40 Of The Most Unforgettable Celebrity Encounters Shared On This X Thread
Celebrity culture is all around us. We see famous people on the big screen, on the stage and in the news. Thanks to social media, they seem closer than ever. We can see inside their homes, watch and judge their daily routines. It sometimes makes us say: "Hey, I do that too. They're just like me!"
Yet there's still something thrilling about meeting a celebrity in person. Whether it's a person you admire or just saw in the media in passing, it can still be worth sharing. This X thread by @gothamhiphop is the perfect example. The entries range from hilarious to wholesome, although some might make you raise your eyebrows too. So scroll away and see for yourself if meeting your heroes always turns out bad.

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When in Boston, I bartended for Matt Damon during the height of his Goodwill Hunting success. He asked about my academic program (I was a grad student) He tipped me $250 for my school expenses. He was super kind and sincere.
By all accounts, Kiefer is an absolute jackass of a man - but not cruel or malicious. There's a Youtube video of him drunkenly tackling a Christmas tree in a hotel lobby that I could watch all day.
I always get this sense of dread when a post starts with "I met Dolly Parton..." because I'm terrified it'll ruin my opinion that she's a wonderful person... not one post yet has!
is that even probabel? according to Internet she appears a good person?
Load More Replies...That is so Dolly. I'm not into country music, but as a person - she, rocks! The more I read about her, the more I love her, too. Wouldn't mind meeting her one day.
I only knew Dolly because of the work she does sending free books to children ages 0-5. I didn't know anything else about her. But even then I still thought 'Whoever can do this is definitely a wonderful person' and with the amount of good things I heard about her, it must be true.
Yes! This program is open to all kids, no hassle to sign up: Just go to the website, type in your address and the child's birthdate (they send books based on the child's age level) and done! A new free book every month
Load More Replies...Dolly Parton is an amazing person. She donated $1.5 million to help develop the Moderna COVID vaccine. She's given away millions of books through her Books From Birth charity and she single-handedly turned around the economy of one of the poorest counties in Tennessee when she built Dollywood. She should be nominated for sainthood.
As a local Nashvillian (TN/USA) who knows ppl that work very close with her, she is the absolute real deal. Every story I have heard certifies she really is kind-hearted and wants the best. Love her!
One feature of the ubiquitous celebrity culture is parasocial relationships. By no means is this a new concept, most social media users know what it is and are quite self-aware about it. But with loneliness and isolation becoming an epidemic, it's important to discuss one of its contributing factors.
A parasocial relationship is often the reason we like a celebrity and want to meet them. Encountering them in real life seems like a big event. You've admired this person from the comfort of your home for so long and now you get to tell them how much you've connected with their work. The catch? This relationship is not exactly equal.
Or as a 10 year old did not know or care who Bruce Willis was
Load More Replies...Just checked, it was. He also wrote the excellent script for the film ‘Beautiful Thing’.
Load More Replies...I remember they used to have a big wheel in Birmingham that had a voice over with landmarks. It said Lenny Henry was born in Birmingham and as a proud black country lass, my mum always got annoyed at it. I'm a Brummie but my family on mums side are a mix of Brummies and Yam Yams.
Load More Replies...Before we all jump on Natasha and their comment, lets take a minute to remember that for many, English is not their first, or even second language. They may have had a hard time understanding the caption because of punctuation. Their comment is more than likely trying to state that they struggled with it, and why, and them being a non native English speaker, did not understand how the tone came across, and confused the words punctuation and pronunciation. We should be not be rude or condescending, and try to help people understand that they do not, and do so with kindness.
Load More Replies...I remember when Lenny was funny, although his Dudley/Irish/American accent in Rings of Power was hilarious in its own way.
For a long time, we thought of parasocial relationships as one-sided. It can happen with an actor I saw in a movie or a singer I watched perform on stage. The National Register of Health Service Psychologists writes: "Viewers experience a connection with the media user and express feelings of affection, gratitude, longing, encouragement, and loyalty towards them."
