Yahoo Lifestyle "Normal" People Are Sharing Stories About Their Most Heartwarming Celebrity Encounters, And These Are So Freakin' Wholesome
Celebrity encounters notoriously have mixed results. Many individuals meet Hollywood's biggest stars and instantly become disenchanted by their "diva" behavior. Still, on the flip side, some fans meet their favorite celebs and have such a positive experience that they become even bigger fans (with an amazing story to tell)...
So, recently, when Redditor u/Murr897 asked, "Who is the most famous person you’ve met?" People immediately began sharing stories of their most heartwarming and wholesome celebrity interactions. Here are 18 heartwarming encounters "normal" people had with celebs:
Some submissions were also sourced from this thread.
Note: BuzzFeed cannot confirm the validity of these stories. These individuals are supposedly speaking from their own experiences.
1.Robin Williams:
"Back in the late 1990s, Robin Williams and Robert De Niro co-owned a restaurant in San Francisco called 'Rubicon.' I was waiting just outside the restaurant's front door for the valet to bring my car when I saw a crowd nearby and instantly recognized Robin in the mix. The group was laughing, of course, and when their car came up, Robin saw them off. I was caught off guard by the interaction, and I found myself standing out there with Robin and no one else. We exchanged 'hellos,' but a limo pulled up before I could start a conversation. The neighborhood had very narrow streets, and the limo had trouble turning, so Robin made a remark about it being enormous. I injected, 'I'll bet it has a jacuzzi!' and he instantly hit back with, 'Right next to the toilet!' I wanted to thank him for his work and what it meant to me, but before I could say anything more, a group of people had burst forth from the restaurant's front door, and one of them was calling out to Robin. They were all impeccably dressed. I couldn't tell if they were actors, but Robin seemed to know them, and his attention turned. I was bummed I wouldn't get to talk to him.
I had been dining with my parents and another friend that night, and as they exited through the front door, my mother recognized Robin Williams. She kept pointing at him and gawking (he didn't see her, though), and I tried to motion to be chill. Anyway, she was just about five feet from my car's rear door when Robin Williams darted forward and opened the door for my mother. 'Thank you!' she said, to which he replied, 'Celebrity service!' It was hilarious. At that moment, I got to shake his hand and thank him. He expressed genuine gratitude. Then, more people came out, and he was pulled away like a magnet. Life of the party!
Anyway, it was an amazing, memorable experience. He was such a great man."
2.Jack Black:
"My grandfather died when I was 12 years old, and my mother flew me solo in first class for the first (and only) time in my life from LA to Ohio to attend his funeral.
When I boarded the plane, I sat in the aisle seat, and to my surprise, Jack Black was sitting next to me. As a kid, I was very happy to see him and asked him many questions (mainly about Kung Fu Panda), and he answered them all with a smile. He was extremely kind, understanding, and super chill. I later found out he was participating in a live comedy show the next day in Columbus."
3.Princess Diana:
"In the early 1990s, I had a very unwell, HIV+ friend in London who was in the hospital — I did not think he'd be alive for more than a month or two. The hospital staff were lovely and never cared what hours you visited, just as long as you were quiet if it was late.
Once, after a very long work day — it was nearly midnight — I visited him just to chat. One of the nurses popped in and asked if he was feeling up for another visitor, which he was. Princess Diana turned out to be the 'other visitor,' and she was lovely beyond belief.
She was beautiful, compassionate, and completely alone, other than one security guard. She stayed for nearly an hour and was obviously a regular. The nurses said she often came in late at night, just slipping in with no fuss or fanfare and staying several hours at a time. I met her several times before my friend passed away, and she was always kind and gentle.
One day, I summoned up the courage to ask why she cared so much about the LGBTQ+ community — in those days, gay men, particularly HIV+ ones, were often sidelined and looked down on. She was quite matter-of-fact; she said she felt she could use her position and offer something positive to others. It made her feel grounded in what was a very turbulent life.
After my friend passed away, I went to collect his belongings, and there was a card with a letter in it from her for me. I don't think I'll ever forget that.
4.Chris Hemsworth:
"My little brother and I have been lucky enough to meet a few Marvel stars at comic conventions. We've met Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston (my celebrity crush since I was 14), Tom Holland, Brie Larson, and most recently, Sean Gunn.
I vividly remember and cherish meeting all of them, but my experience with Chris Hemsworth was the most memorable and unexpected. Usually, convention photo ops are very quick, so I try to make every moment count. After our photo was taken, I looked at him and said, 'Thank you for everything you do.'
