10 Celebs Who Have A Blast At Meet-And-Greets And 10 Who Clearly Want To Die
Everybody has that one celebrity they would do just about anything for.
American Music Awards / Via giphy.com
There are celebrities you love, and then there are celebrities you stalk in the hopes of a social media response. And somewhere above that, there are celebrities you make it your mission in life to meet.
I mean, can you imagine what you'd say to your favorite celebrity if you met them?
RuPaul's Drag Race / Via giphy.com
Would you actually be able to say anything, or would you just ugly-cry? Believe it or not, there are situations where you can find out.
The meet-and-greet world is a little more complicated than ever before.
Boomerang Official / Via giphy.com
Once upon a time, you had to put time and effort into meeting your favorite celebrities. You had to keep track of where they were performing, where the stage doors were, and how you might be able to spot them between there and a tour bus.
These days, you just need to drop a couple of hundred bucks.
Zita Nagy / Via giphy.com
In recent years, the celebrity meet-and-greet game has opened up quite a bit. Many artists who want to give their fans a unique opportunity to spend some time with them will offer packages that include the experience. Their most die-hard (and financially capable) fans snatch up the opportunities to meet their favorites, but that doesn't mean every celebrity who offers it up is equally stoked to meet their fans.
Fans are spilling the tea on their meet-and-greet experiences, and let's just say not all of them live up to the hype.
ABC / Via giphy.com
While some celebs really give their all to make sure fans get an unforgettable experience, some do the bare minimum and it shows. If you're wondering which celebs are worth the experience and which are major flops, keep on scrolling.
Halsey gives it all to their fans and then some.
If you scroll through Twitter after a Halsey show that has a meet and greet, you'll see a range of photos that include them striking poses with fans and even hugging them as they cry on their shoulder. They seem dedicated to giving fans their all, so it's no surprise someone had a story about a meet and greet where the pop star was still all in, even though they were under the weather.
"When it was my turn to have my poster signed, I approached her with minimal shaking, and started off strong by telling her that I felt so, so bad that she was sick," the fan recalled. "Of course, the saint that she is said she just felt terrible for us, and that she wanted to make sure we got everything we came for."
Bella Thorne, on the other hand, was not so enthused to meet fans at a signing.
"One of my friends works at a bookstore where they do a lot of signings and I went to Bella Thorne lol," one Redditor shared. "She bailed halfway through to smoke weed with Modsun in her car."
This woman's life changed when her grandma won tickets to meet Destiny's Child.
"I met Destiny's Child in Manchester, UK, years ago after my gran won tickets on the radio. I was about 10, and have a weird name which I hated," a redditor revealed.
"Beyonce said I had a pretty name, I said I hated it. She told me that she has a weird name too, and I should love mine."
T. Kyle / Via giphy.com
"At the time, I was pretty meh about it, but now I realize I got a pep talk from Queen B."
Coldplay is pretty cold with fans.
Coldplay fans seem like they'd be a chill bunch, but that doesn't stop the band from having certain feelings about meeting them.
"They made us sign an agreement stating that we wouldn't ask any of the members to sign anything," a Redditor shared.
"We were allowed in the venue during the sound check. Once the sound check was over, the band stood close to the stage and we were taken in groups of 20 for group photographs."
"We were asked to leave all our belongings behind and only the official photographer took our pictures. Each group got roughly 30 seconds (total) with the band while the photograph was taken and we had to leave immediately after."
The Jonas Brothers have always been patient with their awkward teenage fan base.
There are a few stories out there about people meeting the Jonas Brothers and by all accounts, they're pretty laid-back, stand-up dudes. They're particularly great with young fans.
"I won a fan club contest in 2008 for Jonas Brothers meet and greet and they were so nice!!" one fan recalled.
Billboard Music Awards / Via giphy.com
"I was a very awkward preteen and literally stood there speechless but they were so sweet and made conversation and hugged me."
Fall Out Boy is a little less comfortable with their fan base
Two fans thought they were lucky to score $20 meet and greet passes on the band's comeback "Save Rock & Roll Tour." When it came to meeting the band, things got weird.
"The guys were really nice and patient but I could tell by the time we got to them they were exhausted and weirded out by the amount of creepy, obsessive, crying fans they met in 10 minutes," the fan shared.
Fall Out Boy / Via giphy.com
"My friend and I went through the signing line saying thank you and good luck tonight. I guess we were one of the few who didn't act weird because our picture was one of the few non-awkward ones."
Kendrick Lamar played a joke on a fan.
"I got to meet and hang out with Kendrick Lamar after a show in 2012, a month before GKMC released. I bought a shirt and got a raffle ticket for a chance to meet him," the early fan explained.
"I got to watch the rest of the show behind the stage and go backstage with him and 4 more people. He was really cool. Asked us how the show was, what our favorite song was by him, and a few other questions."
"He asked the hot girl if she had a boyfriend and she said 'yes' whilst blushing. He said, 'what if I leaned for a kiss would you do it?' She said yes. So, they both lean in."
Recording Academy/GRAMMYs / Via giphy.com
"Kendrick backed out and yelled 'SIKE. I don't do that to people.' We all laughed including her. All in good fun."
Avril Lavigne doesn't mind talking to fans, as long as they don't get too touchy.
