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“He Was Very Cold And Didn’t Tip Well”: 33 Regular People Shared Their Most Memorable Run-Ins With Celebrities, And Some Really Threw Me For A Loop

We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their best, worst, and most memorable celeb encounter stories. There were soooo many interesting responses, so we just had to share more! Here’s what people submitted:

Note: These are submitted stories and therefore cannot be verified.

1. “My favorite celebrity encounter was with Steve Martin. He entered a hospital elevator in LA back when I was 17 (1998 or so) and smiled at me. After a bit, a big family entered the elevator, and they were ALL coughing and sneezing. Steve goes, ‘No sick people allowed in this elevator! What do you think this is…a hospital? ONLY HEALTHY PEOPLE ALLOWED IN THIS ELEVATOR.’ The family glared at him, but I laughed and laughed. When they exited, he whispered, ‘Thanks for being a good audience.’ I couldn’t believe that I got a private stand-up routine from Steve Martin. When Only Murders in the Building came out, I totally flashed back to his ‘only healthy people in the elevator’ line!”

—Stephjs81

Mega / GC Images

2. “My dad got to have dinner with the late, great Robin Williams (they had mutual friends). He started off being very quiet but polite. Then my dad told him a joke, which set him off on a 30-minute riff, which had everyone rolling on the floor laughing. Wonderful man. So sad I didn’t get to meet him.”

—Sabrina

“I got to help Robin Williams at my old shop years ago. He was super quiet and incredibly polite. One of the nicest celebrities I’ve met.”

—FayeValentine

Steve Granitz / WireImage

3. “I graduated from Tulane University in 2019, and during my time there, there were a LOT of really cool speakers who came and put on a show: Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), Bill Nye the Science Guy, John Mulaney, Ben and Jerry, etc. At one point, they had Pete Davidson, Mikey Day, and Luke Null (he spent one year on Saturday Night Live) do some stand-up. After the three of them performed, a few of my friends and I waited after the show to see if they would talk to us and take photos. They sure did! All three were super cool, very friendly, and not afraid to take selfies with everybody. Pete and Mikey joked about partying it up in the French Quarter, and I personally got to ask Luke questions about his musical comedy. He told me that while on SNL, he really wanted to incorporate more of his music, but it just hadn’t made it on yet. Fantastic people.”

—adammf23

Arturo Holmes / WireImage

4. “Two of my favorite celebrities I’ve met are Keke Palmer and Mark Ruffalo. I met Keke as a preteen at a basketball game where she was signing autographs. She was the nicest human being and very down-to-earth. I’m so glad she’s still that way! I met Mark at a previous job of mine when I was new. I was just coming around a corner, going about my day, and he saw a face he’d never seen before. He immediately looked me in the eyes, stuck out his hand to shake mine, introduced himself, and asked how I was. I was so shocked that he had that initiative, I probably looked like a deer in headlights. I saw him a couple more times during my tenure there, and he was always so kind and polite.”

—escarpa

Carol Lee Rose / FilmMagic / Jon Kopaloff / WireImage

5. “I was overseeing an election polling place when Tyra Banks walked in. She was so magnetic, it felt like her presence filled the whole room. She was so friendly and kind to the polling volunteers, and took pictures with everyone brave enough to ask her. Her smize is dazzling in person.”

—ThreeTubersAHead

“I’ve met Tyra Banks, and we all described her as angelic. Not necessarily in behavior (though she was perfectly pleasant), but she literally seemed to glide instead of walk. It was wild.”

—kd92

Noam Galai / Getty Images

6. “Kate Moss is an absolute sweetheart. I got to know her a bit through my last job. Her intimidating beauty was the only scary thing about her. I’ll honestly admit that I wouldn’t have been surprised if she turned out to be rude or entitled, but I’ve had several conversations with her, and she seemed so humble and genuine. She asked me questions about myself, and I got the impression that she truly listened. She even gave me a pair of green sweatpants that she said she never really wore. I don’t think they would even fit me, but if a celeb gives you sweats, you take the sweats.”

—liz_lightning

John Lamparski / Getty Images

7. “I worked at the New York flagship Urban Outfitters back in college. One day, I was on fitting room duty and was ‘graced’ by the presence of one Britney Spears. It was just as ‘…Baby One More Time’ was blowing up. She was bratty, rude, and oh so entitled. She had her mother running around bringing her a ton of clothes. She left everything she tried on in a pile on the floor — much of it inside out. Decidedly not cool.”

