If you're from a big city where celebrity sightings are commonplace, or you somehow work in the entertainment industry, you're probably a lot more comfortable with the idea that celebrities are just regular people with a really unique job.
It can be hard to see through the characters they become in the media, but every now and then a person gets a peek behind the curtain. Chance encounters can often reveal who the celebrity is as a human being - and it's shockingly not always a total dumpster fire.
You'd think fame would start to get to you after a while, and maybe in some cases it does, but apparently a lot of celebs genuinely don't suck as people. Reddit asked people to talk about the nicest celebrity they've ever met, and these stories are honestly all kinds of adorable.
And right now we could all use a little bit of that. So let's let the celebs save the day and make us smile just by being their genuine selves. How incredibly meta.
L.L. Cool J Is In The Bookstooooooore!
I worked at a Barnes & Noble in high school. LL Cool J lived right next to it and would come in almost daily. He knew most of our names, really nice guy.
- Snufyou
He visited my best friend's nephew on the burn unit when nephew was 8. Nephew nearly died, had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body. LL Cool J visited and kept in touch for a while after.
Not my style of music, at all, but I will always be a fan of the person he is.
Down To Earth Dave
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Dave Chappelle and his family live a few miles from where I went to college, and he and I frequented the same Starbucks. I ran into him about ten times. One day he sat with me for about 45 minutes and talked about screenwriting. It was amazing. He's as down to earth as his stage persona suggests, and it's no wonder he opted to raise his family away from L.A.
Mine is Dave Chappelle too. I was in a college group that brought in speakers and performers so we brought him in. After his act we thought he left, so we started eating all the trays of food in his waiting room. He poked his head in and joked that we were hotboxing the room. Then he came and sat with us for an hour! He sat next to me, and when I told him it was my friends birthday and this friend was a big fan, he took my phone and called this friend and talked to him. It was amazing. This was 2005, I think right before he took a big break from everything.
Devito
Danny Devito. I ended up at a hotel bar in Philly with this girl I was hanging out with and her friend. Turns out the cast of Always Sunny was filming the 10th(ish?) season and staying at the hotel and hanging out downstairs. So girl's friend flags down Danny as he's walking by and he ends up sitting with us for a solid 2 hours. Buys us a couple rounds. And tries to invite the girl up to his hotel room; which was a weird turn but he also introduced us to Charlie Day so I'm calling it a win.
Not At All Like House
Having met Hugh Laurie in person, I can confidently state that he is one of the nicest and most humble celebrities out there. Not only is he completely happy to interact with his fans, but he also does so in a way that makes each and every one of them feel like they're a friend. He remembers names and personal details with amazing accuracy, and he makes each conversation seem like it's an extension of a treasured (and ongoing) dialogue. Add to that the fact that the man is outwardly hilarious, and you've got a recipe for a genuinely great guy.
A Wink And A Head Nod
Peter Dinklage is a lot of fun! Really cool guy. His laugh is incredibly infectious.
He and I had a funny encounter. We were both at a coffee shop in the Bowery at like 6:30 AM. We were the only ones there. He'd ordered a fancy drink of some sort so had to stand there and wait. I ordered a filter but it was a long process pour over type thing.
So he and I were stood there next to each other for 3-4 minutes. It was awkward because I don't really talk to celebrities / public figures. But at the same time it was weird because it was just the two of us and it was obvious I knew who he was.
In the end I gave him the chin nod. He winked and gave me the chin nod. That cleared the air and we were able to get on with our day.
Steven Tyler
My aunt met Steven Tyler and said he was super chill. Except she had no idea who he was, and he was just some guy who bought a lot of the musical instruments she was selling at a charity event. She posted a video of the two of them singing together on Facebook, and made a comment about how she was happy that this nice musician was making enough money to live off of. I had her go look up Aerosmith videos and she was shocked it was the same guy.
- othybear
My stepdaughter was maybe 7 years old. She and I were sitting in a coffee shop and she was complaining about her mom making her take piano lessons. A man behind her goes "my mom made me take music lessons too. And I've made a pretty good living ever since." And it was STEVEN TYLER! Aerosmith was in town for a show and our coffee shop was near their hotel. He sat down and chatted with her for about 10 minutes. I was blown away. The 7yo? Not so impressed by the random old guy talking to her about piano lessons. It was very kind of him to give her the pep talk though.
Colin Firth
Colin Firth
I saw him sitting in a cafe with his son. Extremely nice, I waited until they got up to leave before I went and asked if I could get an autograph for my mom (who's a huge fan). He asked me a few questions about her and wrote a quite nice autograph for her. He asked if I wanted one as well and I told him that meeting him was more than enough.