A parasocial relationship is not simply admiring and liking the work of a famous person. Licensed marriage and family therapist Jessica Leader tells Everyday Health: "It involves a level of commitment to a public figure where you even begin to view the celebrity as a friend or confidante."
I worked on a BREAKING BAD episode in Garduno's and was seated at a table right next to the table with Bryan Cranston. Between takes, he pulled a chair over introduced himself and we had a great time talking! Super nice guy!
Just last night my dad's band rehearsal was interrupted because Diana came to town a day earlier than she was supposed to. But you can't get mad at Diana Ross. She's a legend! :)
That's what her unauthorized biography said to call her - way to go! People don't realize what it was like to be a black, female entertainer in her day. A true trailblazer.
As somebody who is on stage crew (currently sitting stage right), I absolutely love this!
Some people view parasocial relationships as only negative. It's true that it can sometimes turn exploitative and be used only for financial gain. TikTok users, for example, point out that Taylor Swift is "first and foremost, a capitalist". They claim she uses parasocial relationships to sell multiple versions of the same album and "overpriced tickets with VIP additions".
It could be a smaller hotel. 10 years ago our local anime convention had less people and it was at a small hotel. The bathroom situation was a struggle.
Load More Replies...I have friends who know him from horse shows (he is a top competitor in equestrian events) and they uniformly say that he's a very friendly, kind man.
Not a personal interaction with Shatner but went to see Taming of the Shrew with him as lead. Some kid threw a paper airplane on stage. He picked it up and threw it at the lead actress when scolding her in a scene. Audience went wild. It was in the late sixties.
I love shatner!!! He can be an a*s but he's real and has an awesome heart
Everyone always gushes over celebrities for being "genuine." "Decent" means being as a*s only rarely, but "genuine" means being an a*s occasionally. From what I've heard of him, he sounds like a genuine, decent, cool guy.
Load More Replies...I hope God really does sound like him.... I could listen to his voice for all eternity
Load More Replies...He is not only talented but a VERY kind and considerate person. I worked with him in TRANSCENDENCE and every single morning as we were arriving to go into hair and make-up he was sitting on his trailer steps and always greeted us and chatted for a while.
Perhaps the most extreme example of parasocial relationships in entertainment can be the K-pop industry. The idols nurture their relationships with fans through regular livestreams and posts on social media, creating “friendships” with their fans. Western artists use similar marketing tactics, but K-pop really takes advantage of this business model.
I don't know who this guy is, but I'd put money on him being some kind of alien visitor
I misread it as Nick Cage and thought, “that doesn’t look like Nicholas Cage”.
Really glad I'm not alone on that one, lmao. I was like, umm, no, that looks like Nick Cage you'd get from Wish, or Temu. "Can we have a Nick Cage", "we have Nick Cage at home"....this is Nick Cage at home.
Load More Replies...Then you're in for a treat. His music is amazing.
Load More Replies...Meryl Streep totally stole the show in the most recent season of 'Only Murders In The Building'. She's the best for a reason.
I have to say I have hated this woman since I saw her in She-Devil As a child. Rarely since then have I experienced such concentrated hatred for another person. It took a very long time to get over the emotion attached to her character and understand that she was just playing a role. I have a very strong issue with cheaters and cheating...
A clinical psychologist John Felix told Vice that parasocial relationships can become problematic when fans over-identify with their idols. "If your idols inspire you, make you happy and be a better person, then great. However, you must keep in mind that if your interest in them gets in the way of living your life productively, then you can consider it a red flag," Felix said.
Unless you're kidding, you're an absolute idiot.
Load More Replies...I'm sorry if I'm the one not getting YOUR joke, but the OP and Steve Carrell were co-stars on the same TV show.
Load More Replies...Remember that commercial Steve did for Brown's Chicken?
