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“He’s Awkwardly Suave”: 43 Celebrity Encounters That People Will Hardly Ever Forget
According to one study, you’re most likely to have a celebrity sighting in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which is a popular getaway destination for famous people. But you don’t have to head up to a particular state to meet your idol — it can happen anywhere, anytime, and often when you least expect it.
Celebrities are constantly being spotted out in the wild by fans doing regular things, and this popular thread is just more proof of it. Scroll down to find the most memorable star encounters people shared under it, and don’t forget to upvote your favorite picks!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
President Obama came to my office at Nike and I got to shake his hand and he spoke to a group of us. He really just oozes swag but at the same time feels so real and human. One of the coolest days of my life.
NotAThreat (he/him) 1 month ago
he wasn't the best (he did do a few f****d up things ppl don't talk about) but MANN is he better then trumppy
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RELATED:
#2
Brendan Fraser. He approached us when he saw us pointing and trying to snap a stealthy photo. I thought he was gonna get mad but he said something like “you can come over and say hi, you don’t have to stand over here and try to hide”.
#3
Sir David Attenborough. Genuinely THE nicest person, made time to talk to me about my research, and the rugby. The sort of guy you kinda wish was your grandad.
Ghostchaplain16 1 month ago
Another author by the name of David, David McCullough came to our area to give a speech at the church where the founders of Ohio left the North Shore of Massachusetts by wagon train to settle. Unbelievably genuine man with the patience of Job, wading through questions big and small, giving dignity to every person who asked him something--even those trying to one-up his research. (Which of course, never was successful. Sounds like the two Davids were peas in a pod.
Stannous Flouride 1 month ago
Thank you. I remember him fondly but hadn't thought of him in years. And I just checked YT and there's LOTS of his stuff on there, including some on the Library of Congress YT page.
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#4
Jane Goodall. She was a very friendly , lovely person. I feel very privileged to have met her in person.
Ok-Psychology-5702:
I worked a lot of her security details when she was in DC. Hands down the nicest person I've ever met
Nikole 1 month ago
I’ve met her too! She did a talk at the Field Museum in Chicago and my AP Bio class went. We were pretty much the only ones there (it wasn’t in an auditorium, but by the Tsavo lions, if anyone knows what I’m talking about). She stayed and spoke with all of us for so long afterwards. Absolutely lovely person indeed.
Ghostchaplain16 1 month ago
Wow, Nikole. What a gift that must have been!
Load More Replies... Stannous Flouride 1 month ago
She said she didn't really like chimpanzees because they're too much like people. But she loved dogs. All dogs.
#5
I’ve met a lot of famous people since I worked in music and movies. But the best was Meryl Streep who saw me struggling with grocery bags and bike trying to unlock and open the front door to my SoHo building, bound up the stairs and helped me with a friendly smile and hello. I only realized it was her when she turned around to leave. This was in the 80s.
#6
Jeff Goldblum. He’s tall, awkwardly suave, and smells incredible. And he really takes the time to engage in conversations, a very classy man!
#7
Got to chat with Ian McKellen for a couple moments after his one man show in the West End a few years back.
Dude is legitimately as cool as he seems. Can basically recite every written work of Shakespeare’s off the top of his head.
#8
Paul McCartney super cool, upbeat and nice.
Craigydave1978:
Paul McCartney. Regents Park, London, February 2006. I walked up to him and said, 'Excuse me, Paul.' He turned around, and I was face-to-face with one of the Beatles. Lovely bloke; warm, engaging, and as I'd just moved to London from Australia, he asked me what I thought of the UK. Shook hands and went our separate ways. Genuinely friendly and kind person
Eastendbird 1 month ago
My brother is a journalist on a national paper in the UK. He has plenty of stories about celebs he interviewed being arseholes but he had nothing bad to say about Paul McCartney, said it was one of the few times he was genuinely star struck.
#9
I met Daniel Radcliffe at a coffee shop in DC at like 5am.
