“In My Decade In Hollywood, I’ve Never Encountered A Worse Human Being”: People Are Sharing Their Experiences Meeting Celebrities, And You Might See Some Of Them Differently From Now On
We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about their most memorable celebrity encounters. Here are the stories of their good, bad, and somewhere in-between encounters.
Note: These are submitted stories and therefore cannot be verified one way or another.
1. “I was a waiter in a restaurant called Simply Blues in the Sunset Vine Tower in the mid to late ’70s. Michael Blue and his dad were the owners at that time. The restaurant had a really great reputation and view, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a celebrity dining there any day of the week. The celebrity that stands out the most would have to be Stevie Wonder.”
“Stevie would come in for dinner around 11:00 p.m. and I would wait on him. He would go over to the organ and play for about 30 minutes or so for the guests at the restaurant and take requests. Very cool. About 10 years later, I was with my wife and kids in an underground parking lot in Brentwood, California heading to my wife’s dentist’s office. We were getting out of the car to catch the elevator when Stevie stepped out of a black suburban. I started to walk over to him, but his bodyguards stopped me until I yelled over who I was. He motioned me over and we all went up in the elevator together. The wildest thing: we were both heading to the same dentist. Just a shout-out: Gladys Knight was very cool, too.”
—Anonymous
2. “Back in like 2016 or so, when I was a teenager, I met John Mulaney and I got so overwhelmed and starstruck I said, ‘You’re my hero.’ He looked me in the eye and said, ‘I shouldn’t be.'”
—esjm
3. “I met Adam Devine years ago after running a Workaholics-themed Instagram. He got me essentially front-row tickets to his comedy show, and we met up afterward at a local bar. He was the most genuine, nice, NORMAL dude ever. I was so nervous about meeting him (due to my love of the show and him), but the nerves left my body as soon as we started talking. I will never forget this interaction, and I am positive that other people who have met him feel the same way. He’s truly the best!”
—ccc6115
4. “I used to work in a vintage furniture store on Melrose in Los Angeles. I had just locked the gate when Queen Latifa came by, heading to the restaurant next door. She was so genuinely interested in what the store had and was super nice. I swear there was a golden aura around her. She just seemed like a beautiful person both inside and out! Of the many celebrities who came into the store, she was one who I was most in awe of, simply because she was a lovely person. She truly embodies the name ‘Queen.'”
—Anonymous
5. “My friend and I are teachers and we were in Brussels, Belgium on spring break. We were walking around the city when I did a double-take at some guy. I asked my friend if the guy looked familiar, and he realized it was Josh Gad. He appeared to be with his family. After some discussion, we said screw it. My friend led the way and went up to him and asked if he was Josh Gad. He said yes, then (just like Olaf would sound) said, ‘Hey guys, how’s it going?!’ He shook our hands and asked what we did for a living and where we were from. Such a good dude. The absolute man! He asked us if we wanted to take a picture with him, which of course we did. He shook our hands again and wished us a good rest of our break. The fact that he took time during his family outing to act like he cared to speak with two strangers was incredible. Every year since, I’ve told my students (5th grade) that I’ve met Olaf.”
—Anonymous
6. “I was a cameraman for a cable show that featured entertainers on tour. I met most of them up close and personal. Liberace, The Osmonds, etc. Before the interviews, there was always a spread for the media. I was sitting down having a few chicken wings when this thin, elegant hand passed my head and snatched a wing from my plate. I looked up in protest and was met by the smiling, angelic face of Rita Moreno. She laughed, sat on my knee, and dipped her wing into my bleu cheese dressing, then sauntered away leaving behind only her perfume (mixed with the smell of chicken wings) and a hearty laugh.”
