15 Famous People And Celebrities Who Stutter

Kendrick Lamar during a concert in 2016. Photo By Batiste Safont – Wikimedia Commons

15 Famous People And Celebrities Who Stutter

According to statistics, at least one in every one hundred people is a stammerer. That’s more than 80 million people in the world or the whole population of Germany!  

Stuttering, also known as stammering, is mainly genetic. It can, however, like in the case of Marilyn Monroe, also develop due to abnormal family dynamics and emotional trauma. Some of your favourite musicians and actors have come out and spoken of their struggles and victory from the impediment.

In this article, we touch on 15 famous people and celebrities who stammer or used to stammer. You will be surprised to find some unexpected names on the list.  

1. Kendrick Lamar – Rapper/Songwriter

Kendrick Lamar. Photo By Ndinur –Wikimedia Commons

It is hard to imagine that a well-spoken rapper such as Kendrick Lamar once had a stutter.  The 17-time Grammy Award winner suffered from a speech disorder in his younger days and credited music as his escape.

Kendrick has received critical acclaim for his introspective lyrics and captivating narration. He remains one of the most influential rappers of all time.

Check out this recap on the most popular songs of 2022 including Kendrick’s N95.

2. Tiger Woods – Athlete

Tiger Woods at Quicken Loans National 6/27/18. Photo By KA Sports Photos – Wikimedia Commons

Before Tiger Woods learned how to spell his name, he began showing interest in golfing. His incredible swing at the age of 5 earned him a feature in two magazines, Golf Digest and That’s Incredible. But this wasn’t enough to make him the cool kid in class.

In one CBS interview, Tiger narrated how badly he struggled in school because of his speech disorder. He mentioned practicing his sentences on his pet dog until it fell asleep. He also channeled his anxiety and stress into playing golf which he evidently excelled at.

3. Ed Sheeran – Singer/ Songwriter

Ed Sheeran. Photo By Eva Rinaldi – Wikimedia Commons

In 2015, Ed Sheeran was honored by the American Institute for Stuttering during the Freeing Voices Changing Lives Benefit Gala. In his acceptance speech, he narrated the ordeal that had him stuttering in his early childhood days and how he got over it.

Unlike most stutters, Ed was not born with the disorder. A laser removal procedure was what led to his stammer. He used different methods to improve his disorder including herbs and speech therapy. Who would have thought that Eminem’s Marshall Mather LP album would be what he needed to get over his impairment?

4. Steve Harvey – TV Personality/Actor/Comedian/Author

Steve Harvey at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo By Angela George – Wikimedia Commons

When he was 12, Steve Harvey told his teacher that he wanted to be on TV. His teacher ridiculed the young boy and told him he has no chance of making it.

At the time, Steve had a heavy stutter. It was an employee at one of the neighborhood delicatessens that helped improve his speech. Every time he was able to complete a sentence without stammering, the counterman gave him free candy.

In a 2022 episode of Family Feud, Steve Harvey opened up about his stutter after a member of the audience asked how best he could get over the impairment. In his talk, he taught his audience the two techniques that he had learned and used over time.  

5. Marilyn Monroe – Actress/Model/Singer

Photo of Marilyn Monroe from the front cover of the New York Sunday News magazine. Photo By New York Sunday News – Wikimedia Commons

Marilyn Monroe was the Kim Kardashian of the 1950s. She grew into a famous actress landing leading roles on Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949) and Naigara (1953).

Monroe developed her speech disorder when she was 12. She had an unstable upbringing after her mother was diagnosed with a mental disorder. With an absent parent and left under the care of strangers, she became withdrawn and developed a stammer.

Monroe had speech therapy classes where she was taught how to control her stammer through breathing. She adopted the breathy technique which became her signature voice.

6. Emily Blunt – Actress

Emily Blunt at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Photo source Wikimedia Commons

Emily Blunt was a stammerer up until she was 14. Her family lineage suffered from the same speech impairment which she began noticing when she was 6.

“Once you are a stutterer, you will always be a stutterer”, said Emily during the 2022 Gala hosted by the American Institute for Stuttering (AIS). She is a board member of the organization and actively participates in its awareness campaigns.

The Devil Wears Prada actress has been vocal about how acting had a major impact on her speech. It was her form of therapy. Surprisingly, she told People magazine that the speech impediment resurfaced during both of her pregnancies.

To find out more about the award-winning actress, see this article on the top 10 facts about Emily Blunt.

7. Winston Churchill – Political Figure

Portrait of Winston Churchill (1874–1965). Photo By
J. Russell and Sons – Wikimedia Commons

Winston Churchill was a fluent speaker. His public delivery was eloquent, and some physicians argued the possibility that Churchill wasn’t a stutterer. Another physician from Washington believed Winston only had a lisp, not a stammer.