We were both clearly exhausted that early in the morning but I at least wanted to say hi. I’d never get another chance and I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter.
So I decide to make a joke out of it. We’re both waiting for our order to come up and instead I said “Aren’t you the guy from ‘Woman In Black?’” which was a movie of his that had just BOMBED right after finishing Harry Potter.
He laughed at the question and just said “That’s me! Woman In Black guy!”
But he gave me a handshake and I told him seriously I’ve enjoyed his work since I was a kid and he said he appreciated it. Then I left him alone.
He said bye on his way out after getting his coffee.
Really nice dude who clearly loves his fans. Glad to see he’s still doing well.
Child of the Stars 1 month ago
His version was a remake. The original starred the man who played his father in HP.
#10
Alice Cooper! He was so friendly to my girlfriend and myself. Signed autographs posed for a selfie!! He was just so genuine.
Skittlebrau46:
I won a radio contest to get VIP passes to a concert and then have breakfast with him the next morning. He was so amazingly chill that we sort of forgot he was famous and just ended up hanging out and having a good time like we had known him for years. 10/10
Karl der Große 1 month ago
He and I have a mutual friend. He presumably likes to talk about golf, fine dining, and charity work more than anything else. Also, he supposedly makes witty observations about people and maybe could have been a comedian had the music thing not panned out.
Joe Reaves 1 month ago
If I were a musician you could not pay me enough to have breakfast with anyone the morning after a concert!
#11
Kevin bacon and his wife Kyra Sedgwick. I was in NYC at our dog run and their new puppy came over to play with my dog. They were incognito, but they couldn't have been nicer, asking about puppy stuff since they had never had a dog in the city. Talked for like 10 min and then they left once people started coming over to talk to them.
#12
Elvis Presley. 1971 at the gates of his house in LA. 3am in the morning and spent 30 minutes talking with him. A truly down to earth guy. And absolutely the best looking human being I’ve ever seen. Up close he so beautiful, breathtaking.
I was an air traffic controller in the navy at the time and he was fascinated with stories I told him about. He said “ man I thought I had a stressful job” “ you make a mistake and people die” “I do and they boo me”. We had such a great conversation. He also took me to the garage and showed me his motorcycles too. An encounter I’ll remember as I pass to the great beyond.
#13
Jack Black
Saw him randomly at Quentin Tarantino’s coffee shop he has connected to one of his theaters in Hollywood. Turns out it’s his hangout spot. He was dressed so casually and was just chilling. Walking around with a backpack and headphones, all while his bike was locked at the bike post. People noticed him and were starstruck, and he was so unbelievably kind to everyone that approached him. He was just as goofy as he is in movies, and he took the time to talk with random people and take selfies with them. Super nice and down to earth guy. Just a regular dude.
#14
George Takei. Sat in front of my daughter and I on a flight from LA to New York. My (ex) husband actually switched seats with him so that he could sit next to his husband, Brad. He was super nice, and read the Sunday NYT (every single page, every article) during the entire flight. The reaction of people recognizing him when they got on the plane was a lot of fun and he was a great sport. He was very gracious and my daughter got a photo with him after we landed. Brad seemed like a nice guy too, but we didn’t really interact with him.
Stannous Flouride 1 month ago
Mr Takei's graphic memoir, 'They Called Us Enemy,' has been banned in multiple school districts, most recently in Tennessee. The book details his childhood experiences in U.S. government-run concentration camps during World War II, and has been targeted by censors, with Takei and other activists arguing these bans restrict access to important American history and themes of race and racism.
#15
Was a maintenance man at a hotel 30 years ago.
I fixed Led Zeppelins John Paul Jones toilet. the flapper chain was broke. super nice guy. had instruments all over his room. never forget him saying “thanks mate.”
also replaced a lightbulb next to Loretta Swits bed. grew up watching Mash. was surprised as hell when she answered the door. She was also very pleasant. But I found it strange to be alone with hot lips. Like I was in an episode of mash.
glowworm2 1 month ago
Took me a few seconds to realize that John Paul Jones was a member of Led Zeppelin and not the type of toilet being fixed.
