"So Smug And Rude": People Are Sharing Their Memorable Interactions With Celebrities, And While Most Are Lovely, A Few Were A Real Bummer
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Members of the BuzzFeed Community recently told us their most memorable celebrity encounter stories. There were so many comments, we decided we needed to come back and share even MORE interesting stories with you. So, here are some other encounters people shared:
Note: These stories were submitted by readers and therefore cannot be verified by staff.
1."My partner just met Kristen Bell a few weeks ago. We live in a popular vacation area, and he just happened to bump into her coming out of the bathroom and locker area at a recreation spot. He may or may not have been pretty baked, but he greeted her with 'Mrs. Bell? I don't want to bother you, but I am a huge fan. My girlfriend is too, and she's going to kill me when I tell her about this!' Kristen was so nice and shook his hand, apologizing that they were still damp from the bathroom, and then offered to take a picture to show me. My boyfriend has a picture with Kristen Bell standing in front of my usual locker that I use multiple times a week. Un-freaking-believable."
2."In the early 2000s, we went to Pebble Beach/Monterey area. My friend lost her camera on the beach and we walked all over looking for it. A nice couple came up to ask to ask if they could help, and it was Erik Estrada and his wife. I jokingly said, 'Well, I wish we had a camera to take a picture,' and his wife offered to take it for us. Well a month later, I received two autographed pictures and a sweet note from Erik telling us how nice it was to meet us and he and his wife enjoyed getting to know us. Ponch from CHiPs made a fan for life!"
3."Steven Spielberg is a super nice guy! I was working in Santa Monica one summer at a shoe store. I had gone to the mall to get a lemonade from Hot Dog on a Stick. While I was waiting for the light to change to cross the street, this nice man started chatting me up about my lemonade. When we both walked into the store, my friend’s face dropped to the floor because I was chatting up Steven Spielberg, and I didn’t even know at the time. I told the nice man to look around and let me know if he needed any help, and my friend pulled me to the skate shop and asked if I know who I was talking to. That's when it hit me! Super nice guy, and his son was very nice too. I’ve also met Michael Keaton while at work, and he was also very, very nice."
4."I got the chance to meet Gloria Steinem in 2017 when I was in college. I went to Smith College, and as an alumnus, she sometimes comes to the campus for interviews or events. This time she was making a speech and gave an interview as a part of our senior week that I attended. She's one of my idols, so I was desperate to meet her, but after the interview, she was busy with representatives from the college and the students who organized her visit, so I didn't get a chance. Then, an hour later, in the student cafe, I was standing in line to get some feeling-sorry-for-myself junk food, and there she was! She was standing just a few feet away with someone who I think must have been her assistant, with no one else around her."
"So, I walked right up to introduce myself...and immediately became tongue-tied. She waited very patiently while I stammered, then finally, when I managed to wheeze out, 'You're my hero,' she smiled warmly, took my hand, and said, 'Well, we're each other's heroes, aren't we?' I about died."
5."I met Alton Brown at a special meet-and-greet. He was a total ass. It was so disappointing because up until that day, he had been one of my favorite celebrities. He said something within the first few seconds of speaking to me to imply that he thought I was pregnant (I had a three-month-old at the time and weighed a 'whopping' 130 pounds). When I told him that I wasn’t pregnant, his response was, 'Well maybe you should lay off the biscuits.' No apology or anything. He was totally serious. Ugh. So smug and rude."
"He used to film his show at a Kroger near my childhood home. Everybody hated him there, lol."
6."I met Ice-T at the Charlotte-Douglas Airport. It was 5:00 a.m. and we were having breakfast at one of the places there when he came in with his wife Coco. I slowly approached their table, and said, 'Hey Ice, good to see you both. Love your stuff!' He stood up, gave me a handshake and bro-hug, and we talked for a minute. It blew him away when I told him I was a big fan of Body Count, his metal band. He was super excited, and told me they were gonna record new stuff soon, and it was great talking to me. Really cool."