—Anonymous
7. “Many years ago, while working as a waiter at a high-end restaurant in Wellesley, MA, I was made responsible for managing a 3:00 p.m. lunch reservation for a party of two under the name Willingham. Sure enough, at 3:00 p.m., Willingham, a very large, muscular male, entered the restaurant. I politely told him I needed a few minutes to get him seated while I tended to some other dining matters. I turned and headed towards the back of the restaurant and the kitchen. As I did, I watched Willingham exit the restaurant. Moments later, Willingham re-entered the restaurant through the same front door and escorted Oprah Winfrey and a young female guest into the bistro. My jaw dropped and almost hit the floor.”
“I stood in awe, mouth agape, and watched Willingham as he walked beside Oprah and her young guest. He found them a nice, quiet, isolated table in a small area of the restaurant and sat them. He then turned, locked eyes with me, and beckoned me to his side. He said to me, ‘I’m gonna be sitting right here,’ and pointed to a separate table maybe 10 feet away. ‘You bring me the check when you’re done.’ When he sat, his baggy, oversized shirt pulled up a bit, revealing a concealed, holstered pistol on his hip. Willingham, I realized, was the bodyguard.
I approached Oprah’s table, all the while remembering Willingham was watching everything. And he had a gun. ‘Hello and welcome,’ I muttered with hesitation. ‘My name’s Tommy I’ll be taking care of you today.’ Oprah smiled up at me, almost saintly, removed her glasses, and said, ‘Well Tommy, this is my first time here. Can you please walk me through your menu and perhaps make some recommendations?’ Again, my jaw dropped. This time it hit the floor. So, with as much grace as I could manage, I walked Oprah through the menu, after which she decided on a cup of chicken tortilla soup and a hot tea. She was the nicest, most polite, and most respectful guest I have ever served, regardless of her celebrity status.Oprah spent about an hour at the restaurant having lunch with her friend. Upon her exit, she stopped to say hello to everyone she passed. I brought Willingham the check as requested. He paid, then escorted Oprah out to a waiting chauffeur.Once they departed, I scanned the credit card receipt that Willingham had paid with. Willingham left a 100% tip.”
—Anonymous
8. “I’ll never forget the time I met Usher and then immediately forgot because I was absolutely wasted. It wasn’t until the next day when I saw him being interviewed on the local news channel that I had a vague flashback of someone who looked like him having drinks with us in the club. I texted my friend asking her, ‘Am I out of my mind, or were we having drinks with Usher last night?’ She confirmed it was indeed him. Bit of background: Her dad knew people in the music industry, so for her, it wasn’t such an unusual occurrence to hang out with famous musicians. She was super blasé about it all, whereas I was more in awe. Anyway, apparently, he was really nice?”
—marcelswhalemask
9. “I met Benedict Cumberbatch when I was 17 while he was filming The Hollow Crown. My dad worked at the location they were using for filming, but it was very hush-hush and no one knew about it (to avoid the onslaught of fans during peak 2014 Benedict mania). My dad found out and took me up there to do ‘paperwork,’ and we waited like three hours in the cold for him. He was getting into his car when one of the production crew pointed me out and said I’d been waiting for him. He seemed exhausted, but he still came over. He gave me the biggest hug and when I said I’d waited that long to see him, he said, ‘God, I’m not worth waiting that long for!’ He was incredibly sweet even though it was a closed set and he probably didn’t want to talk to anyone. He’s an excellent hugger as well!”
—Anonymous
10. “I went to University with the Prince of Wales, just known as good ol’ Prince William at the time. I had a number of interactions with him, including once accidentally elbowing him in an effort to get a space at the bar. He was always an incredibly nice person who just wanted to be treated like everyone else. Having studied history and knowing the exploits of his ancestors, I always found it incredibly ironic to see the future king shopping for frozen peas at Tesco!”
—Anonymous
11. “I went on a charity lunch date with Idris Elba several years ago. He was the nicest guy — super friendly and down-to-earth. As nice as he seems in the media, he was 10x nicer in person. We laughed and talked and had a really great conversation.”