On a 2014 Brazilian tour, Avril made headlines for awkward meet-and-greet photos with fans, who later revealed they were told they weren't allowed to touch the singer. She later insisted that wasn't true and that she does connect with fans during meet and greets.
Ed Sheeran had his own informal meet and greet.
Ed Sheeran announced to fans at an intimate show that he'd stick around to hang out with them. "I was shocked at how he took the time to individually hug, take pictures, and chat with the 30 or so people lined up after the show, never rushing anyone including me and my cringey friends who were basically too nervous to say anything," a fan in attendance shared. "His success is so well deserved."
Justin Bieber canceled meet and greets mid-tour and left some fans high and dry.
Justin Bieber wasn't wrong in canceling meet and greets in 2016 when he determined they were detrimental to his mental health. Instead of refunding fans who paid $900 to $2,000 to meet the star, however, he subbed a paper cutout in for them to take photos with.
Korn takes time to really hang out with fans.
Maybe you don't expect nice guy behavior from a bunch of nu-metal guys, but you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. These guys reportedly love spending time bonding with fans.
Korn / Via giphy.com
"I'd absolutely encourage doing this if you're a Korn fan," one satisfied fan reported.
"They hung out and for over an hour and chatted with everyone and signed anything you wished and answered questions from everyone."
Fans have slammed Demi Lovato for being impersonal during meet and greets.
Fans who met Demi at different points in their career have said their meet and greet experiences were pretty awful. Considering they were paid for, a number of complaints made their way online.
"Thanks for not looking us in the eye, asking our names, or saying two words to us," one former fan wrote in an open letter on Instagram.
Demi Lovato / Via giphy.com
"Thank your team for forcing the 15-year-old girl, who traveled alone to meet you, to squeeze on the side of another group’s picture. And thanks for keeping your jacket on for photos while your team collected the wet jackets of fans who waited in the rain to meet you."
Adam Lambert is grateful to his fans for every turn in his career.
From his American Idol days to performing with Queen, Adam Lambert fans have always said he's a sweetheart when he gets to meet fans. "I met Adam Lambert and he couldn’t have been kinder," one fan noted.
"He was humble, sweet, warm, and made an effort to listen to each person and connect with them. Seemed like the real deal!"
Adam Lambert / Via giphy.com
John Mayer allegedly shook off an "unattractive" fan.
"I was young (13, maybe?) Stuck around after the concert to meet him," the fan told Gawker.
"He went down the line and hugged all these pretty girls around my age then came to me, gave me a look of disgust, shook his head no, and moved on. I was devastated. Don't worry guys, I turned out pretty good-looking."
Camila Cabello is Cinderella-sweet IRL too.
Camila Cabello's sweet but sultry vibe is more than a look, as fans who have met her can attest. "What can I say? She was absolutely a sweetheart. She was so down to earth and genuinely interested in the conversation," one fan gushed.
"I saw her a second time and she remember my name and asked me about what we talked the day before."
Cinderella, Amazon Prime / Via giphy.com
Britney Spears also doesn't want anyone in her personal space.
People were pretty critical of Britney Spears for not letting fans get close to her when they attended meet and greets for her Vegas Residency and some of her last tour dates. Of course, now we know she isn't just another standoffish pop star and she's truly grateful for her fans.
Rihanna loves to play around with fans of all ages.
Lucky contest winners got to meet Rihanna as a class and said it was a truly fun, unforgettable experience.
"She went around the circle of people shaking our hands and introducing herself, and then thanked us for coming to her show and making such a nice video. She was super friendly and bubbly - it was hard to stay angry at her for making us wait," one of the contest winners shared.
"Then we posed for pictures with her in groups of 3–4 people... She was an absolute blast to take pictures with. She made funny faces, did unique poses with everyone, hugged people, etc, etc."
Ellen DeGeneres Show / Via giphy.com
"One person in the group asked her to record the voicemail greeting on his phone, which she gladly did before she left."
This fan's Olsen Twin meet-and-greet experience sounds sad for everyone.
ABC / Via giphy.com
"The line was long, and you slowly filed in, and past the twins, who were sat silently behind velvet ropes. No speaking, you just shuffle past, look at them, and continue on, where there's a table of pre-signed stickers to put inside your book. it felt exactly like an extremely cheap sideshow at a county fair displaying fake 'freaks,'" the fan recalled.
"I couldn't tell you anything about them, but I can tell you that they do a good job of sitting still and not pointing out that they were basically treated like animals in a zoo."
Meeting Taylor Swift is an unforgettable experience for any Swiftie.
Taylor Swift is one of few big artists who still has organic ways for her fans to meet her, free of charge. Taylor poses for fun photos with fans at all her events. She even posted a photo from a "Reputation" tour stop where fans who met during a "Red" tour date got engaged.
Meeting Michael Jordan was a huge letdown for one fan.
Meeting Michael Jordan is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but getting shut down by one of the greatest athletic talents of a lifetime is something that can majorly sting.
"Jordan ends his conversation and my friend steps up near him and Jordan basically asks him who the fuck he is, what he wants, and acts like an asshole." the redditor wrote. "My friend just tells him that he was a big fan and it was great to finally meet him. Jordan basically says, 'yeah, whatever' and walks away."