JB 1 month ago
Now I'm just reading their song titles imagining them being about bathroom experiences. When the levee breaks, Good times Bad times, In my time of dying...
Load More Replies... #16
I saw Huey Lewis at the Vancouver international airport in Canada a few years ago. I was just looking across the way thinking "God this guy looks familiar", and then I quietly leaned in and asked "Are you Huey Lewis? I won't say it out loud and cause a scene, I was just curious". He smiled, said yes, and was extremely polite to me.
He now looks like everyone's dad, so it's easy to miss him in a crowd.
#17
Bruce Springsteen. Many years ago, he bought me a couple of drinks and we talked for a long time. Sweet guy
#18
Tom Petty. He walked into a bar I was in back in 2012, turns out he was a regular there(it was my first time in there) and he was and still is to this day the kindest, warmest person I had ever met. I probably embarrassed myself telling him how big of a fan I was but he just smiled and continued talking to me like a normal person. He even asked if he could give me a hug because he said I made his night. I’ll never forget that.
#19
Sigourney Weaver said “nice shot” to me when I was like 12 playing pool in the sun valley bowling alley.
#20
Muhammad Ali, he was a regular at a restaurant I used to work at. Sat at table nine with his daughter, and ate a half rotisserie chicken that was deboned-not something the cooks would normally do, but they would make an exemption for him.
Sam Trudeau 1 month ago
Fun fact: Wab Kinew, NDP premier of Manitoba, his dad met Mohammed Ali in a boxing gym a long time ago.
#21
I shared this before - Hilary Clinton.
I'm personally not a huge fan and so I didn't think I'd be nervous to meet her, but once I got to introduce myself and shake her hand I immediately became super nervous. In my nervous stupor I didn't know what to say after telling her my name and so I decided to comment on how soft her hands were. When she looked at me, a bit surprised by my odd comment, I clarified that my hands were super chapped and rough because of the harsh winter and so I was jealous of her soft hands. As she tried to find words to comment back on my comment, I showed her my hands and said "look, rough...." and it was then that I was guided gently away by some people around her.
Needless to say, it was a very pleasant exchange between myself and one of the most well known woman on the planet.
Karl der Große 1 month ago
I met a glamorous woman who was kinda a local celebrity (she had a weekly spot on a local news channel). She noticed my wife's rough hands and said, "I'm glad I'm not the only one with hands like that!" I thought it was pretty rude, but my wife took it in stride.
Michael Largey 1 month ago
I think famous people are used to be people being nervous around them. (How they handle that varies, of course.)
Load More Replies... #22
Met Barack Obama at a rally in Bethune Cookman in 2008. Was invited up on the stage. Also met Joe Biden the same day. Still have his autograph.
#23
I met Queen Elizabeth II. I won a competition to design and paint a dog bowl for one of her corgis (Dash - if anybody was wondering) and had the opportunity to present it to her.
#24
Pedro Pascal in a hotel elevator when he was shooting The Last of Us in Vancouver. Super nice guy, of course!
#25
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash came into my parents small sandwich shop restaurant in a small farm town in Alberta Canada. I was 12 and he seemed like a giant, and she was the same size as me. Both were super friendly and down to earth she was bragging about the new dress she got at the Saan store across the street he just wanted a hot bowl of Soup and a big black coffee.
#26
I met Stan Lee six months before my daughter was born, who came into the world on Stan's birthday.
Stannous Flouride 1 month ago
He's probably been in yours but you missed it.
Load More Replies... #27
I met Kal Penn in Mississippi when he was in Obama’s cabinet. Naturally I thought of him as a stoner dude from Harold and Kumar, but I was bartending at a spot in Jackson and he was looking for some blues spots to go to. He is a lot brighter than the character he’s known for, and he was actually super nice!
