Carmen Electra Says She Was ‘Homeless In L.A.’ Before Finding Fame

Carmen Electraopened up about her rise to fame and career in Hollywood during her appearance at ’90s Con Florida.

She shared her early struggles with shyness and homelessness before being discovered by Prince, who boosted her confidence.

The actress recently took legal steps to make “Carmen Electra” her legal name, opting to drop the name “Tara Leigh Patrick.”

At 90s Con Florida on September 14, Electra and other stars joined a panel moderated by People TV’s Dory Jackson, where they reminisced about their time as iconic ’90s stars.

Despite being seen as a ’90s bombshell, the “Baywatch” alum opened up about her shyness in the early stages of her career.

According to People Magazine, she revealed that her path to stardom wasn’t easy, sharing, “I was homeless in L.A., I’m not from a rich family or anything like that.”

The 52-year-old added: “I knew where I needed to be in N.Y. or L.A.. So there was a lot of struggling, and I didn’t really know what I was going to do. But I just started to try things and come out of my shell really. So that’s the beginning.”

Though trained as a dancer, Electra admitted feeling lost and insecure in Hollywood, often leaving auditions discouraged, thinking, “Everyone’s so pretty, I can’t do this, I can’t memorize anything.”

During the panel, Electra revealed that her journey was shaped by meeting supportive people along the way.

The actress explained how she navigated early struggles by carrying a “shank in my jean shorts” and going to a “payphone” while holding a pager.

She added with a smile: “I don’t know if people really know that about me but there it is. You guys make it happen.”

Electra credits her rise to fame to the legendary Prince, who “discovered” her. The late singer reportedly changed her name to the famous stage name, “Carmen Electra,” which she recently made her legal name.

“He just set me up and he was so supportive,” she shared. “With his support I got a tad bit more confident and just tried things and tried to keep that in mind with all my insecurities that I still have.”

Electra, now 52, became a pop culture sensation in the late ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, with standout roles in films like the “Scary Movies” series and “Starsky & Hutch.” However, her breakthrough came with her role as Lani McKenzie on “Baywatch,” which cemented her status as a ’90s icon.

According to documents obtained by The Blast, in February, the actress officially dropped her birth name, Tara Leigh Patrick, to become legally known as Carmen Electra.

In the filing made in January, she noted that she “has been using Carmen Electra as her stage name for decades and now seeks legal clarification.”

Sources close to Electra also told  TMZthat there was no serious reason behind her seeking to change her birth name and that it was just something the actress had been thinking about.

She eventually made the legal move at the beginning of 2024 in order to start the year “fresh.”

Electra’s name change came after she revealed she was joining OnlyFans. The actress made the move after marking her 50th birthday in 2022.

In an interview with People, she revealed her reason for joining OF, noting that it allows her to take complete control and ownership of her creativity.

Electra said at the time, “I, for once, have this opportunity to be my own boss and have my own creative vision to share with my fans without someone standing over me, telling me, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that. Cover up this.”

“People are going to do what they want to do anyway with your photos, you might as well be in control of them and follow what you feel like doing inside,” Electra added in her chat with the news outlet.

Electra disclosed that her OF account would feature travel-themed content, beauty tips, swimsuit and lingerie shots, and “more sexy, classy pictures and videos.”

According to the ’90s star, this will allow her to communicate personally and get to know her devoted followers on a “little bit more intimate” level.

Electra has since steadily updated her fans on the platform with fresh content, mostly about her life and daily activities.

Last year, the actress revealed that she gets lots of “requests for [her] feet” and that it “cracks [her] up.”