25 Celebrity Dropouts Who Earned a GED, List No. 1

A trivia item in IMDb's biography of Christina Applegate states, "Passed the GED with flying colors toward the end of her Junior year."

More on Christina Applegate from Diana Mimon.

Image: PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 06: Actress Christina Applegate arrives to the NBC Universal 2012 Winter TCA Tour All-Star Party on January 6, 2012 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Craig Spychalla of Capital Newspapers wrote this about Bo Bice for the Portage Daily Register:

"...He tried enrolling himself, but was stopped by a staff member at the school and questioned about his rocker looks with long hair and piercings.

"This guy says, "Excuse me. Where are you going?' I said, ‘I'm going to enroll in school. He said, ‘Not looking like that you're not. Cut your hair, take your earrings out, get that shirt tucked in and you come back tomorrow.'"

"The long and short of it, I did not end up finishing school, but I got my GED," Bice said.

More on Bo Bice from Bill Lamb.

Image: NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 14, 2010: *EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE* Former American Idol's Bo Bice participates in the 'Idol Gives Back' Volunteer Program at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

You will find David Bowie's name on lists of GED celebrities, but I can't find a good source. If you can help, leave a comment.

Read about David Bowie at Classic Rock with Dave White.

Image: NEW YORK - JUNE 07: David Bowie attends the 2010 CFDA Fashion Awards at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on June 7, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

NicholasCage.net says this about Nicholas Cage: "He hated school and ended up getting his GED."

Image: TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 14: Actor Nicolas Cage arrives at 'Trespass' Premiere at Roy Thomson Hall during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

50CentNews.com includes this bit under Education in its profile of 50 Cent: "Andrew Jackson High School, expelled in 10th grade for possession of crack. Got his GED while in jail."

Read more about 50 Cent from Henry Adaso.

Image: NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 15: 50 Cent promotes the new STREET by 50 & SYNC by 50 headphones at J&R Music World on December 15, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

A lengthy bio of Bill Cosby at Biography.com, includes these passages: More interested in sports than academics, Cosby played on his school's track and football teams. He was placed in a high school for gifted students after scoring high on an IQ test. But Cosby failed to apply himself, and ended up falling behind in his classes. He switched to Germantown High School, and even there he learned that he would have to repeat a grade. In frustration, Cosby dropped out. He worked several odd jobs before joining the U.S. Navy in 1956. ... Regretting his decision to drop out of school, Cosby earned his high school equivalency diploma while in the service.

Image: NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 10: Actor Bill Cosby attends the 9th Annual TV Land Awards at the Javits Center on April 10, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

At JockBio.com, boxer Oscar de la Hoya's education is referred to in this paragraph: "His boxing schedule became so busy that eventually his family had to hire a tutor to help him with all the school he missed. Formal education, however, was of secondary importance."

Read about Oscar de la Hoya from Andrew Eisele.

Image: LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 14: President of Golden Boy Promotions Oscar De La Hoya laughs during the final news conference for the bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino September 14, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather will challenge Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title on September 17, 2011 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Eminem's bio at Biography.com includes this paragraph: Eminem attended Lincoln High School in Warren, Michigan, where he failed the ninth grade three times and eventually dropped out at the age of 17. Despite being a poor student, Eminem always had a deep affinity for language, devouring comic books and even studying the dictionary. "I found that no matter how bad I was at school, like, and no matter how low my grades might have been at some times, I always was good at English ... I just felt like I wanna be able to have all of these words at my disposal, in my vocabulary at all times whenever I need to pull 'em out."

Although there are references on the Internet to Eminem's efforts to earn a GED, I couldn't find a definite source.

Image: LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 13: Eminem accepts the Best Rap Album Award for 'Recovery' onstage during The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

MichaelJFoxdatabase.com has this to say about Fox's education: "Although Michael was close to finishing high school, he decided to light out for Hollywood, California, USA to pursue his career. It was decided that Michael would leave after his 18th birthday, but before graduating High School. (Michael would not receive his General Equivalency Diploma until 1995.) His father drove him to Los Angeles and gave him $3,000 to get started."

Read more about Michael J. Fox from Josh Bell.

Image: NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 09: Actor Michael J. Fox attends Love Heals, The Alison Gertz Foundation For AIDS Education 20th Anniversary gala at the Four Seasons Restaurant on November 9, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)