#28
Erik Estrada. We got off the plane to Burbank at the same time, and I thought it would be really funny if he would escort me to baggage claim with my then-boyfriend waiting for me. He was game (and still really handsome). In a hurry but still super friendly. You should have seen the look on then-boyfriend's face when we showed up, arm-in-arm.
#29
Olivia Newton John - she came to a local tennis charity tournament at a club my family was a part of, and my uncle ran the restaurant and bar. I was like 9, had recently seen Grease, and spent the day following her around, she was incredibly kind.
#30
My parents and I were on our way to a cousins wedding in Hollywood and Little Richard randomly came into the same hotel elevator as us and called my mom beautiful. Honorable mention- we saw Michael Jordan play a celebrity golf tournament and he high fived my little sister.
#31
Emilia Clarke was the nicest, sweetest, best-smelling celebs I've ever met!
#32
Robin Williams when he was in rehab in Oregon wine country. He came to church.
Nikole 1 month ago
Being in rehab is nothing to be ashamed of. I’m sure he would like it known that getting outside help is very important.
Load More Replies... #33
Alan Tudyk.
#34
Brian May from Queen. I forgot how to speak for a moment or three.
#35
Toshiro Mifune.
nottheactualphoto 1 month ago
I see that Wyrdwoman's comment is hidden, and that replies are disabled. Seems that one or both of those things is punishment for posting a link.
Multa Nocte 1 month ago
Super famous and extremely good looking Japanese actor/producer. Died in 1997.
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#37
Paul Newman. He was very nice to a bunch of 17 year olds in the paddock when he was getting ready to race. Talked with us for a few minutes. Great guy.
Got to sit across the aisle from Eva Longoria on a flight from LA to San Antonio. Had a short conversation but she seemed nice. She's really short.
#38
Michael Jordan at a bar in Santa Barbara. He was kind of a jerk.
#39
Viggo Mortensen.
#40
Graham Green. He was funny and sweet, may he rest in peace.
#41
Charlie XCX, Troye Sivan, they came into the coffee I worked at for 3 consecutive days. It was really cool, they got our entire staff free tickets to their concert
#42
Ric Flair. I legit just bumped into him at a bar. He looked at me and said "Sorry brother". I looked up and my jaw dropped. Asked for a picture and he just laughed.
#43
Eric Bana - In an auto parts store I worked at in Melbourne. Such a lovely man.
#45
You asked “famous” - not “good and famous.” I met Richard Nixon at a campaign stop in Illinois when I was 7 years old. Fast forward 12 years and I was protesting against him as a college freshman.
#46
Delivered pizza to Richard Sherman. He was pretty cool I just pretended like I didn’t know who he was. Also met Rand Paul I found him to be really awkward lol.
#47
Justin Timberlake outside a brunch spot while his kid ran back and forth. Just the three of us out there. My son was about the same age and we talked about being dads. He was waiting on Jessica and I was waiting on my dad.
Little Richard was at a Piccadilly restaurant while we celebrated my grandfather and great aunts bday. He came over and sang happy birthday. I again met him on an elevator at a hotel in Nashville he lived in. He loved hotel life.
Taylor Swift sat down next to me at church. Just a brief hello.
And I met Robert Plant at a show in Nashville. I was standing in the back wall and all of a sudden people kept turning around looking my directions. I had no idea he was standing within inches of me against the same wall.
Plus a ton of country artist over the years.
#48
Farrah Fawcett and her mother at a Sam’s Club. I worked there. Farrah asked me where the restroom was. While she went that way, I had a pleasant conversation with her mother.
#49
Yoko Ono. She was really personable and friendly. This was around 1996 or so.
I met Tom Jones when I was in my early 40s. It was backstage and he was wearing a tracksuit with no underwear and tons of jewelry. He gave me a very clingy hug and it was gross. I couldn't get away fast enough.