—Anonymous
12. “The nicest are a toss-up between Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia and Jake Gyllenhaal in London around 20 years ago when I worked at an organic supermarket. At the time, we were renovating and were told to offer customers a free box of organic cookies if they spent over £100.00 or something for the inconvenience. Jake Gyllenhaal seemed so thrilled about the free cookies! He was such a doll — so polite and chatty (and even more gorgeous in real life too). Natalie Imbruglia was also even more beautiful in person — those clear blue eyes! When she visited the store, one of our workmen was singing off-key and I remarked to her: ‘Don’t you just hate when bad singers sing the loudest?’ She cracked up so hard at that. She was so warm and nice and also chatty.”
“My worst encounters were probably Alan Rickman (sorry everyone!) and Damon Albarn. Regular sourpusses. Met on the job as well (different days though). They must’ve both been having off days, so it’s OK.”
—Anonymous
13. “In 2006, a friend of mine worked for a nonprofit in LA that served at-risk kids. Jake Gyllenhaal committed to speaking at an event that was set to be the nonprofit’s major fundraiser for the year. My friend was heavily involved in organizing the event. Tickets were sold and publicity materials went out. The day of the event, Jake Gyllenhaal cancelled because he wanted to take a date to Martha’s Vineyard. He cancelled on a nonprofit. That helps kids. With less than 24 hours’ notice. To go on a date. Maggie Gyllenhaal covered for her brother and spoke instead, but a lot of attendees were upset and the nonprofit had to refund some tickets. I’ve disliked Jake Gyllenhaal ever since.”
—Anonymous
14. “So, I did pay to have a photo with Jensen Ackles at a Supernatural con, so this wasn’t a chance encounter. But, I wore a shirt that said, ‘I wish this was Jensen Ackles,’ and it had an arrow pointing towards him. I was so excited about it and thought it would be so cute and funny, but then we took the picture in like two seconds and he didn’t say anything about it and I was super bummed, but I just went about my day. I did notice that some of the camera people were laughing, but I figured it was just because they noticed the shirt. Later that day, I went and had the photo developed, and Jensen was pointing at the shirt with a ‘what the heck is this?!’ look on his face and it was the most hilarious thing. I was so happy when I realized he did see it and was just letting me be surprised when I saw the picture. It definitely worked, and I felt like my shirt choice had been vindicated!”
—samantham46531ff01
15. “I met Jim O’Heir, aka Jerry from Parks and Recreation, at Arkansas Comic Con a few years ago, and he was so incredibly kind! He took several pictures with me, talked to me for almost 10 minutes (even though he didn’t have to), and even made a video saying hi to my sister who was a big fan of the show but couldn’t come. I asked him if he and the cast still kept in touch, and he pulled out his phone and showed me the group chat he has with the cast and the pictures they’d all sent in it! Best day ever! He was so funny and the absolute sweetest man.”
—awest04
16. “I was a restaurant manager in the French Quarter of New Orleans in the early ’90s. We were located just around the corner from the site where the first House of Blues was being built. Dan Aykroyd (a partner in HOB) popped in for some wings and graciously took a photo with the staff. He pointed to the table next to his and said, ‘Comp their meal. They’re friends of mine too.’ Of course, he was full of crap, but I did it anyway. It was a great experience.”
—Anonymous
17. “Ozzy Osbourne! He’s a really funny guy. I was working security at Ozzfest many years ago. His head of security had asked me to hang out as he went on break. He told me not to let anyone into his dressing room. So, I stood there, all 6’1, 230 pounds of me. A few minutes passed by, and Ozzy got ready to go on stage. He opened his dressing room door, didn’t expect to see me, and got scared. Then, ticked off that he got scared, he mumbled, ‘I’m the prince of f*cking darkness” and shuffled off.”