I had told him where she worked and he went in the next day and made a point to stop and chat with her. Truly a class act.
People Describe Their Best Chance Encounters | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Natalie Portman
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Natalie Portman.
She came to my synagogue one day and gave a speech and then came around to our classrooms to talk with us a little. She was extremely sweet and incredibly beautiful. Seemed very patient and caring.
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder, but there's a story behind this...
I worked at a pharmacy in the '80s and was asked to deliver medicine to Gilda Radner (Gene's wife) during her cancer battle. After a long delay to make the delivery due to issues related to the getting in touch with her doctor, I was finally given the prescription and drove up to their house to make the delivery. During my drive, I was excited at meeting one of the brightest comedy stars of the time...
When I arrived, I rang the doorbell and Gilda answered. I knew she was sick, but even I was surprised at her gaunt appearance - she did not look well at all. Immediately, I realized she was very angry because of the long delay in getting the medicine to her. Unfortunately, she let loose all that anger at me. I apologized many times (even though I had nothing to do with the delays).
After she finished and I gave her the prescription, she closed the door on me. I was not upset at her, though - indeed, I was very sad - that this brilliant comedienne was sick and was going through such an absolutely awful ordeal... This was an awful situation and not at all as I had hoped my encounter would go.
As I turned around to walk away from the door, I went several steps before I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and it was Gene, letting me know that his wife was very sick and he apologized many times for her behavior. He then gave me a nice tip for the delivery service and shared his gratitude for the weekend delivery and work by my pharmacy.
I'll never forget the encounter and appreciate that I got to meet both of them, even for a brief time, under difficult circumstances...
Rob
My girlfriend works at a high end grocer in los angeles and among the many celebrities she encounters daily, Rob Schneider is not only the most genuinely nice guy, but has become a bit of a friend now. He picked us up in a van for her 30th bday and drove us to his comedy show, paid for our table, dinner, everything.. truly such a nice fcking guy
Emma Dumont
Emma Dumont.
At Comic Con. I spent about 10 to 15 minutes talking to which is way longer than you're supposed to. She went out of her way to be nice. She did this with every fan (making the line take a really long time but worth the wait, her people actually had to hurry HER on while she was talking to fans.) She also ordered pizza for everyone standing in line that had to wait and she was also giving out her phone number to some fans. Emma also specially signed my photo, leaving a personal note. She's great.
Trust me, not everyone does things like this at cons.
Uncle Phil
James Avery (Phillip Banks of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). I was walking with my three little kids and lots of baggage in the Philadelphia airport car rental parking lot and he offered to help me with my kids and bags to get to the shuttle bus. He was genuinely really nice.
- Catusa
And Obviously, Mr. Rogers
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Mr. Rogers. Absolutely as kind and gentle and lovely as he seemed on TV.
I was lucky enough to spend 6 hours sitting next to the man on an airplane. I was 7. Highlight of my life.
We ate lunch. I spilled on him. I thought I had ruined everything, but he just smiled and gave me his dessert.
A friend of mine used to work on his show. Apparently he was exactly the person his TV image conveyed.
I went to high school right next to the building (WQED in Pittsburgh), where they taped his show and we'd see him frequently coming and going. Now, for teenage guys, Mister Rogers obviously wasn't "cool" but since we all grew up watching him, so he was okay. This was around 1981 or '82.
And then one morning, we were hanging out at the Senior Smoking Area, a side door entrance to the school that faced the WQED building, talking with a kid named Randy. He was a bit of a stoner; not a great student, denim jacket with 'Led Zeppelin' written in black marker on the back, greasy hair, the whole deal. He was a funny guy and we hung out with him, but he definitely seemed destined for a difficult life, probably pretty lost, no plans for college, etc.
So as we stand there, we all see Mister Rogers walking up the path toward WQED, and we're all like "Hey, check it out, it's Mister Rogers," and suddenly he looks over at us, and his arm shoots up and he waves and says, "Good morning, Randall!", with a big smile, very energetic and sincere.
And Randy says "S'up Mister Rogers," and pulls another drag on his cigarette and just grins. We were speechless and were like "Dude, you know Mister Rogers??" and Randy said, "Yeh I mean, I see him like almost every day".
I'll never forget that morning because, as stunned as we all were as teenagers, I think back on it now (at well over 50!) and it reminds me just how nice and accepting Mister Rogers was of everyone. Here was this misfit of a kid, smoking and hanging out, looking a mess, and Mister Rogers cared enough to obviously find out his name and remember it and make an effort to at least say "hello" to him everyday. Incredible.
Kids say the cutest things, don't they?
Their unfiltered observations about life's many mysteries can be downright hilarious and serve as reminders of their pure innocence.