—EditingCounts

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

8. “Back in my early 20s, I had the opportunity to be part of the second season of America’s Got Talent. Jerry Springer (RIP) was the host and was so chill and down-to-earth when the cameras weren’t rolling. I remember him telling us a story about how his daughter had gotten married the previous winter and he was learning all of these dances from his time on Dancing With the Stars. He then proceeded to show some of those dance moves that did not make it to air, haha. Really chill guy.”

“David Hasselhoff was one of the judges that season, and the early rounds of filming were right around the time that he was struggling a bit, and his infamous ‘cheeseburger on the floor’ video was making the rounds on the media circuit. I remember him reaming out an assistant at one point, but during the Vegas rounds, he had addressed the remaining contestants and made a joke along the lines of ‘Party at my place, we’re having cheeseburgers’ in response to the video that was all over.”

—justinglodich

Gary Gershoff / Getty Images / Daniele Venturelli / WireImage

9. “My sister was in an excellent choir in grade school that was frequently on TV and got hired for really cool events. She met Will Ferrell backstage at one of them, and she said he was nice but soooooo quiet. He just kind of stood there.”

—cactipoke

“I met Will Ferrell in a bar in Kansas years ago. ‘Contemplative’ is probably the best way to describe in. He took everything in. I suspect he is extremely intelligent.”

—Yeahnahh

Amy Sussman / Getty Images

10. “I was about 12 years old when my mom took my brother and me to watch a movie crew filming a scene in front of the Tastee Freez in Owasso, Oklahoma. We lined up along the chain-link fence and watched several takes. A crew member walked over and answered our questions about the movie and cast members. The movie? The Outsiders. The crew member who came over? Francis Ford Coppola HIMSELF. The cast? C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, and Emilio Estevez.”

—pugvox

Paras Griffin / Getty Images

11. “I met Peter Dinklage at a brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, while he was filming Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. This was during the airing of Season 5 of Game of Thrones, so it felt like there was no bigger celebrity out there. After debating whether to bother him, I decided that I would kick myself if I didn’t. HE WAS SO NICE. He asked me where I was from and what brought me to Asheville (I was on vacation). I asked him for a photo, and he was happy to oblige. I took the photo and showed him and he said, ‘Your hand was shaking. Do you mind if I take one?’ Soooo kind. It wasn’t until after I said bye that I realized he was with Sam Rockwell and I hadn’t even noticed. After they left, the bartender said that Woody Harrelson (also in the movie) was in every day. Frances McDormand had never been in, and it was the first time Peter had been in.”

—mewilliams421

“Peter Dinklage is a peach. I met him a few years ago at a charity event. He had time for everyone, and he made you feel like you were the only person in the room.”

—Yeahnahh

Sebastian Reuter / Getty Images

12. “I met Dev Patel outside a club in London years ago. I was on a horrible date with someone who’d just left me there. We spent at least half an hour sharing cigarettes and talking about how horrible men were. He was an absolute treasure and saved my whole night.”

—Randomshoes

Karwai Tang / WireImage

13. “I’ve only ever met one celebrity, but I like to joke that because of who it was, there’s no one famous left to meet anyway. I met Princess Diana when I was a little girl. I kept a scrapbook of all her clippings, like lots of us did as kids back then. She and then-Prince Charles visited a town near ours just after their honeymoon. My nana, who was looking after me, was a terrifying matriarch with no fear of anyone or anything. She literally shoved me through the crowd, between people’s legs, insisting it was the one and only chance for her granddaughter to meet a real, live princess. I crawled underneath to the front just as Diana walked by. I distinctly remember how cool, elegant, and pale her hands were as she helped me up, and that she was utterly beautiful, verging on ethereal. I was so tiny. I thought she was an angel.”

—aseverson2

Bettmann / Bettmann Archive

14. “Katie Holmes brought Suri to a zoo I worked at right after her porce from Tom Cruise. She was super sweet to all the staff she interacted with, and she refused to shut the place down because she wanted Suri to experience it just like all the other kids. She thanked me for a few tiger facts I shared with their group. If I had not known she was in the zoo that day, I would have looked right past her. She blended in with the other guests so easily.”

—p46bf3ddf0

Gilbert Carrasquillo / GC Images

15. “I used to work as stage staff at a place that had a few celebrity guests, and the nicest was actually Tracy Morgan. He insisted on photos with everyone.”

—singingeachtoeach

“My wife met Tracy Morgan recently. Said he was as nice as you could ever imagine.”

—Yeahnahh

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

16. “I used to move in the same circles as Colin Farrell back in his hellraiser days. I have endless respect for him. He was always fun, but also kind and engaging. I’m so very glad he got sober. I’d love to meet him again and see if he remembers me. Funnily enough, I also knew Brendan Gleeson growing up. I had a beer with him at my dad’s retirement party. I gushed pretty hard.”