—Anonymous
18. “I entered an elevator that Henry Winkler was in and minded my own business, but was internally freaking out because it was the Fonz! He joked to the person he was with that he was going to take me to dinner, and I joked only if he paid, and he laughed. He could not have been nicer. I saw RuPaul in CVS and we gave each other the fake, awkward smile you give someone when you see them in the hallway. Again, I was freaking out, but remained cool. I screamed in my car when I got outside.”
—pepperopigeon
19. “Flavor Flav was in the same terminal in the Philadelphia airport as I was. It was in June, and he was in a full, white, fur coat, and had a thick gold chain with a dollar sign hanging from it. I was with my grandparents and was SO excited because I had watched The Flavor of Love growing up. I smiled at him, he smiled back and said, ‘Well hey there lil’ lady,’ and genuinely seemed nice.”
—Anonymous
20. “I was backstage at a Don Henley benefit for Walden Woods. All the artists were in the other room, and I was too freaked to go in. I sat by all the food and drinks, kind of alone. I walked over to this massive long tub full of ice and melted ice water. The beer was at the bottom, Every beer I brought up was a Miller Light, and I knew there was some Bud down there. My arm was really aching from getting cold. Once more, up comes a Miller, and I curse. Then, someone beside me laughs and says the water is freezing, and I’ll trade you. Jimmy Buffett hands me a Bud and I give him my Miller. We talked for a little. Great guy to share a beer with.”
—Anonymous
21. “Dara O’Briain is a saint!! I saw him one day walking/running through Chinatown on his way to an appointment he was very clearly very late for. Despite this, he graciously gave me the time of day for a selfie, and a quick smile and hello to my kids, who were very young at the time. This has stayed with me because he owed me nothing and could have pretended he never heard me, but that 60-second exchange demonstrated what am absolute gorgeous human being he is.”
—jennasaykwaa
22. “Eons ago, my best friend and I were traveling around Europe. We were in Rome at the time and visiting the Colosseum when we happened to run into Richard Simmons. Quite frankly, he was possibly the kindest person I’ve ever met. He was so sweet, asked us where we were from, if we were enjoying our trip, took multiple pictures with us, etc. I will always remember that encounter fondly. Years later, I was living in New York and saw many celebrities. I (intentionally) didn’t have many encounters with them, but there was the time that Chris Noth let a door slam in my face as we were both exiting a Starbucks. Thanks a lot, Mr. Big.”
—Anonymous
23. “My husband used to work in an eminently trendy homewares shop in Brighton, England and served a lot of famous customers there including: Gerard Butler (apparently he was surprisingly short in person), Clive Owen, Stephen Fry, Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) and his wife Zoe Ball, and Katie Price (aka Jordan) and Peter Andre (apparently he sold them a shedload of pink kitchen appliances). There’s more apparently, but he said he can’t remember all of them His best experience was with Stephen Fry. He sold him a pack of Weasel Coffee as a gift for Prince Charles! Apparently, he was extremely polite, and my husband likes to think he was being chatted up by him. His worst experience was Momma Cherri (apparently she was in Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares). She was so foul-mouthed that he had to kick her out of the shop!”
—marcelswhalemask
24. “I met Ben Zobrist right after he earned MVP when the Cubs won the World Series. Super humble. He went to school with my sister years earlier and he asked how she was doing. So, not exactly a celebrity, but still an awesome dude.”
—pepper314
25. “Jack White seemed flattered and grateful when I told him how much I enjoyed a White Stripes show. It was just before they took off and got really famous. He was extremely nice. Mike D. refused to sign an autograph and told me he’d been ‘signing my name all f*cking day.’ He was kind of a jerk, but it was kind of funny, too. Beastie Boys were on top of the world at that point.”
—Anonymous
26. “I was working at a hotel in Reno, Nevada as a front desk clerk. One day, there was buzz around a celebrity that would be staying. Turns out it was Robert Redford. He was the nicest man with a smile that would melt your heart!”
