18 Genuine Celebrities Who Took A Break From Stardom To Chill With Everyday Folks

We recently shared a post where the Reddit community revealed the most gruesome encounters they’ve ever had with famous people.

Although their stories were pretty darn rough, they inspired our BuzzFeed Community to flip the script and share their best celeb encounters. Like, some of these famous people are soooooo down-to-earth, and didn’t make a fuss about spending time with “normal” folks.

So, here are some wholesome celebs who took a break from stardom for a second and got on with “regular” people like gangbusters:

Note: Some submissions were pulled from this Reddit thread by user u/willis1988.

Disclaimer: We can’t confirm the accuracy of these stories, but these people are supposedly speaking from their own experiences meeting celebrities.

LL Cool J

“Years ago I worked for a major retailer in the music department. We frequently had major artists in for listening sessions and to talk to the staff about their music. When LL Cool J came in to talk about his new album, he decided to buy us all lunch. So, we are in a conference room listening to his music and having lunch. I got something stuck in my throat while eating, and I must have looked in trouble. When I looked across the room, my coworkers were focused on LL, but he must have seen me in distress. He got up and came over to me and lightly hit my back to try and help, and it did the trick. He asked if I was okay, and I said I was. He hung out for a couple more hours and we talked for a bit about music. As he was leaving and saying goodbye, he again made sure I was okay. So now I tell people that LL Cool J once saved my life!”

—Anonymous

“In 1983 I went backstage after Don Henley did a benefit show. Being a Stevie Nicks fan (she performed that night with him), I had my crystal pyramid on a gold chain. When I saw her, I took the necklace off, clasped it in my palm, and walked up to her, saying, ‘I have waited five years to give this to you.’ She asked, ‘What is it?’ I said, ‘A crystal pyramid — I know you must get a lot of these.’ She said she didn’t, and gave me a warm hug. They say to be careful of meeting your heroes, but not in this case. Finding out that the person who had inspired me to write songs was as warm and real as I’d always imagined was a moment I won’t forget.”

—Anonymous

“I was an intern for Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2009, and Dev Patel was a guest. It was during the height of Slumdog Millionaire, but he was just a ‘normal’ kid like me in our early twenties. Instead of having me run around and grab this and that like every other guest, he just wanted to sit and hang out. We talked about ‘normal’ life stuff, and he seemed genuinely interested in getting to know me. I’ll always remember how genuine and sweet he was that day.”

—Anonymous

“Ricky Martin came in to an outdoor furniture store I worked at in Miami — he was slightly disguised (wearing a hat, sunglasses, and beard). The only other customers in the store had a young daughter who recognized him immediately — he took the time to talk and take photos with the young fan. I can only imagine the excitement of an 8-year-old girl around the peak of ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ meeting Ricky Martin in such a quiet and personal environment. He was a super nice guy — I couldn’t find him the double outdoor chaise lounge he wanted, but he wasn’t mad at me.”

—u/m3gan0sh

Cyndi Lauper

“Cyndi Lauper came to the place where I worked to meet with our Youth Leadership Team. There was a horrible anti-trans bill in North Carolina at the time, and she wanted to find out how it impacted the kids. We were standing outside with her, discussing who should introduce her. She said, ‘Fuck it,’ and walked into the room. The kids went silent. She actually listened to them. After that, she comped everyone in the center tickets for her concert that evening. She also had three of our Leadership Team members come onstage with her and talk about how HB2 impacted them and their friends. I’ve never been more proud of anyone than I was of these kids. After the concert, we all went backstage and got pictures with her. She is super cool, down-to-earth, and a legend for a reason. Not only fiercely talented but an amazing human being.”

—Anonymous

Jennifer Hudson

“I had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Hudson (well, I was actually hired to do a home inspection for her). Even though I’d just started learning how to play the ukulele, I asked her if she wouldn’t mind singing if I played her a song, and I was floored when she agreed to it. She was so sweet and humble, and was gracious enough to do a duet with me — it still gives me goosebumps thinking about how extremely talented she was. I was completely gobsmacked at how amazing her voice really was, which paled in comparison to how incredibly nice she was.”

—homelandinspection

Glenn Close

“Glenn Close has lived in my valley in Montana for a long time and was well-known for co-owning a local coffee place. Anyhow, a few years ago and a couple days before Christmas, I was trudging through snow at this large hillside dog park, trying to find where my dog had done her ‘business’. This lady came over and pointed out where she thought she had noticed my dog doing the doo. I looked up to say thank you, and it was Glenn Close all bundled up (but obviously it was her). It was such a ‘normal,’ helpful, and thoughtful gesture. She rose another notch in my book for sure!”

—Anonymous

Muhammad Ali

“I worked at a magic shop in my twenties, and one day Muhammad Ali came in. My boss (a huge Ali fan from back in the day) was visibly in awe. Ali hung around for a couple of hours — we did some magic tricks for him, he did some for us, and he was beyond cool taking pictures with us. He sent us a ‘thank you’ postcard a week later and signed it: ‘Cassius Clay — oops, I mean Muhammad Ali.'”

—u/[deleted]

Jay Leno

“I met Jay Leno just when the First Gulf War started. My dad was in uniform, heading to the Gulf. Jay Leno came over to the group, asked about them and where they were from, hung out, and chatted with them until his flight boarded. My dad joined the army during Vietnam and even in the ’90s, it was still a surprise to the guys of his era to get treated with kindness and respect. I will always be grateful to Jay Leno for that.”