His expression was priceless. He almost seemed surprised, looked at me earnestly, and said, 'Aww, thank you, too!' I turned around as I was leaving, and the next person had already stepped in to have their photo taken, but Chris was still looking at me and smiling. I'll never forget that."
5.Freddie Mercury:
"Detroit 1982: I'd just seen my all-time favorite band, Queen, perform at Joe Louis Arena. I'm not a groupie, but I was interested in meeting band members and getting autographs and photos if possible. My friend and I waited in the lobby of the Fairlane Hilton in Dearborn (we'd seen the tour buses in the parking lot earlier that day) in order to try to meet the band members. Brian May and Roger Taylor were friendly and gave us quick autographs before rushing to the elevator. We never saw John Deacon.
Around 4:00 a.m., Freddie Mercury and his entourage arrived, and the entire group paused as we approached him. Freddie was ever so patient — one of the fans waiting there had a homemade banner, and as he signed it, she asked him, 'Did you see it?' and went on to describe where she was sitting in the arena. Freddie signed his name and said, 'Yes, yes, of course I saw it.' When I requested an autograph, I asked, 'Can you please write my name on it so folks won't think I forged it?' He replied, 'Well, I can't unless you tell me your name, can I?'
What struck me so profoundly was that Freddie — who'd put on an exhaustive show and certainly wanted nothing more than to go up to his room for some rest at that late hour — took the time to be so patient and polite with the waiting fans."
6.Guy Fieri:
"I worked for Guy Fieri a few years before his 'big break' and a little while after he became famous. He took me in and was my mentor during those years. We still exchange texts every few months, and my wife and I went to his birthday bash last year.
He is the EXACT same today as he was back before all of the fame. He only operates at one speed and has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. He’s the real deal and loves his wife and kids more than anything else in life."
7.Dave Bautista:
"Dave Bautista was super down-to-earth, reserved, and polite. In college, I worked at a health store, and he would come in every now and then but usually kept to himself.
One day I went in to get my schedule for the next two weeks, and while I was shooting the shit with my manager, Bautista came in. Because I was off that day, I happened to be wearing a Rocket Raccoon t-shirt. He noticed it from across the store and told me, 'I had a lot of fun filming that. Everybody was so cool and fun to work with. I can't wait to go back for the second one.'
I asked him about filming the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and he opened right up. He took a photo with me and then asked me to tweet it to him because he ran his own Twitter. Later that day, I made a Twitter account just to tweet it to him, and he retweeted it shortly after. Super cool guy."
8.Ben Affleck:
"I was working at the front desk of a shop that sold and rented film and video production gear just outside of Boston in the early 2000s. One day, I got a phone call from a guy asking the best way to get to the store from Cambridge, so I gave him directions.
About 15 minutes later, this dude walks in, says hello, and asks if I was the one who spoke to him on the phone. I said, 'Yes, it was me,' and he thanked me. We talked briefly, and he asked me about a camera, so I said, 'Let me see if there's an engineer I can ask to give you a demo.' Before I could get one of our engineers, he stopped me and said, 'Oh, sorry, what was your name again?' I told him my name, and he said, 'Thanks so much, I'm Ben.' We shake hands.
It then registers to me that I've been speaking to Ben Affleck.
Very tall and good-looking dude. He was nice to me and all of my colleagues."
9.James Earl Jones:
"I was working in a bike shop in New York, and the owner’s mom, who was a historian, was working on a documentary project with James Earl Jones. She told James that her bike shop-owning son was a big fan, so he told her he’d come to visit the shop and chat.
Unfortunately, my boss was pretty much never there anymore because he had two fussy babies at home that never let them sleep; plus, he was in the middle of an old Victorian house renovation, so he trusted me to run the place every day.
Well, true to his word, James Earl Jones dropped by one day, and I was the only person there (this was in November, and it was slow AF), so we just chilled for the better part of an hour and shot the shit. We talked about the documentary, the recession (this was 2008), etc. Just regular everyday stuff. Super chill guy, very courteous, we had a great chat."
10.Oprah Winfrey:
"I was working on the set of The Color Purple and met Oprah. We talked and took some pictures. I told her my grandma was a huge fan, and every day at 3 o'clock, we used to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show together.
She laughed and said to tell my grandma thanks for her support. She also called me handsome, thanked me for participating in the movie, and hugged me. Our pics were printed in the local newspaper, and I was interviewed about my experience. Dope time. I’m a local celebrity now. I’ve been stopped and asked for pictures and autographs several times. Lol."