—Yeahnahh

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

17. “I met Hilarie Burton in a small indie bookstore at the height of One Tree Hill’s run. She was looking at a book I had read and really liked. I was a huge fan of the show and no one else was around, so I took a chance. I walked up to her and told her the book was really good and she should get it. She ended up recommending a book to me as well. Super friendly and very down-to-earth. We chatted for 15–20 minutes or so about various books and authors we both had read and enjoyed. It honestly felt like talking with a friend. I never mentioned the show to her at all. I’ve always hoped she liked the book.”

—CoffeeArt

Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images

18. “When Bono had a concert in my country, he gave the charity I worked for free tickets and offered to help us raise awareness for our charity. It was all on his initiative. He truly has a great heart.”

—someoneeeee

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

19. “I grew up in Pittsburgh, which is where Fred Rogers filmed his long-running show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, at the local PBS station. When I was 4, my mom and I went to the studio regarding a pledge she had made. We pulled into the parking lot, and as luck would have it, Mister Rogers was too. We both got out of our cars and he spotted me, waved, smiled, and said, ‘Well, hi there, neighbor. It’s nice to meet you!’ With my mom’s permission, he held my hand as we walked into the building and talked to me. When we got inside, he said, ‘Thank you for walking with me today. I’m so glad that you’re my neighbor, and I’d like it very much if we could be friends.’ Of course I said yes, and he gave me a hug before going into the offices. Fred Rogers was EXACTLY the same IRL as on TV. He was the kindest, most gentle human being.”

—Luxacious

Fotos International / Getty Images

20. “I’ve met Danny McBride. He comes into the barbershop I work at with his son. Literally the best. He is a down-to-earth, easygoing guy; plus, his kids and wife are the sweetest.”

—britt

Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images,

21. “The guys from the band the Script are absolutely incredible humans. I knew them before they ‘made it,’ and they are the exact same people they were 20 years ago. They will often spend hours after a show going outside to take pictures and meet anyone there. I’ve even known them to do it after arena and stadium shows, not just small gigs. Just genuinely humble and sweet men. So sad that we lost Mark Sheehan a few weeks ago. Rest in peace, my friend.”

—karileah143

Mike Marsland / Mike Marsland/WireImage

22. “I was at a local burger place with my BFF. When we got there, I ran to the restroom and she got the table. We rarely see each other, and when we do, we are hilarious. I got to the table and kind of noticed the normally super-loud restaurant was mostly dead silent, but I brushed it off and we continued our antics. I believe at one point I made a bra out of the napkin. She kept doing side-eyes, which I finally picked up on as her way of telling me to look to my right. I did, and no more than 6 feet away was Quentin Tarantino with two women. For the entirety of his meal, he monologued about the differences between Sicily and Italy. No one spoke at all or went up to him. When he finally left, all of us congratulated ourselves on how cool we were, and the restaurant’s normal loudness came back. Any time I think of him now, all I think about is the lecture I did not sign up for!”

—JustJen0178

Picture Alliance / DPA / Picture Alliance via Getty Images

23. “The nicest celebrity I’ve ever met was Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds. I took his coffee order, then asked, ‘It’s for Matthew, right?’ He stayed at the register and talked for way longer than he needed to. Super sweet and tipped well! Really easy to make conversation with.”

—L

Robin Marchant / Getty Images

24. “I worked in radio in a major market and met tons of artists and actors. Most were pretty kind and easy to work with. The worst was Jared Leto by a mile. He was vocally and publicly rude to our listeners, his fans.”

—bran230

Stephane Cardinale — Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images

25. “A group of us ran into Flavor Flav in the bar of the hotel we were staying at. He was really nice, signed coasters for us, and paid for a round of shots.”

—geneac

Rich Polk / Getty Images on Location

26. “Richard Simmons is an actual angel. I dislike being around celebrities and actively try to avoid it, but my husband has worked with a lot of them as an actor and a set coach. I worked with several back in the day before I left the industry. Of the really big names, the most gracious in his experience is Sarah Jessica Parker. In my experience, Kevin Kline is a genuinely nice person. Scarlett Johansson is awful.”

—hoolet

“I met Richard Simmons in a hotel lobby. He came up to me, took my hand, and said, ‘Honey, you look fabulous.’ He was so kind and I have loved him ever since. And yes, he was wearing sparkly short shorts!”