7."Mel Brooks! This was ages ago — maybe 20 years. I was at a business/fun dinner in a restaurant in Manhattan with a bunch of female colleagues. At a table near ours was Mel Brooks with his wife, Anne Bancroft. Famous people are everywhere in New York, but this was MEL! So, I said to the group, 'What will you bet me to go over to that table and sing ‘High Anxiety’ right to Mel?' One of the women at my table said she’d give me her corporate Amex (Black) card for 24 hours if I did this wild thing. Clearly, she figured I’d NEVER have the nerve. High Anxiety is one of Mel Brooks' lesser-known movies, but as a lifelong fan, it’s one I know. And, this was a great song that Mel himself sang in the movie. Anyway, it took me a WHILE to work up the nerve to do this ridiculous and possibly humiliating thing, but when I finally announced I was ready, I looked over at the table, and Mel and Anne were GONE! I was so caught up in nerves, I hadn’t even noticed them leave."
"So, our group got up shortly afterward and went to the bar of the restaurant for a last drink. Who should walk by a moment later, but Mel Brooks?! Everyone was a bit tipsy at that point, so we all shouted 'MEL!' He immediately came over to say hello. He talked to us for a few minutes and was so WARM and charming. I worked up my final ounce of nerve and said, 'Mel, I bet my friends here that I’d sing 'High Anxiety' to you at your table, but you left before I could!' He laughed SO hard, and then he took my face in his hands and kissed me on the cheek. It was truly the sweetest thing ever. He was just so fun and genuinely friendly with all of us, but I will always remember that sweet, fatherly kiss on my cheek…and the fact that I made Mel Brooks laugh. I’ve met a lot of celebrities through work, and they’re usually so terribly disappointing. Mel Brooks was BETTER in person than I could've possibly imagined."
8."I met Henry Winkler at a charity ball for a small-town hospital. I was working as a freelance photographer for a local magazine and was responsible for taking 'party pics.' He walked in and was obviously supposed to be shaking hands with the rich patrons, but took a minute to shake my hand and thank me for being there. It was obvious I wasn’t one of the patrons. I had on a black polo with the magazine’s name. It was very sweet of him to acknowledge the 'staff' and not just the paying attendees."
"I went to Henry Winkler's book signing. He went around and thanked all the staff of the shop. He's such a sweet man. There are so many celebrities I regret meeting, but every time I’ve met him, he’s been an absolute delight and went above and beyond to make sure everyone was comfortable and happy. I just adore him so much."
9."I was once in the very last row of a very packed flight. I’d seen Susan Sarandon waiting at the gate and was, of course, in first class along with a small entourage. There was a young unescorted child in the row right in front of mine. Maybe they place children flying alone in last rows to keep them close to flight attendants? I don't know. But, in the middle of this LA to NYC flight, Susan walked all the way to the back of the plane to check on the child. No big fuss. She was a concerned adult making sure he was okay, and she spoke with the flight attendants to make sure of it. It was very sweet."
10."I had the pleasure of meeting Kit Harington from Game of Thrones at a comic con. I know what a lot of people will say, oh, celebs have to be nice...blah blah blah. No, you could sense and feel the sincerity in his voice when he spoke. Even if it was only for a minute or two, it really made me swell with happiness at how humble and friendly he was."
11."I met William H. Macy at a Woody Creek event in Denver and he was the kindest, most sincere guy. Just a gem."
12."I recognized Kathy Bates at a DC restaurant. I waited until she was settling the bill, then went up to tell her I was a big fan. She was very gracious. My daughter and niece didn't believe it was her, but then ran over and got pictures with her."
13."One of my high school friends ran into Adam Sandler in a hospital elevator about 20 years ago. They were both there to see relatives who had been in serious accidents. Needless to say, under the circumstances, they only spoke briefly about the people they were there to visit. My friend said that he was very nice, though obviously not 'on' at that moment. She said that it was just weird at a sad and stressful moment to turn around and see Happy Gilmore in the elevator."
14."Garth Brooks is and always has been a total sweetheart. My friend gave him a pen and ink drawing at Tulsa City Limits in the late 1980s. He talked farming with my brother in Oklahoma. My mom worked with his SIL, and at a yard sale, bought his pre-K daughters’ dress-up box for my daughter. Always and forever stan Garth Brooks. 'PUSH MARIE!'"
15."Jamie Oliver was a guest on a popular Toronto talk show, and I was at the taping. He is exactly the same off-camera as he is on — fun, cheerful, chatty, and hilarious. He had the audience in stitches and offered up samples of what he was cooking by walking around with a pocket full of spoons and letting people take a spoonful out of the pan. He was a delight."