—Anonymous

10.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

“Jennifer Love Hewitt once offered to buy me coffee three times in a 20-minute span. I was working security at a certain studio and relieving another officer for their break at the front gate. Jennifer pulled up on her way out, said, ‘Hi,’ and mentioned that she was going to a well-known coffee establishment. At the same time, she asked me if I wanted anything. I think about what an incredible gesture it was, but I ultimately declined. She asked again before leaving, but again, I declined. She kindly accepted my answer, then drove off.”

—Anonymous

11.

Donald Glover/Childish Gambino

“It was at the Rock the Bells festival, and I saw Donald Glover/Childish Gambino watching a performer on stage at the side of the pit with his guitarist Ludwig. I went over and called his name (there was a barricade between the pit and the path where the artists walked). He came over, took off his sunglasses, shook my hand, and asked me what my name was. I didn’t want to be a huge bother, so I was just planning on asking for a picture. Instead, he proceeded to ask me questions about the festival, like who I was most excited to see (I thought it was really cool that he was interested in carrying some conversation). In the end, I asked to take a picture with him, and he offered to take it for me. It’s my favorite picture ever — he’s a really cool dude, and has the softest hands.”

—u/ohaicarsex

12.

Brooke Shields

“A really lovely celebrity encounter I had was with Brooke Shields. We were both guests at a wedding (she’s a longtime family friend of my cousin’s new spouse, and she couldn’t have been more fun!) She gladly took pictures with several members of my family, chatted with us, and asked us about ourselves. I told her that I had watched and loved her documentary and thanked her for her longtime advocacy of antidepressants. She held my hands and looked right into my eyes when she spoke to me, and we danced a little bit while she waved her husband over and introduced me to him. She was honestly and truly the nicest human being and BEYOND stunning in real life. I was already a fan of hers, and this memory is going to stay with me forever.”

—kathleenannc

13.

Miley Cyrus

“I was working on The Last Song with Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth where I had many kind interactions with both of them, but this particular one stands out the most. We were filming in a community college (staged as a hospital) and during a break, I went into the restroom — it was totally empty except for Miley, who was sitting up on the wall of sinks with her makeup artist, just chatting. I really had to go, so I sheepishly apologized and said I’d be quick, in case I was interrupting. As I was heading into the stall, Miley said, ‘Do you want me to turn the water on for you?! I get SO pee-shy. Here, I’ll just turn it on for you.’ I chuckled and said, ‘It’s okay, I lived in a sorority house with 30 other women, so you learn to get over it quickly — but thanks!'”

“As I washed my hands, Miley divulged how she wished someone had been there to turn the water on for her at the Grammys when Mariah Carey was in the stall next her.”

—erinberson

14.

LeBron James

“I was in a suite at a Cleveland Guardians [formerly Cleveland Indians] game in August 2016 when a group of guys from the next suite over came out to watch the game. Lo and behold, LeBron James sat down in the seat right next to mine (a small metal railing was all that was between us). Being that the Cavs had just won the title a few months back, I was geeking out to the extreme. I kept it cool and didn’t fan out all over him, but I did hear him talking about my favorite MLB player of all time: Ken Griffey Jr., and that’s when LeBron pointed to my Griffey 2 sneakers I had on. He complimented them, I thanked him, and then we proceeded to talk for roughly 15 minutes about all things baseball — the guy knew his stuff, and could not have been nicer to my wife and me!”

—zackn45085f90c

15.

Michael McDonald

“I decided to skip a family event in Maui and hung out at a bar instead. I sat down and started up a 30-minute conversation with some dude, and he had multiple people come up to him and say hi. I asked him if he was the mayor or something, and he laughed and said he went there a lot. I also was making fun of him, slamming three or four Diet Cokes and demanding his keys. He eventually had to go and started walking to the door. Bartenders came up to me and asked if I was screwing with him or did I really not know it was Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers. He was a really nice person!”

—Anonymous

16.

John Lithgow

“I was traveling in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area many years ago doing some genealogical research. I was staying at the Lambertville Hotel, and I was stunned to find some distant relative’s paintings hung in the hallways of the hotel. But, I was even more amazed when I went down for breakfast in the morning to find John Lithgow about to serve himself some breakfast. I greeted him, told him I liked his films, and we proceeded to enjoy a pleasant breakfast (albeit without any real ‘deep’ introspection — no grilling, etc.). He was a very polite man, in my opinion.”

—Anonymous

17.

Angelina Jolie

“Waaay back yonder when I was 13, my mom and I met Angelina Jolie. After trying so hard not to freak out, Angelina and my mom just oh-so-casually hung out for 15 minutes, talking about raising kids and which diapers to use and other child-rearing stuff while I stood off to the side gasping in disbelief. Before she had to leave, she wished me good luck with school and all the things I wanted to do in my life, and when I said that she was my role model, she THANKED ME. I was so overwhelmed, I’m surprised I didn’t pass out.”

—ravenbard

18.

And Paul Rudd

“I met Paul Rudd on a flight from New York and sat next to him on the plane. My buddy leaned over and told me that he wanted to compliment him on the band T-shirt he wore while making Clueless, but he ‘didn’t want to be weird.’ So, his solution was to write Paul Rudd a note and slip it to him. When he did this, Paul got a nervous look on his face, then opened the note and read it. He started cracking up laughing, leaned over to us, and said: ‘Best note ever.’ He then told us the whole story behind the Clueless T-shirt, how he fought with the costume department about it because it was the shirt he wore to set that day. We talked the whole flight — dude was super cool.”

—u/_Glibnik_

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