Load More Replies...LOL, I met Joe at a bar in Seattle once. I'd been at an alumni crew event so a bunch of us (tall, female) rowers went out for drinks after. The 49ers were in town for a game that week and some of them, incuding Joe, came in to the bar. I'm such an awkward giraffe...they were saying hi to people and he gets to me and I say "I thought you'd be taller..."
That's a compliment. It's from forever 21, but you wear it like it's Versace
Is it possible these relationships are not as one-sided as we think? Hank Green, online science communicator and one half of the vlogbrothers duo on YouTube, recently made a video about what he termed "sarapocial relationships."
People who become so-called celebrities and have a following feel a certain responsibility to their audience too, he says. As a person around whom an online community has formed and has been going strong since 2007, Green has an interesting perspective on this issue.
Not boring, sweet. Bothering celebrities in their private time is a no-no, so even though you did go over, you were not an annoying fanboy but showed respect.
That was really cool of you. Not everything needs to be photographed and posted to social media. Real memories are better.
It would be so hard for me not to either faint or run. He’s my number one celeb crush always. I don’t know what the hell I would do, but it wouldn’t be nearly as cool as what you did lol
Brad Pitt grew up in the same town I did. I have seen him around town so many times. I have also seen him different times around town with Gweneth Paltrow (decades ago), Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie. But you have to play it cool and leave him alone. Mostly because he comes back home to visit his parents and spend time during the holidays.
Did you have to explain, turn red, trip over your tongue, and regret it every day since?
He talks about the community that has formed from the fanbase of the vlogbrothers channel. "I have always known that I have a very strong, very real, very important relationship with the people whom I do not know who consume this content. Just like you can have a relationship with a character in a book, I have a parasocial relationship with this thing that I've created in my head. I've invented it and it's a thing that I can never fully know or understand."
Well, that was polite of you, and of her as well. Could have been worse!
I'd have gone back home if she hadn't been invited. You can't go to a party knowing Patti's in the building but she's not there; nope.
I mean, it looks like he could easily palm your head, maybe he was trying to be sure he didn't crush your hand.
Probably because you offered your hand like that and he had no clue what to do with it.
He was waiting for you to mention his height, and then he would break your fingers
Met him twice at Disney, when i worked there in high school and nursing school. He is really very nice, as was his family. They are all of a different size, even his mom was a giant next to me (5'9"). Again, really nice people.
Green talks about what it's like for the person on the other side of the parasocial relationship. "The sarapocial relationship is actually a much bigger deal than the parasocial relationship in that person's life because it's not just a relationship. It's also a job, it's an ever-present thing in my mind. Everything [public] I do is informed by it."
Meeting Jack Nicholson at a ski resort would be slightly terrifying for some....
Lol, he almost ran over my friend 20 years ago in NYC. When she slammed her hand on the hood of his car (as ny pedestrians do), he literally just lowered his sunglasses a bit and raised his eyebrows, as if to say, "I'm Jack f*****g Nicholas, move aside". So of course she did so she could pick her jaw up off the street, heh.
The community he's talking about – Nerdfighteria – is a rare phenomenon on the Internet, where toxic fandoms sometimes thrive. Generally, one of the positive things about parasocial relationships is their role in community-building. Studies have shown that these relationships have positive effects on loneliness. They also provide people with a sense of companionship and are a source of social connection.
This annoys me as much as there, their and they're, or would of instead of would have.
Load More Replies...I see Keanu's name - I upvote. You know it's going to be wholesome ❣️
I'm not sure but he may end with "he is the one"...think someone mentioned it already!
"It is very important and an absolute good thing to share a great deal of yourself,” Green also declares in his video. "I think that a self shared is a much more rich existence than a self that is only for oneself." And it's a nice sentiment, we do crave social interaction after all. As long as we're able to balance the dangers of co-dependent parasocial relationships, having people to admire is not at all a bad thing.