16."I met James Marsters at Comic Con in NY a few years back. The line took forever, but it was because he took the time to talk to everyone and give each fan his attention. He was a sweetheart."
"I met James Marsters at a Comic Con as well. It was one of my top two favorite celebrity encounters. He was so nice, signed my comics, and we talked for so long, security had to stop by three times to tell him he had to stop so the line could keep moving. I tried, but every time I went to go, he would start talking about something new and pull me back into the conversation. I felt so guilty because so many other people wanted to meet him, but still, he was amazing."
17."I saw Rob Lowe in line for Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain in August 1992. He had a full beard and a ball cap pulled low over his eyes. I initially spotted him because my friend Karen was married to a man named Jack who resembled Rob Lowe quite a bit. When I first saw him, I thought it was Jack and started to wave and yell hello when I realized it couldn’t be Jack (he worked on an oil rig out in the gulf), and that it was actually Rob Lowe. It was obvious he was trying to be as incognito as possible and fly under the radar, so I just smiled at him and then minded my own damn business. He looked so grateful. I always feel sorry for celebrities who can’t just do normal things with friends and family. I know being recognized is part of being famous, but I still don’t think they should have to be available to be people 24/7."
18."I met Katharine McPhee after a performance of Waitress, and she was super chill and nice. She chatted with me about which Broadway and West End shows she’d recently been to, and which ones she recommended I go to."
19."On a family trip to the US from Australia as a child, my youngest brother (7 at the time) got seated next to Harry Connick Jr. for the flight. I was 12 at the time and wasn't a big fan, but knew who he was. He happily chatted to my brother, played games, colored with him, and even helped him with his meal. I think he enjoyed being seated next to someone who had no idea about his celebrity status and just treated him like a normal person."
20."I’ve met a ton of celebs over the years and can confirm that Jared Leto is the WORST. I spent three months on the set of a movie that he was starring in, and I cannot even begin to describe how awful his behavior was. His publicist tried to play it off as part of his 'method acting,' but no, he was just a jerk. I have worked with several other method actors and NONE of them have mistreated crew and other cast members the way he has. Screw that guy."
"Also agree on Jared Leto being the worst. I met him for a meet-and-greet after a 30 Seconds to Mars show back in their heyday, and he was such a snob. He wouldn’t say anything to anyone — just signed posters and waved you along. He wouldn’t even acknowledge if you spoke to him, even when I told him it was a great set. I haven’t listened to them since because he turned me off of their music."
21."I met Scott Wilson at a con years ago, and he was the sweetest person. It was shortly after he was killed off on The Walking Dead, and there was no one at his table, so I went over and asked for a hug and told him I was so sad they killed him off. I didn’t want to bother him and was about to politely excuse myself, when he started asking me questions about my life and what I was going to college for. We ended up speaking for several minutes, and then when I brought my boyfriend (now husband) over so we could get a pic with him, he remembered details from our conversation and spent time asking him about his life."
22."Cyndi Lauper was my college commencement speaker a few years ago, and while the graduates were walking to the tent, she stood out with the teachers and ushered us in. She noticed me and gave me a smile and a wink."
23."I met Dominic Monaghan at work. Someone came in to say he was there, and I ran out and just cried on him. I told him I was a huge HUGE Lord of the Rings fan. He was so kind and took loads of photos for me and just kept giving me hugs because I was so overwhelmed. It was honestly the best meeting ever. He was a great guy! It made my year."
24."I've met Andy Serkis a few times and he is an absolute gem of a person! Kind and lovely, and gives amazing hugs!"
25.Finally: "I’ve met a few celebrities at conventions, and some of the kindest have been Hayden Christensen and Matthew Mercer. They both drew hundreds of guests for autographs at the cons, but they took the time to talk to every person and get to know them. By the time I got to Hayden, he’d been there for hours and you could tell he was exhausted, but he was still greeting everyone with a smile and talking to them. He actually stayed an hour or two past the convention closing time so that everyone could get an autograph."
"Matthew Mercer was the first and only celebrity I saw get up and move around the table to actually interact with fans. He was just super down-to-earth and a really great guy. Like Hayden, he’d been there for hours and actually stayed so long past the convention closing signing autographs that he almost missed his flight."
Have you ever met a celebrity? What was your experience like?
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