—FayeValentine

Scott Roth / FilmMagic

27. “I’ve had some genuinely great celebrity encounters, but my favorite was taking my young cousin to meet David Ramsey. The dude was SO kind to her. He picked her right up to pose her on his flexed bicep, and later that day tweeted out a photo of the picture she’d drawn for him. I remember him coming around the table to kneel down and talk to her. Years later, she still talks about it. Worst encounter was, no surprise, William Shatner. The guy is an absolute creep and hit on me during a signing. His handler had to redirect him.”

—Cici

Joe Scarnici / FilmMagic

28. “My husband used to work at a rehearsal studio in downtown Nashville and said Keith Urban was one of his nicest celebrity encounters. Every time Keith was rehearsing, he made a point to talk to any employees he encountered and shake their hands, and actually remembered their names every time he came back. He said he seemed really down-to-earth and genuine. Amy Lee from Evanescence was there quite a bit too, and he said she was always so nice and funny and would goof around with all the employees. Dave Grohl was also extremely kind and funny. Garth Brooks was very kind and always went above and beyond to treat the people around him with kindness and respect. He also always made a point of speaking with and thanking every employee personally, no matter how tired he was after a show. Also, if they ever had to make deliveries to his home for a party he was having, he always insisted on the delivery guys getting a plate of food and hanging out for a bit.”

—User1982

Variety / Variety via Getty Images

29. “I met Carla Hall at a charity food event in Washington, DC. She stopped to speak with anyone who was interested in having a conversation with her. She was SO kind and sweet, and she talked to me for about 15 minutes. It was a blustery day in September, and a few strands of my hair blew into my face and toward my mouth. She tucked it behind my ear. I also briefly met Kenan Thompson in New York City, and he was an absolute gem.”

—laurenishurrr

Bryan Bedder / Getty Images for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Roy Rochlin / Getty Images

30. “I worked with a bunch of celebrities when I lived in NYC. The nicest were Christy Turlington, Brooke Shields, Julianne Moore, Stephen King, and…if you can believe it…Howard Stern. No, really. Howard Stern. I was really, REALLY surprised. He was genuinely good-natured, self-deprecating, cooperative, and funny. I will say, though, Stephen was my favorite. Such a brilliant man, but very humble. He was kind to EVERYONE.”

—pieladyjack

“Howard Stern stopped to help me when I passed out at a festival and was in danger of getting trampled. He was so nice. His bodyguard was really annoyed by his kind gesture, though.”

—mariannep41445464a

Rb / GC Images

31. “I met Robert Redford once when he came to one of my dad’s concerts in California. Very polite, warm guy. I was a blithering idiot and couldn’t stop smiling. Others I’ve met: Rowan Atkinson (nice but strange), Hugh Laurie (nice but quiet), Idris Elba (very friendly and funny), and King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort (both polite and chatty; they seemed interested in talking to people).”

“I met Charles when he was Prince Charles and I won a big award at school (he was a patron…it’s a whole thing here in the UK). He presented the award. I met Camilla when she was opening a concert hall and I sang at the ceremony. Meeting royals in the UK isn’t that big a deal.”

—Sabrina

Rich Polk / Getty Images for IMDb

32. “I was waiting tables at a TGIF restaurant a while back before college, and Morgan Freeman was there while doing research in Vero Beach, Florida, for his movie Dolphin Tale. He was very cold, almost angry, but polite. He told me not to allow any drinks from customers sent to his table, since he was drinking in the bar section while eating. Not many people bought him drinks, but I said OK and gave him privacy. He tipped a few bucks and I didn’t keep his signature (my manager keeps the receipts and ticket orders anyway), but I wouldn’t have even asked for an autograph. I treated him like a normal person, he made zero eye contact, and the woman he was with ordered all the food and drinks for him. He likes vodka and Sprite. All I can say from that day was that he was very cold and didn’t tip well.”

—Megera108

Michael Kovac / Getty Images for AFI

33. Finally: “I’ve met a LOT of celebrities. Most of them I regret meeting because either they were jerks or they were shining me on. One of my favorites, however, is Henry Winkler. I’ve met him three times, and he was absolutely one of my favorites. He spent as much time talking with me as possible, and when I was getting overwhelmed at having to talk (I am deaf), he realized this on his own without me saying anything, and he initiated sign language. I’ve met enough celebrities to tell when they are just being nice because you’re a fan, versus when they are truly very good people. He was an absolute mensch. Kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful guy. He gave me extra hugs.”

“He was incredibly thoughtful and funny, and he actually remembered me the third time. He asked if I’d met him before because I looked familiar, and immediately started signing. He remembered me, even though it was several years later. Henry is precious and must be protected at all costs.”

—Radar’s Teddy

Leon Bennett / WireImage

Have you ever had a memorable encounter with a celebrity? Share your story in the comments below!

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.