Britney Spears was very sweet and soft spoken. This was about three weeks before she shaved her head, which was even more shocking given the fact that I had met her just weeks before.
Henry Winkler is as nice as you would expect him to be. Definitely one of the nicest people in Hollywood.
And, I have been surprised to hear not a lot of great things about Ben Stiller. I ran into him around 2008. We were both standing in a restaurant bar and chatted for a bit. My experience was that he was a cool person and just a normal guy.
I live in LA and work in show biz, so I have run into a number of famous people.
#50
Darius Rucker at a random car show. I was like wooo dude what you doing here? He said he was playing a show at the Casino next day and wanted to check out the local car show / fair.
#52
It’s a toss-up
Bob Dylan
Sidney Poitier
Gene Wilder
Prince
David Bowie
Matt Dillon
Gene Roddenberry.
#53
Ran into Micheal imperioli on the subway. Literally ran into him trying to shove my way into the car. I did not a double take but 3 double takes before bursting out, “AH!” Followed by me trying to move away from him to give him space. All the while he is saying things like it happens all the time, it’s okay.
Got off at the next stop - it was not my stop I just didn’t know what to do with my hands.
Brian Garcia 1 month ago
Think it was a repeat, but he was just profiled on "Finding Your Roots" on PBS.
#54
Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Tony Blair.
#56
I’ve got the weirdest list. I’m as middle aged and as white as you can imagine. Here goes.
Scarface from The Ghetto Boys. Cool as hell and down to earth.
Lil Jon - yeeeah. Very quiet. Not very tall.
Lil Flip - he thought he was awesome.
Soulja Boy (tell ‘em) before the record company paid him any money. He was a scared 17 year old kid. Once he got his money, you can probably guess.
Bun B’s daughter. Just had to throw that in. It was weird.
Marquis Daniels (basketball player) - young, quiet, had a lot of money and he did like to spend it.
Martellus Bennett. He was very cool. Giant. Fun loving. Easy going. Oozing with enthusiasm and positivity.
I saw Billy Bob Thornton driving his land man truck recently. They were filming. Saw the actor that plaid his kid too.
#57
The current King but when he was merely a lowly prince and duke. I wasn’t allowed in the classroom at the time. Known rabble rouser and anti monarchist, unknown diagnosis of ADHD circa 2009ish. Weirdly I don’t think it was my teachers decision for me to not be allowed in class that day (Physics, I was in top set and had a good relationship with teacher) so it was either head teacher requesting I be removed or (personal favourite theory, the future kings security asked headteacher/ heads of year to remove anyone who may cause a scene).
The only “famous” people I’ve met met, like spending extended time with are Sway (a uk rap/grime artist and …
Iglu And Hartley (I think they were called that) who where some one hit wonder band in the 2010s (I was a presenter (3 slots a week) for a national award winning radio station.
Errr the other minor celebrity is some lad called Steve who is on that YouTuber KSI sidemen thing. He wasn’t famous at the time, spent a week with him in centre parcs cos he was. My girlfriends little cousin. Never met him again.
The only celebrity I’ve ever been in awe of was randomly seeing Kenn Dodd coming out of a bookies in Liverpool.
The majority gave the “I’m actually desperate to be liked” vibe, the only one who didn’t was sway and it was more of a “I’m actually desperate to be perceived as not desperate to be liked”.
I don’t think Reddit/Americans will know any of these apart from the king and technically I didn’t meet him but I got specifically removed because of him. Mortal enemies ever since.
#58
The Pope, Johnny Carson, Bradley Cooper, Quentin Tarantino, Paul McCartney.....(I used to work in Television).
nottheactualphoto 1 month ago
I, too, used to work in television. The most famous person I met was Ed Dague.
#61
Mia Khalifa at Walmart
I asked for a photo but she started screaming something like
"Not every hijabi woman you see is mia Khalifa" .
#62
Both of these are insane but: Zlatan at staples center and the Weeknd in tribeca during covid.
#63
Does seeing Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft in a London hotel lobby count?