But it's less forgivable when adults make naive comments because, well, shouldn't they know better?
That's not always the case, however.
Curious to hear ridiculous examples of the things grown people say, Redditor Automatic_Hedgehog71 asked:
"What is the silliest statement you have ever heard someone make?"
Some people should really think twice before opening their mouth.
Work Of Art
"'How did they get the paint all the way up the sides?' -Middle-aged woman touring the Meteor Crater in AZ."
“'That’s not paint, those are the actual colors of the rock' -Her husband, giving her a long stare and walking away."
– ghostbungalow
For Trial And Error
"I had a boss say 'oh you don’t want kids, you should just have one to try it out.'"
"Really, and what happens if I find out that I truly don’t want kids? Can we just put it back where it came from?"
– tyintegra
Confused Soldier
"I worked at a place that gave a military discount."
"Family (mom, dad, adult son, adult daughter) walked in. Dad was reading the prices and pointed out to the son that he could get a discount!"
"This kid takes the sign, reads it, and says, as God is my witness:"
"I'm not in the military. I'm in the Army."
– JustMeerkats
To Live Or Let Die
"Someone once told me that paramedics/nurses/doctors are not allowed to do CPR on someone they know because it’s 'a conflict of interest.'”
– corviknight2259
It's a wonder how some people manage to live in the real world.
Know Your Audience When Using Big Words
"Sat down to eat with a friend. I said 'I'm famished' she looked at me, laughed and LOUDLY she said to me 'I swear you make up words sometimes.'"
– NotBadSinger514
"Oh man people say this to me all the time! Why did I read books and learn so many words, when no one understands them, and I really didn't think they were so pretentious, words like Famished."
– Person_Letter_629
Not Icarus
"A friend of mine said she got more tanned when riding her bike than she did when walking because on her bike, she was 'closer to the sun.'"
– Five_Star_Amenities
"This just reminded me of a time I was out on a boat with a big group of people and one of them said 'I’m so glad it’s windy, I won’t get sunburned' they thought the wind would push the light away from their skin. I was the only one to say it definitely doesn’t work like that and I could tell they thought I was wrong."
– Thbbbt_Thbbbt
The Symptoms Indicate Otherwise
"Earlier today I offered a cough drop upon my flight’s landing to the lady wet coughing right behind me the whole flight."
'Oh, no thanks, I’m not sick. I just went to Oregon and have felt awful the whole time since.'
"Okay…so…sick"
– ACaparzo
Completely Lost
"A friend once said she couldn't take Southwest Airlines because she was flying east to Florida."
– ProudCatLadyxo
"How do they get the planes back? Do they repaint them as Northeast? Or do they just push them?"
– ch4m3le0n
"They just keep flying south until they come back around."
– frymeyourpoop
A Silly Sports Spectator Said
"I was at a baseball game in Cincinnati and the teenage girl behind turned to her friend and said 'this is so cool, it's almost like we're watching it live.' I think about that a lot."
"EDIT: based on the look of the girls and their other conversations this was no joke, there was no laughing either. Don't remember the exact year but flip phones were the most common cell phone and we had seats in the outfield so she didn't appear to be watching the game thru her phone. This also wasn't the first time that day where I heard them say something and I stopped what I was doing and stared straight into space, just the most memorable. They seemed like nice enough girls, no malicious or rude conversations, it just appeared like they lacked some basic intelligence for some relatively simple concepts."
– Michael_With_An_M
You can't be difficult and clueless at the same time, can you?
Observe exhibits A, B, & C.
Unpalatable Texture
"A woman tried to send back a dish. She didn’t understand the components of it and tried to tell me that she couldn’t eat it because she was allergic to crunchy. Like yeah the texture. Not the ingredient that we had made crunchy."
– BuckleupBirds
"LMAO. Makes me feel better about the guy who asked a friend (server) for ‘Mushroom risotto, but without the rice’."
– Mavises
I'll Have The Pie And Ice Cream With A Side Of Ice Cream
"Had an older family member that back in the day went to a diner and ordered the 'pie a la mode' from the menu. He then proceeded to ask the waitress if they could put a little ice cream on top of that. : )"
– Fluffing_Satan
My husband and I were walking around a gift shop in Solvang, CA, and marveling at some of the various tchotchkes.
One of them was a MOVA globe.
MOVA globes are usually about the size of a softball held up by three small supports, and they rotate without the use of electrical wires or batteries.
Instead, they're powered by the combination of solar cells and torque from the earth's magnetic field. We didn't know this at the time, however.
When a worker nearby saw us being mesmerized by the shelf of spinning globes, he commented, "Cool, right?"
And I replied, "Yeah, how does it work?"
