift that brought her to where she is today. She was able to use her career to support her mother and younger brother, which would turn into lawsuits when the money stopped flowing in their direction.

Meester has seriously transformed her life. Hopefully, the hard times are long behind her.