It's from basketball and refers to someone tossing the ball to the net for them to dunk (one person throws, another scores before ball hits the ground). In this case, I take it to just mean the OP picked it up for Paul or caught the trash when it missed.
Load More Replies...You're an idiot. Someone online could say that water is wet and idiots like you would be screaming "FAKE!" just for attention. Modern day Holden Caulfields wanting attention for being so angry and bitter and spoiled.
Load More Replies...Possibly not. How often are they walking together in public? And most people won’t speak to them, will say how much of a fan they are or ask for an autograph. I certainly wouldn’t remember that they’d both been in Batman films until way later.
Load More Replies...They've know each other most of their lives, growing up in New Jersey.
Most of you won't recognize the reference but when I was about 7 I met Richard Boone at the train depot in Livinston MT (about 1955) - he was the manager for the boxer for Joey Giardello when he was not Paladin. This was before Joey hit it big in the '60s **edit** Richard wore his holster with the chess knight on it
yay what actual happened is that behind Billie ellish was Jason Mamoa. I proposed to him on the spot and we've been secretly married since.
Load More Replies...It was nice that it has a happy ending but what a terrible thing to say to a stranger. Surely Billie is used to people criticising her style, clothes, etc. so she should know better (and have common courtesy not to be so rude). It’s lucky that the person she said it to wasn’t upset.
This is an "and everyone clapped" story. Completely fake.
Load More Replies...They were both Pluto Nash. Poor guy was trying to raise his numbers...
"Back up in yo' a*s with the resurrection!" - Jennifer Aniston
He's a gambling addict who threatens to kill people and has more power in some ways than people realise. He said he enjoys ruining people's lives. He is absolutely not a dope human. Google "tobey maguire mean poker"
Parent 1 - "Who did they apologise to??" Parent 2 - "To me". P1 - "To you??" P2 - "To me"
Shouldn’t Chuckle Brothers be capitalized ? And who the hell are the chuckle brothers ?
They are/were comedians and children's entertainers. Huge here in the UK, and we all miss Barry Chuckle.
Load More Replies...Oh, that sucks. It's probably a very natural thing to blurt out, though. Too bad he didn't appreciate that.
This reminds me of everyone calling Darius Rucker and Mark McGrath “Hootie” and “Sugar Ray” respectively.
It is Weeknd, but only because you can't trade mark "weekend."
Load More Replies...I was kinda hoping he was going to say he did a quick job, so he could start singing Loverboy. Anyone? Anyone?
I got you! "Everybody's Working for the Weekend..." or in this case, everybody's working for "The Weeknd!" Lol
Load More Replies...A podiatrist I worked for had an autographed pair of his shoes (doc's wife was Shaqs's realtor) but his shoes are MASSIVE. I want to say they're size 22 or something crazy like that.
Or a bit light, actually, depending on how we look at it. I could see Biggie just bein' a dude
Load More Replies...I guess they didn't else a lot of news stories would've appeared.
Load More Replies...Funny story but I don’t know if celebrities use Grindr. Don’t the use a celebrity only dating site? They wouldn’t want to match with a crazy fan.
I don't know what that means, but it's kind that Will Ferrell checked on you.
It refers to being inadvertently struck by an outstretched arm (similar to walking into a clothesline that you didn't see).
Load More Replies...This reminds me of a former friend who was a limo driver for big name stars. He had dozens and dozens of photos with major celebrities. He never smiled in any of them, to create the impression that he was annoyed by people asking for photos while the stars and their buddy were hanging out. Oh, the irony!
There was a time when George Clooney was TOO YOUNG, can you believe it. First season of ER he wasn't handsome at all.
Load More Replies...To be fair, like Michael Jackson, he's just been forced into the limelight from a young age and is told what to do by his management. It's not good for people to grow up outside reality and it will have repercussions later.
Shouldn't matter who it was, you've got a different priority to focus on.