11.Henry Winkler:
"Henry Winkler was by FAR the nicest celebrity I’ve ever met. He excused himself from what he was doing (getting his shoes resoled) and told the employee he had to talk to his friend.
At the time, I was a 15-year-old super fan. He introduced me to his son, who was my age, and told me that his wife and I had the same name, so the meeting was fate. Then he waved to my parents, who were waiting by the car, and said, 'Next time you’re in LA, look us up.' It was so weird and funny and surreal. It was painfully obvious that I was terrified, and he was so kind."
12.Betty White:
"I rode in a car with Betty White during her Golden Girls days as we were both going to a party at Barbara Mandrell's house near Nashville.
I wish people would stop with the Betty worship, saying she's sweet, funny, and charming. That needs to be tossed out now...because it insults her.
Betty was wayyyy funnier, nicer, and more charming than anyone could imagine. She was one of the most gloriously wonderful people I have ever met. Her wit was as sharp as a katana, but she was super warm and normal. Not a drop of ego or attitude."
13.Gloria Steinem:
"I met Gloria Steinem in Cambridge, MA, at a book signing.
I had written down a few things I felt I had to share with her. When I read them to her, she took me by both hands, looked into my eyes, and said, 'You're doing everything right; you're the future.' I know she's still an activist, but she's in her 90s now, and I can't help but feel she will leave this world heartbroken and disappointed. I'll keep trying to do my part, Gloria."
14.Tom Cruise:
"My parents worked in the film industry, and my dad worked primarily with Tom Cruise from 2002 to 2017. They became really close, and I spent many hours with Tom and his older kids. Cannot speak to anybody else’s experience but my own, but he has always been extremely kind and generous to the people around him.
One of the crew members on Knight & Day had a child with medical issues and was forced to miss a ton of work while their kid was in the hospital. Instead of freaking out like other major celebs I’ve been around, Tom silently paid for every cent of that kid’s medical expenses and never said a word to anyone about it.
He still gifts us the famous 'Tom Cruise' cake on Christmas and sends me a card on my birthday, despite not having seen him in about a decade at this point."
15.Snoop Dogg:
"I worked at a hotel and was informed that a musical act had rented out the top two floors. Top floors are very important, so the musical act's factotum came to check in and asked to pre-pay the smoking fee for all the rooms.
The act was Snoop Dogg.
Later on, in the wee hours of the morning, he stopped by my desk to chat. He was exactly as chill as one might expect and asked about my kids. He then sent me home with a note encouraging my son to do well in his robotics competition and my daughter to slay as part of the math team.
Given where I'm from, I've met a lot of celebrities, but Snoop was absolutely my favorite encounter."
16.Paul McCartney:
"I sat next to Paul McCartney at a meeting. Since we were next to each other, he noticed I was taking notes on his feedback. After the meeting, he found out it was my birthday, wished me happy birthday, and then serenaded me and four of my coworkers with an impromptu acapella rendition of 'Blackbird.' It was the coolest moment of my life.
When the project properly began, he'd come over and say hello to us every morning."
17.Johnny Cash:
"I met Johnny Cash when I was about 5 years old. My mom and I were in a gas station in my hometown of Hendersonville, TN (where Johnny and June lived), and two men were standing in front of us. One of them dropped a dime that rolled under my favorite aisle (the candy one, of course).
I fished it out from under the stand and gave it back to him. It was the Man in Black himself, although I had no idea then. He said, 'Thank you, little lady,' handed me a one-dollar bill and told me to 'always stay honest.'
My mom snatched that dollar out of my hand so fast and told my dad the whole story as soon as we got home. I believe she put that dollar in a frame, although who knows where it is now."
18.And finally, the one and only Mr. Rogers:
"I did promotional work for WQED back in the day.
Fred Rogers remembered my name several days after the first time I was introduced to him and asked about my brother by name, whom he had also met. He had a minute to talk to anyone who wanted to talk to him. He said he liked my work, was very positive, and praised me. I was in my late 20s, and later in my office, I got sniffly and teary-eyed because Mr. Rogers complimented me.
Honestly, imagine what Mr. Rogers would be like. That's exactly how he was."
Did any of these wholesome celeb encounters surprise you? Have you ever had a positive interaction with a famous person? Let us know in the comments! (Or, if you would prefer to stay anonymous, you can use this Google Form).
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