The dude gave a sly smile and said:
"It's an optical delusion."
Or illusion...
We all have various brands and businesses we tend to prefer over others.
Sometimes, we might not patronize these businesses because they have a superior product, but because they might seem more trustworthy than their competitors.
Indeed, some people have had such terrible experiences with companies, even some esteemed corporations, that they went running from them straight into the arms of one of their rivals.
Vowing that they would never, ever spend money on this company ever again.
Redditor SignificantClick8284 was eager to hear which companies people have zero trust in, leading them to ask:
"What company will you never trust again?"
Their Poor Communication Is Kind Of Ironic...
"Comcast."
"Their agents will lie to your face and act like you're in the wrong when called out."- bigdammit
customer service call center GIF
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Not A Place To Spend Or Save Your Money...
"Ashley Furniture."
"Joke of a company."
"Bank of America - also scum."- KrankOverman
Better Question, What Question Will You EVER Trust Again...
"Unfurls paper scroll that stretches to the floor and rolls out the door."
"Ahem."- djb2589
"I see no reason to trust any company."- lycos94
When The Conformation Email Is Moot...
"Booking.com."
"I 'booked' through them just to find out that the hotel had no record of my reservation."
"Then I spent an hour in the lobby trying to get them on the phone, just to find out the price wouldn’t be honored and have them try to sell me another nearby hotel room."
"Nightmare."- DuncanAerilious
"Oh, oh The Well's Fargo Wagon Is A Comin'..."
"Wells Fargo."- clubberlang2005
"Yup."
"I was one of the WF customers who suddenly had 3 mystery WF accounts under my name."
"This was prior to the court case so I went in to my branch to ask WTF."
"The manager said the guy who set up those accounts was the same guy that setup my original 2 accounts - a checking and savings account."
"That a-hole tried to make it sound like he was doing me a favor by setting up all these accounts."
"Making it worse he says I need to login to my account in order for him to remove the other 3 accounts."
"He hands me that password box, I enter my password and he says 'that's an easy one to remember'."
"Is that your favorite band?'"
"After he said that I asked for the branch manager and told him what just happened and that I was closing all of my accounts'."- thescreamingstone
kate mckinnon snl GIF by Saturday Night Live
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"That's All Folks!"
"ACME."
"Every f8cking thing."
"From anvils to bat suits to zoot suits always FAIL."- alien_survivor
Not Equipped For The Digital Age
"HP."
"Thier printers (large and small format) are all complete trash that require constant upkeep."- Bluegrass_Barbarian
Pictures And Fine Print Can Be Misleading...
"Airbnb."- pkovach64
"My wife and I were drinking and got pretty drunk at an Airbnb and without letting us know the hosts sent a bunch of people to the property to refill the propane and other stuff."
"They came into the house while we were drunk and half-naked and were catcalling my wife in front of me."
"This was a pretty big and well-known group operating in Tennesee."
"From what we found out this is extremely common."- Huge-Plantain-8418
Giveaway GIF by AppSumo
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Analog Has Its Benefits...
"EA."- bullet312
"I lost all my sims sh*t because I hadn't logged in for more than 6 months."
"EA told me to reset my password so that they could restore my account."
"They kept saying the link was in my email, but it never came."
"Kept calling to try to get the issue fixed over a few weeks, then I realized they were just d*cking me around."
"F*ck EA."- MotherOfDogs1872
And To Think They're Supposed To Help You...
"Any insurance company."
"Especially health and homeowners."- carolizzy81
FalsE Advertising
"Nabisco."
"They took double stuffed Oreos, reduced the amount of cream to the same as the regular Oreos, and are still selling them as double stuffed, and are charging double stuffed prices!"
"The betrayal is unforgivable."- It_Wasnt_Me79
oreo GIF
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As If Taxes Aren't Annoying Enough...
"Jackson Hewitt!"
"Had our taxes done a while back, and the tax preparer asked if we wanted the $200 cash advance."
"We did not."
"She then proceeded to change our information and use hers to get the temporary card with the advance."
'She then used an ATM to withdraw cash."
"She was arrested, but getting a refund was like pulling teeth from a hen."
'They didn't believe that it happened even though we had the paperwork with the tax preparer's information on it."
"It was a frigging nightmare!"
"Oh, I almost forgot she added me to the return and said I was the sister instead of the mom, so we ended up owing $1500 on top of the bullsh*t from the tax preparer."
"I do our taxes now."- RoguePhoenix259
People like to know when they're spending money that it's going somewhere they can trust.
Especially if their money is going somewhere that is supposed to keep their money safe, to begin with...
People's Wildest 'WTF Is Wrong With You?' Experiences