Because its early in the morning and they just have to get " just one picture" ?
Load More Replies...no no: 2023 is the answer to the tread "What’s your favorite interaction you’ve had with a celebrity?"... 2021 is when the event occurred
Load More Replies...why would you look through someones camera roll?? like, its just my dog, but i'd still smack you
I love Salma Hayek. The Hitman's Bodyguard cracks me up bc she always seems so classy that her spewing f bombs cracked me up.
I bet that was the longest pee. https://youtu.be/srq09I_6Eow?si=FjjBBe2L2biX2jdq
Oh he's one of THOSE....I'm watching zoolander right now. Doesn't surprise me much
Ok, I'd be absolutely overjoyed if that happened to me. Great to see a testimony that Mike is as cool as he seems.
Can you blame them? I wouldn't want to be anywhere near kid rock either.
Load More Replies...Must have been one of his rare lucid moments, or maybe he was on medication then.
To enjoy Kanye's music, OP must have been on medication for sure !
Load More Replies...I really want to make a snarky Gisele comment, but I can't think of one. She was too pretty for him.
Hey, this far down the list and it's an actual celebrity!
Oatmeal means porridge, right? I don't know what's weirder, a restaurant serving porridge, someone ordering porridge in a restaurant, or someone sending porridge back four times because it isn't quite right.
Only the last one of those is weird! #PorridgeIsFineDining
Load More Replies...What an ego on such a joke of a human being. Morrissey has serious main character syndrome.
Tbf that's how all faxes should be replied to in 2023. This was probably earlier tho so I agree with other comment.
Is that the same Ben Lee that sings Don't Leave on the BSC Movie soundtrack?
Aww, if that's true, it's kinda sweet. People hate on the Kardashians a lot but there is a huge amount of pressure on them to be perfect all the time, there are many things I don't like about them, but I also pity them in some respects
He is talented but still a wanker. You don't sell millions of albums just from luck. I hate the man but credit where credit is due
Load More Replies...Sad that they are so shy/respectful around celebrities and the one time he asked for a photo gets shot down.
Earl is an extremely private person, not many fans get a photo with him so he can go places without being hounded by fans. That being said he is usually friendly when he says no and is a really down to earth artist.
Load More Replies...LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When TC decides to turn it on, there are few people on this earth who can escape his reality distortion field. Man's a consummate pro. Until ... y'know. Xenu enters the picture.
Load More Replies...I hope you asked her "Can you see your house from here?" and then look around and look confused!
There are a lot of words in this. I know most of them. But I still have no idea what I just read.
Apparently some accidental bodily contact was made then a mean look was given.
Load More Replies...This is the random ramblings of someone suffering from dementia.
Okay at this point of the list people are just making up names.
Dude, are you serious? It took 2 google seconds to look him up and find out he's a rapper.
Load More Replies...It is Twitter, and will always be Twitter, regardless of insane billionaires.
Not always, pretty soon it'll just be bankrupt 🙂
Load More Replies...My wife and I were at a restaurant one Sunday afternoon when Chuck Norris came in with a few other people. It was during the time he was doing Walker, Texas Ranger. He had recently bought some property in the community where we live, so we briefly stopped at his table on our way out to welcome him to the area. He was very gracious to everyone, but seeing the way people reacted to him made me very glad I'm not famous.
Not sure if any jazz fans are out there, but I met Wynton Marsalis as a friend was dating him. She brought him home right after I finished cooking. The first thing he said to me, while staring at me as if I was answering to a Court Marshall, was, "Did you make that fried chicken?" I assured him that I had. He nodded approvingly, and left the room. Didn't say another word to me for several hours. He's hilarious.
My wife's school put on a play. While driving there, we saw that a local theater was supposed to host Craig Ferguson that evening, but was closed due to an emergency. The next night, Ferguson made several jokes referencing the same play. It was a very commonly done play that had been made into a smash-hit movie decades earlier, so the audience got all the references. It could easily have been a coincidence, but I couldn't help wondering if, stuck in town with a cancelled show, he figured he'd check out a local high-school production for fun. It seemed like something put that play into his mind.
