Meeting a celebrity is one of those experiences that always feels like a big deal and can instantly become one of those stories that you share with others as a guaranteed showstopper at parties.
When the moment is as special as we might have hoped for, that only makes the story that much better.
Ready for some gossip, Redditor Murr897 asked:
"Who is the most famous person you've met?"
Ron Howard's Lunch
"I screwed up Ron Howard’s lunch order one time. He and his family were golfing, and I worked in the golf club bar, and they came in for a quick bite to eat."
"Not a single thing went right but they were all extremely nice and understanding. 10/10 would embarrass myself in front of them again."
- Listening_Heads
"He’s a kind and humble guy. I went to public school with his kids and was a normal and active neighborhood dad. Dropped his kids off at school most mornings."
"I met him later in life in a professional setting and he was very curious about others and just loved talking music and film. It was a fun hang."
- wetbandit48
Teaching Opportunity with Kareem Abdul Jabar
"I was teaching and took my class to Ellis Island and the 9/11 museum. A kid said Kareem Abdul Jabar is on our ferry coming back from the island. It was actually him."
" I took a deep breath and went over to him and his agent and said I had 50 students that would absolutely love to meet him if he could."
"The dude stood out in the rain and said hello and took pictures with all my students. He walked down the street afterward and was high-fiving people who recognized him. Class act."
- teddyblues66
"I think you have him confused with someone else. That was Roger Murdock. He’s an airline pilot."
- jalerre
Steve Irwin's Authenticity
"My first job was working for Steve Irwin at his zoo. Got to meet him many times before he died. He was incredible."
- Sajiri
"As a fellow Sunny Coast local, I remember seeing him feeding the crocs before he was famous. Dad had a few encounters with him through his work and said how genuine he was."
"His death absolutely rocked the area. At school the next day, we all made cards for his family and one of the teachers dropped them off at the memorial outside the zoo."
- lifesseason
Kindness From Muhammad Ali
"Muhammad Ali shook my hand and held his fist up to me when I was 12."
- fern-grower
"My good friend and former boss grew up in Chicago on the South Side. One day, he and his young friends were walking near a gym where Muhammad was working out at and met him."
"He told them to go to the library and get an education to become stronger, smarter people."
"Later in life, my friend was meeting a woman for breakfast in downtown Chicago. He walked in early, and noticed Muhammad sitting with some friends eating."
"He recounted the story and explained how it inspired him to get his engineering degree and PE license, and start his own construction company."
"Muhammad, eternally the gentleman, said that my friend and the woman he was meeting could sit at his table and eat with him."
"My friend said he has never seen such a look of shock as when he motioned to his friend to join them and she realized who she was eating with."
- youdubdub
The Super Rad Joan Jett
"I smoked a cigarette with Joan Jett back in the day. She's a rad lady."
- whyamInotangry
"I met her once in the elevator of a building she lived in on Long Island. I introduced myself and told her I love her music, and she shook my hand and told me to call her 'Joanie.' She was super cool and nice."
- parkinglotguy
A Golden Memory With Bea Arthur
"Bea Arthur. Super gracious, shy, soft-spoken. She was a lovely woman. I was so sad when she died."
- FartsTheBunny
"Meeting a Golden Girl was always a dream of mine. Now it'll never happen (currently watching 'The Golden Girls')."
- PuzzyFuzzy
Casual Encounters With Robert Plant
"Robert Plant. He was staying in the hotel room next to mine, and he asked to come in to see my room, as it was the nicest suite in the hotel, we chit-chatted and went down the elevator together. He was very nice."
- Sanibeldeb1
"I stood behind him in a grocery store line and the woman in front of him was being rude to the cashier. After she walked away, he turned to the cashier and me and cracked a joke about that lady and we all shared a laugh."
- HildegardofBingo
A Memorable Thanksgiving With Dave Gilmore
"Dave Gilmore from Pink Floyd… he flew into my small hometown to buy my mother’s ex-boyfriend’s Mustang airplane."
"I honestly didn’t know who he was. My best friend was a big fan and thought I was pulling a joke on him until he saw him."
"It was the end of November and he actually joined my mother’s family for Thanksgiving dinner."
- babybird87
Long-term Friends With Cher
"Cher. Val Kilmer is my mom’s stepbrother, and when he dated Cher she and my grandma became friends and still are to this day!"
- whiskeytiskey
"This is funny because I’ve also met both Cher and Val Kilmer, although completely independent of one another. Maybe when you meet one, the universe send you the other one?"
- Miscellaneousthinker
"It's a two-for-one deal!"
- whiskeytiskey
Johnny Cash Exceeding Expectations
"Johnny Cash. He was mountainous... dignified... genuinely humble."
"Didn't hurt that I got to meet Waylon Jennings, June Carter Cash, and Jesse Colter at the same time."
"Also, June had mesmerizingly beautiful eyes."
- TruckerBiscuit
A Predictable Danny DeVito
"I got to meet Danny DeVito. I have no more need for other 'celebrities.'"
- bmcgowan89
"What was he like in real life?"
- Murr897
"Really nice, and a little befuddled, exactly what you'd hope for, lol (laughing out loud)."
- bmcgowan89
Over The Moon With Snoop Dogg
"I met Snoop Dogg and he signed an album I bought from him. He called me 'Young Tiger Woods' and then told me that he would see me at the top. Said he would be there waiting for me."
"As a musician, I was over the moon."
"And yes, he smelled like straight GAS."
- Historical-Layer3783
Simone Biles In A Flash
"Simone Biles came into my job this past Halloween! Short interaction but she was nice and even prettier in person."
- SawThingsImagined
"'Short interaction.' I see what you did there."
- GeoBrian
The Nicest Guy Ever
"Met? Matt Damon."
"I had a brief conversation with him while he was getting his wig glued on during the production of a film."
"Spent real time with? I took Pedro Pascal out for drinks and dinner in Beijing."
"The dude is the nicest guy ever."
- laowaixiabi
Two Words: Fred Rogers
"I used to be a Triangle Messenger (bicycle messenger in Pittsburgh) and would deliver scripts to WQED, the local broadcast channel. One day, I was inside delivering a package, and none other than Fred Rogers walked up and introduced himself. HE introduced himself to ME."
"Not only that he was very engaging in asking questions and was a truly kind individual. The rub of it is about a month later, I was back at the studios delivering another package, and Mr Rogers yelled across the lobby, 'Hey (my name)!'"
"I was floored. Here is this guy totally IN the moment, being a human being, he was authentic and truly wished to engage with me on a personal level. I will never forget the heart that guy had."
"From what I have been told, he was this way 100%. True human."
- Xylembuild
"Also a native Pittsburgher, my friend’s dad during his roofing days was trying to hitchhike a ride home, and Mr. Rogers picked him up and dropped him wherever he was going. Imagine a television star at the height of his popularity picking up a grubby roofer in workwear…"
"If that doesn’t say everything about what kind of man Fred Rogers was, I don’t know what else would."
- peas8carrots
It's easy to imagine celebrities as being larger than life after seeing them exclusively on the big screen and on the fronts of major magazines, so meeting them in real life can be a huge deal. When they turn out to be as kind, caring, or funny as we had hoped for, it can make their future roles that much better.