—Anonymous
27. “I was a PA for the premiere of Sting’s musical, The Last Ship. I was a nobody PA, and so I stood in the back of the theatre during the show in the dark. A few other staffers also stood in the dark. I liked the music and rocked along with it. Maybe a half hour in, the guy next to me asked, ‘Enjoying the show?’ I turned and said yes, and it was Sting! I guess he wanted a view of the show from the audience’s perspective, so he’d been standing there, right next to me, for a half hour, and I didn’t even know it! He shook my hand, said ‘Cheers!’ and went backstage.”
—Anonymous
28. “My wife and I have been to almost every late-night show out there (Letterman, Colbert, Stewart, Fallon, Corden, Kimmel, Meyers, etc.), and most of the hosts seem nice enough, especially Meyers. But, John Oliver was the absolute worst. The whole experience was very strict, stiff, and uncomfortable for us and the other guests. Most shows have time for the audience to ask the host questions, and Oliver’s producers repeatedly pressured guests to ‘come up with a great question’ to ask him. When he came out, he barely wanted to talk, and then when people began asking questions (which were genuinely good and thoughtful questions), Oliver literally made fun of each of them. He made them feel bad for even asking their questions and made the rest of the audience laugh at them. My wife and I had both thought of questions to ask, but we definitely didn’t raise our hands.”
—Anonymous
29. “I was in New York and got to see an outdoor concert at The Today Show where Keith Urban performed. After the show, they had fans line up along the metal railing, and he came by to say hi. He stopped to talk to each person, doing a quick selfie with everyone, but when he got to me, he skipped me and went to the next person. I thought he just missed me in the chaos of it all, so I went further down the railing and waited again. And, again, he took a selfie with each person, then got to me, and skipped me again! My wife was watching from a distance and pointed out that I was the only guy in the line, and she saw another guy waiting after me, but Urban skipped him, too. Maybe Keith Urban only wants female fans?”
—Anonymous
30. “Woody Harrelson went to my high school. My younger sister was graduating high school, so I flew back home to be there. Literally during my sister’s graduation, my wife texted me a selfie of her with Woody Harrelson! She had gone on a hike with our dog, and walked behind two guys for a while as they all went up the mountain. The guys turned around at the top, and she realized one of them was Woody. She told him she went to the same high school and her husband (me) was currently there for his sister’s graduation. What are the chances she would run into the one famous person from our high school while I was there for a high school graduation?! She got a selfie with him and he made a quick video to congratulate my sister on graduating.”
—Anonymous
31. Finally: “I used to work as January Jones’ stand-in. In my decade in Hollywood, I’ve never encountered a worse human being. Thankfully, the rest of the cast/crew on Mad Men and The Last Man on Earth were fabulous, kind folks. I also worked on Community and can vouch for the fact that Chevy Chase is awful. Owen Wilson is also gross. I worked on Inherent Vice and he kept hitting on a 19-year-old, was horrible to the hair and makeup team, and let his dog disrupt the set.”
“Joaquin Phoenix was incredible though — very nice and humble. Emma Stone was nasty, entitled, and rude (I was a dancer in La La Land), but Ryan Gosling was a total gem. I wasn’t a fan of his until I saw how he interacted with all the fan-girling extras. He couldn’t have been nicer or more patient. Will Ferrell and Michael McDonald are very serious and the total opposite of their characters. Not mean, just very serious. Jessica Alba is kind of a bratty pa. It was a simple ice cream commercial and it took so many takes to nail her few lines. Bruce Willis was cool. Bono was horrible. He kept almost a thousand people waiting for hours and cost untold amounts of money for being late to a commercial. Jennette McCurdy is nice, so is AnnaLynne McCord. Denise Richards brought everyone treats to set. Will Forte is one of the good ones. He was an amazing boss, and so was Breckin Meyer. I worked on his show Men at Work. Ashton Kutcher is a pa. Doug Jones was the best!”
—Anonymous
Do you have a celebrity encounter story you want to share? Tell us in the comments!
Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.