#64
I've met many celebrities due to my former job. A ton of athletes so someone would probably say them, but I'd go with Luther Vandross or Kevin Bacon.
#69
SRV, Weird Al.
James016 1 month ago
Stevie Ray Vaughn, sadly departed blues guitarist, incredible musician
Load More Replies... #71
Jake La Motta - World middleweight boxing champion, 1949 -1951.
#72
I’m gonna say Dua Lipa 🧸💗.
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arthbach 1 month ago
One of the most famous people I have met was Billy Connolly. At that time, he was known for being a hairy beast, long flowing beard, and 'wild and windswept hair'. To a random guy in the street I said, "Hey, you'd look just like Billy Connolly if he shaved off his beard!" A huge, huge grin came over this guy, and he simply nodded and said, "Aye, that's true." My jaw hit the ground, and his grin just got bigger. He nodded and walked off. It was a lovely wee moment.
Brian Droste 1 month ago
Why do people just put a name down and doesn't say anything about their encounter with the celebrity?
Jeremy James 1 month ago
I have a million, but this one was my favorite. I was working at a coffee shop in Santa Monica, CA. My coworker, who is a huge "Doctor Who" fan, had just turned me on to the show, which I binged. So when Catherine Tate walked in, I immediately recognized her. I ran to the back where my coworker was mopping up and I said, "Stina! Donna Noble is here!" She said, "NOOOOO!" So she, (also a red-head,) came up front and said, "Excuse me. I never do this, but can I please give you a hug?" Which she did. Very gracious. Afterwards, she called her boyfriend and was so happy, she was in tears. For weeks, she would say about any unrelated thing, "Hey, you know what that reminds me of? The time we met Catherine Tate. Because we totally met Catherine Tate."
nottheactualphoto 1 month ago
Three of these mention that the celebrity smelled good. It seems like a strange thing to notice and mention, but maybe I need to get out more.
BookFanatic 1 month ago
I'm so oblivious I could probably walk past a bunch of A-List Hollywood stars and have no idea who they were.
Lee Gilliland 1 month ago
The nicest celeb I ever met besides my author friends was the Rock. He bought everybody in this 7-11 candy bars. Very wierd.
arthbach 1 month ago
One of the most famous people I have met was Billy Connolly. At that time, he was known for being a hairy beast, long flowing beard, and 'wild and windswept hair'. To a random guy in the street I said, "Hey, you'd look just like Billy Connolly if he shaved off his beard!" A huge, huge grin came over this guy, and he simply nodded and said, "Aye, that's true." My jaw hit the ground, and his grin just got bigger. He nodded and walked off. It was a lovely wee moment.
Brian Droste 1 month ago
Why do people just put a name down and doesn't say anything about their encounter with the celebrity?
Jeremy James 1 month ago
I have a million, but this one was my favorite. I was working at a coffee shop in Santa Monica, CA. My coworker, who is a huge "Doctor Who" fan, had just turned me on to the show, which I binged. So when Catherine Tate walked in, I immediately recognized her. I ran to the back where my coworker was mopping up and I said, "Stina! Donna Noble is here!" She said, "NOOOOO!" So she, (also a red-head,) came up front and said, "Excuse me. I never do this, but can I please give you a hug?" Which she did. Very gracious. Afterwards, she called her boyfriend and was so happy, she was in tears. For weeks, she would say about any unrelated thing, "Hey, you know what that reminds me of? The time we met Catherine Tate. Because we totally met Catherine Tate."
nottheactualphoto 1 month ago
Three of these mention that the celebrity smelled good. It seems like a strange thing to notice and mention, but maybe I need to get out more.
BookFanatic 1 month ago
I'm so oblivious I could probably walk past a bunch of A-List Hollywood stars and have no idea who they were.
Lee Gilliland 1 month ago
The nicest celeb I ever met besides my author friends was the Rock. He bought everybody in this 7-11 candy bars. Very wierd.
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