The 40 Celebrity Memoirs Actually Worth Reading

These books will change your perspective on some of the biggest A-listers.

a collage of the best celebrity memoir book covers
(Image credit: Various publishers)

Celebrity culture is a fascinating thing, and while it’s easy to get your fill by following various gossip blogs, scrolling endlessly on social media, and going down Wikipedia rabbit holes about your favorite actors, musicians, and other public figures, there’s nothing quite like hearing about the celebrity experience from the people living it. Enter the celebrity memoir. A very specific genre of both book and memoir, the best celeb memoirs not only give readers a peek behind the curtain—exposing the inner workings of Hollywood, Buckingham Palace, Washington, D.C., and beyond—but also offer up juicy, hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking stories that even their most dedicated fans have never heard, painting a much more nuanced picture of a person previously only seen on a TV screen or magazine cover.

Read on for 40 of the best celebrity memoirs ever written—including a National Book Award winner, many New York Times bestsellers, and even newly published, must-read titles. Pro tip: If you’re an audiobook fan, many celebs narrate their own memoirs, making for an even more intimate and immersive reading experience.

Andrea Park

Andrea Park is a freelance writer for Marie Claire, where she writes mainly about pop culture, drawing on her lifelong obsessions with consuming every book, movie, and TV show she can get her hands on. Andrea is based in Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Her byline has also appeared in W, Glamour, Teen Vogue, PEOPLE, and more.