Parker tells graduates childhood financial strain shaped her work ethic

Sarah Jessica Parker used a Northwestern University commencement address to frame financial hardship as the root of her work habits, telling graduates that wanting more can fuel ambition. The message paired a celebrity success story — Fortune reported her net worth at about $200 million — with a warning against comfort turning into complacency.

Parker told the class of 2026 that she grew up as “one of eight kids that struggled financially.” She said her childhood household generally had necessities, but often lacked extras, and described that gap as formative rather than only painful.

“For the most part, as children, we had what we needed, but we rarely had the things that we wanted,” Parker said in the speech, according to Fortune. She said that experience built “a hunger, a focused ambition, and a work ethic” that became a source of pride.

Fortune reported that Parker, before her fame as Carrie Bradshaw on “Sex and the City,” has said her family at times could not afford electricity or Christmas celebrations. Variety reported in 2021 that Parker and other stars of “And Just Like That” were set to earn more than $1 million per episode.

A career built through early work and unwanted roles

Parker told graduates that ambition should not be dismissed as fantasy. In her speech, she rejected the idea that dreamers are impractical, saying that “to dream is to have vision,” according to Fortune.

Her own work began early. Fortune reported that Parker was 8 when she starred in the NBC after-school special “The Little Match Girl,” earning $500 for the role.

Parker said she later accepted jobs she did not admire because she needed income. “I’ve had many of those detours in my own life that you might be able to name: bad movies, bad television shows, that I did to pay the rent or to eat,” she told Northwestern graduates, according to Fortune.

She said those roles did not end her larger goals. Parker told the graduates she tried not to let uninspiring jobs weaken her pursuit of a longer career in entertainment.

How she says she teaches money at home

Fortune also pointed to Parker’s past comments about raising children with her husband, actor Matthew Broderick. In a 2023 iHeartRadio interview cited by Fortune, Parker said the couple wanted their three children to understand earning money.

Parker said in that interview that her children’s needs were met and that they were warm in winter and cool in summer, according to Fortune. She also said children “should pine for things” and, over time, think about how they contribute to getting them.

Fortune reported that Parker and Broderick have said they took practical steps at home, including dressing their son in hand-me-downs.

Other executives have made similar arguments

Fortune placed Parker’s remarks alongside comments from business leaders who have told students that difficulty can shape resilience. Delta CEO Ed Bastian told graduates this year that hardship can be an “investment” in their careers and future selves, according to Fortune.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has made a similar case. In an interview with the Stanford Graduate School of Business cited by Fortune, Huang said people with very high expectations can have low resilience, and that resilience matters to success.

Fortune reported that Huang, who was born in Taiwan in 1963 and moved to the U.S. at age 9 after spending much of his early life in Thailand, described childhood hardships as preparation for leadership. He told Stanford students he wished them “ample doses of pain and suffering,” arguing that character comes from people who have suffered, according to Fortune.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.