A viral tweet inspired hundreds to share the most awkward and confusing celebrity run-ins they've had in their life.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 3, 2021. It has since been updated.
Sometime in 2020, a tweet from American author, comic book writer, screenwriter, and blogger Chuck Wendig made rounds on social media. "NIGHTLY QUESTION: what is the weirdest celebrity encounter you have ever had," Wendig wrote, opening up the floodgates to a world of awkward and confusing celebrity run-ins that left a lasting impression on people's minds. With more than 5,000 likes and hundreds of retweets, the intriguing question inspired many to share stories about a whole range of celebrities from Keanu Reeves, Ice-T, John Waters, Hulk, Sting, and more.
Here are some of the weirdest stories to come out of this viral Twitter thread:
I have a second one. My border collie who was an escape artist slipped out the front door & took off. A Corvette driving by drove after her, the driver leaped out, got the dog & brought her back. It was Jared Padelecki, the young actor in Gilmore Girls & Supernatural. My hero. pic.twitter.com/gQUxTeowYw
— Violet Skyye (@Violetskyye) April 8, 2020
Richard Simmons leaned out of a car once to shout at me about how lovely my dogs were. I was picking up the dogs’ poop at the time and made a joke about it; Simmons said “we all have crap sometimes!!” It was very weird.
— 🔪🏕Crystal Lake🏕🔪 (@_Crystalosaurus) April 8, 2020
Met Arnold Palmer. He watched me tee off on a par three. Hit a decent shot. He nodded once and said “Great shot, Paul” and took off in his cart.
— Scott Reintgen (@Scott_Thought) April 8, 2020
Still not sure who Paul is.
Keanu Reeves and I sat across from each other in an otherwise empty train station for about an hour before our train finally arrived. We said nothing the whole time. As we both got on the train, he said, “Nice chatting with you.”
— Christopher Perkins (@ChrisPerkinsDnD) April 8, 2020
At the wild 10th anniversary party of the release of American Gods, I rode the giant carousel at The House On The Rock with @neilhimself. He was dressed up as the Fourth Doctor and rode on Shadow's eagle - lion.
— Matt Fred (@mfrson) April 8, 2020
It was like nothing I've ever experienced.
Had super cheap seats at a Sting concert. Lamented while in traffic that I'd been too far away to really see him. Limo pulled up next to us at the stoplight. Window rolled down. Sting waving and smiling at me. I could only make pterodactyl sounds. Everyone in limo laughing.
— Jen DeLuca (@jaydee_ell) April 8, 2020
Getting on a flight from LA to NYC. While boarding make awkward prolonged eye contact with Paul Giamatti. The next day, he's in the bookstore where I work. I come out from the back. More awkward, prolonged eye contact. He has no idea why he recognizes me and looks frightened.
— Rob Hart (@robwhart) April 9, 2020
my girlfriend and i went to a fancy restaurant in baltimore and saw john waters at a table having dinner with some mysterious graceful beauty with long lustrous hair and when they got up to leave we saw it was johnny depp
— november blaine (@blainecapatch) April 8, 2020
i was once almost beaten up by Brad Pitt's bodyguards bc his codename that night was "anthony" which nobody told me and they kept shouting over the walkie-talkies "WE NEED ANTHONY DOWN HERE IMMEDIATELY" so i fully ran full speed, directly at Brad Pitt https://t.co/emiqkAAgei
— Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa) April 9, 2020
My name on The Cult was RandomStranger. One day I'm walking down the street and I see Michael Rapaport eating at a little cafe and I shouted "Hey it's Michael Rapaport!" And he shouted back "Hey it's Random Stranger" and for a minute I was like, dude how'd you know?
— Alex Schmalex MD (@AEC_PA) April 8, 2020
I was a bartender in NYC when Johnny Depp & Amber Heard came in for dinner. She legit dragged him to the host stand (he was taking his time). They sat & ate. She had red wine he had non-alcoholic beer. Their bill was $300 & he tipped $400. He thanked the whole staff as they left.
— ur failing us. (@Power4Purpose) April 8, 2020
I served Casey Affleck tea at a coffee shop and he stared into my eyes and said “you’re a glorious fucking human being, thank you.”
— bp (@minitacopapi) April 9, 2020
I waited on Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart once, and he kept coughing and she kept stage-whispering to him, asking if she should get his inhaler from the car. He kept grumpily waving her off, exactly the way you're picturing now.
— queen squeee (@kiddleedivy) April 8, 2020
I walked up to John Mulaney on the streets of New York and said "sorry I'm an asshole" because I interrupted a conversation between him and Mike Birbiglia to ask for a photo.@birbigs offered to *take* the photo. https://t.co/qrQ0Zx4YBW
— shannon *new year, same skeleton war* (@nightmaurer) April 9, 2020
I used to have very long hair and at a crowded bar John Lithgow slid up behind me and whispered “let’s get outta here” in my ear.
— Shannon🎃Swift (@shannonandswift) April 8, 2020
(He thought I was his wife)
I also once ate midnight breakfast at this weird Atlanta sprouts-and-crystals diner with exotic birds everywhere, and my table was between Janelle Monáe and the cast of WWE SmackDown.
— Angela Slayfield, geriatric gothicc (@pinkrocktopus) April 8, 2020
I was at a horror con and a guy walked in wearing a full on alien costume. It was impressive. Some guy walked up next to me and said “Those things have always been trouble for me.” It was @lancehenriksen
— Ken Harrelson (@angrypuppyfilms) April 8, 2020
Not weird, actually was cool AF.
We had the door to our office open and someone was being loud in the hallway. I got up in a huff to tell them to STFU and close the door. It was Tracy Morgan. He came in and started telling jokes. I worked at a random tech startup that has absolutely nothing to do with him. pic.twitter.com/0SWZ7ZFru2
— Kevin Schultz (@kevinrschultz) April 8, 2020
Before anyone asks? It was in the early 70s at one of the first cons so I can be excused for not recognizing him.
— Trish Miller - the weaving one (@MillerTrish42) April 8, 2020
Carrie Fisher told me that my homemade yogurt was a certain bodily fluid "of the gods"
— Octave (@thechefpants) April 8, 2020
Turned around to Bill Murray directly behind me on the escalator at the Charlotte airport. 10 minute convo. Then I saw him again the next day in downtown Charlotte. He yelled my first name and said ‘You made it’! pic.twitter.com/KQHAeGlDS3
— Tom Mildenhall (@tmildenhall) April 8, 2020
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