I'm sure the reason I've never met a celebrity is because I wouldn't recognise one in the first place.
A good 50% of these are humblebrags. "I met this famous person and they congratulated me on my excellent taste/manners/humour". Kudos to those who actually had a nice story and didn't lean into the self-aggrandising.
I met Molly Shannon once. I didn't recognize her and did not act cool at all. She was kind and gracious.
Load More Replies...Lol! I don't know who over half these people mentioned are! Might recognise them if i saw them....but also probably not. :P However, if I DID see someone famous, I'd leave them the hell alone, because i respect people's privacy, and I see them as human beings, instead of a "thing" or some sort of public commodity like a lot of Americans see celebrities seem to do. Australian fans tend to be very respectful of people's personal space, and will not mob them if they see them.
Back in the 80s I was waiting tables at a restaurant in the Haight Ashbury and I went up to the table where a couple of people and a guy with long white hair and beard. He looked familiar and I asked, "Are you who I think you are?" (Baba Ram Dass) and he answered, "More importantly, are you who you think YOU are?" bhnjpg-cop...000b25.jpg
Lyn (Lego Masters S1) went to my church, got talking to my mum. Ended up hemming my school skirts which was cool!
It is Twitter, and will always be Twitter, regardless of insane billionaires.
Not always, pretty soon it'll just be bankrupt 🙂
Load More Replies...My wife and I were at a restaurant one Sunday afternoon when Chuck Norris came in with a few other people. It was during the time he was doing Walker, Texas Ranger. He had recently bought some property in the community where we live, so we briefly stopped at his table on our way out to welcome him to the area. He was very gracious to everyone, but seeing the way people reacted to him made me very glad I'm not famous.
Not sure if any jazz fans are out there, but I met Wynton Marsalis as a friend was dating him. She brought him home right after I finished cooking. The first thing he said to me, while staring at me as if I was answering to a Court Marshall, was, "Did you make that fried chicken?" I assured him that I had. He nodded approvingly, and left the room. Didn't say another word to me for several hours. He's hilarious.
My wife's school put on a play. While driving there, we saw that a local theater was supposed to host Craig Ferguson that evening, but was closed due to an emergency. The next night, Ferguson made several jokes referencing the same play. It was a very commonly done play that had been made into a smash-hit movie decades earlier, so the audience got all the references. It could easily have been a coincidence, but I couldn't help wondering if, stuck in town with a cancelled show, he figured he'd check out a local high-school production for fun. It seemed like something put that play into his mind.
I'm sure the reason I've never met a celebrity is because I wouldn't recognise one in the first place.
A good 50% of these are humblebrags. "I met this famous person and they congratulated me on my excellent taste/manners/humour". Kudos to those who actually had a nice story and didn't lean into the self-aggrandising.
I met Molly Shannon once. I didn't recognize her and did not act cool at all. She was kind and gracious.
Load More Replies...Lol! I don't know who over half these people mentioned are! Might recognise them if i saw them....but also probably not. :P However, if I DID see someone famous, I'd leave them the hell alone, because i respect people's privacy, and I see them as human beings, instead of a "thing" or some sort of public commodity like a lot of Americans see celebrities seem to do. Australian fans tend to be very respectful of people's personal space, and will not mob them if they see them.
Back in the 80s I was waiting tables at a restaurant in the Haight Ashbury and I went up to the table where a couple of people and a guy with long white hair and beard. He looked familiar and I asked, "Are you who I think you are?" (Baba Ram Dass) and he answered, "More importantly, are you who you think YOU are?" bhnjpg-cop...000b25.jpg
Lyn (Lego Masters S1) went to my church, got talking to my mum. Ended up hemming my school skirts which was cool!