Randolph Churchill, however, wrote of his father’s struggle with a speech impediment in his early days. It is said Winston grew so concerned about his stutter, he made a visit to a specialist in London and India.

8. Joe Biden – Political Figure

The first portrait of Joe Biden as president of the United States. Photo By The White House – Wikimedia Commons

Joe Biden began stammering when he was a child. He was often bullied in school because of his speech impairment. The stutter didn’t stop him from chasing his dream of working in public service.  

Though his speech has massively improved, the POTUS still stutters in his addresses. On December 20^th, 2019, he took to Twitter to announce his mentorship for a children-based stammering program.

See this article on the 10 most famous U.S presidents. 

9. James Earl Jones – Actor

James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader for the character’s portrayals in film and television. Photo By Eva Rinaldi – Wikimedia Commons

James Jones was a heavy stammerer in his childhood. So heavy that he selectively spoke to those he felt comfortable with. When he attempted to improve his speech, he got frustrated and gave up.

A young Jones turned to his pen and began writing poems. His teacher noticed that he barely stammered when he read his own pieces out loud. He continued to encourage him and James grew an interest in acting.

Jones’s career took off after featuring in The Great White Hope (1967). He has won multiple awards including an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).

Jones is the voice behind Lion King’s Mufasa and Star Wars Darth Vader.

10. Bruce Willis – Actor

Bruce Willis speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International. Photo By Gage Skidmore – Wikimedia Commons

Bruce Willis had it rough growing up. He mentioned that his childhood wasn’t exactly filled with happy memories. This was way more than teenage acne or a bad hairdo.

Bruce’s stuttering alienated him from his peers. He was also bullied around in school. He found his way into drama club where he reduced his stutter drastically. Getting into character was the push he needed to work on his speech.

Bruce enrolled at Montclair University to pursue a drama program. He established himself in the entertainment scene after his role as David Addison in the TV Series Moonlight (1985-1989).

11. Elvis Presley – Singer/Songwriter

Elvis Presley promoting Jailhouse Rock. Photo By Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.- Wikimedia Commons

The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, was an ambitious singer/songwriter. He struggled with not only his music career but also his speech. His stutter became evident in elementary school and proceeded on into his adulthood.

A strong-willed Elvis saw his disorder as a challenge that needed to be overcome. His passion for music and acting aided in improving his speech delivery.   

Interesting Fact; During his first Hollywood acting audition, Elvis got so excited he couldn’t get the words on the script out. He was unable to rehearse the full sentences because of his stammering.  In an unexpected turn of events, the Director thought he was perfect and that the stutter was a great addition to his character. He struck it lucky.

Find out how Elvis Presley and other famous people broke into their careers in the article on 20 famous people who failed before succeeding.

12. Eric and Julia Roberts – Actor/ Actress

Julia Roberts attending the premiere of Jesus Henry Christ at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Photo By David Shankbone – Wikimedia Commons

Erick and Julia Roberts are a sibling duo known for their incredible acting skills. They both were nominated at the Oscars and have won several awards throughout their acting career. As if acting wasn’t enough of a common factor, the two siblings also share a speech disorder.

Julia and Erick come out publicly about stuttering in their younger years. Erick, who has been more vocal on the subject, said he read a lot of books to avoid conversing with his classmates and people in general.     

13. Carly Simon – Singer/ Songwriter/Author

Publicity photo of Carly Simon published by her record label. Photo By Elektra – Wikimedia Commons

When Carly was 8, she had a severe stammering problem. Her impediment was so bad her parent took her to therapy for it. The psychiatrist was unable to improve her speech, so Carly got herself into singing.

Carly’s mother encouraged her to continue writing songs. She worked on her stutter becoming a musical sensation with more than 30 recorded albums.  

14. Nicole Kidman -Actress

Nicole Kidman speaking at the 2018 San Diego Comic Con International, for “Aquaman”. Photo By Gage Skidmore – Wikimedia Commons

Nicole Kidman was already a shy girl growing up but her stutter made this worse. She had a lot of trouble articulating her words. She slowly worked on her speech and was able to overcome her stammer by adulthood.

Kidman grew to become a well-known producer and actress. She is featured in popular movies such as Aqua man (2018), Batman Forever (1995), and Paddington (2014).

15. Hugh Grant – Actor

Hugh Grant: The Pirates, Band of Misfits 2012. Photo By Eva Rinaldi – Wikimedia Commons

In a recent listing by Times magazine, Hugh Grant was named one of Britain’s greatest actors of all time. He came into the limelight after starring in the 1987 film Maurice. But his life wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows.

Hugh had developed a stutter in his early childhood days. He sought to improve his speech and in so doing found himself thrust in the acting scene.

Stuttering might seem like such a hurdle to get over. These famous people are enough proof that with the right amount of guidance and a strong enough will, stammering can be improved and/or totally eliminated.