While they might seem unapproachable, celebrities, for the most part, are still just human beings. This means that someone still helps them with taxes (hopefully), does their makeup before public appearances and perhaps even works in their garden.
Someone asked “People who've been around celebrities for work, what are some behind the scenes truths?” and netizens shared their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and if you have any encounters of your own, be sure to leave them in the comments section down below.
#21
I worked in a garden connected to a property that had a ton of mcmansions and Gisele Bündchen had a home her and her family would stay at occasionally. I was alone and closing for the day and suddenly her and her posse and children show up right at closing time. I knew who she was instantly but wasn’t about to give her special treatment for it lol. So as I’d do with any other visitor I go over and kindly greet them and let them know I’ll be closing up in a few minutes. She pushes past the rest of her posse and loudly announced who she is as if it were the secret password to letting her do whatever she wants. Her kids then proceeded to go crazy in the chicken coops, breaking eggs and trying to grab chickens. While she had an impromptu social media photoshoot with an onion she pretended to harvest. She stayed a while after closing time but I ended up not minding too much as it was honestly hilarious to witness. No joke was one of the most comical experiences dealing with a “celeb” I’ve had.
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13points
#22
My dad was a taxi driver in Dublin for a decade and has some stories. He had half of Westlife (one of the biggest Irish bands ever) in his car, knew who they were because my sister and I were HUGE fans, but let them just be normal. Nicky told him he was an ex Leeds footballer which made Dad laugh (and it's true).
He also had Woody Harrelson in the car in 2002. It was a few months after he'd been arrested for vandalising a taxi, and he was dropping him to the airport. Harrelson couldn't get the door to work and Dad quipped "don't worry Mr Harrelson, I'll sort the door, just don't rip it off the hinges." Woody laughed and gave Dad a €100 tip. That bought our Christmas presents that year. Absolute gent of a man to him.
He also had Woody Harrelson in the car in 2002. It was a few months after he'd been arrested for vandalising a taxi, and he was dropping him to the airport. Harrelson couldn't get the door to work and Dad quipped "don't worry Mr Harrelson, I'll sort the door, just don't rip it off the hinges." Woody laughed and gave Dad a €100 tip. That bought our Christmas presents that year. Absolute gent of a man to him.
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12points
#23
I’ve had regular contact with celebrities of all kinds for over a decade through work.
The bigger the star, the more likely they are to be kind with everyone they come in contact with. It’s the reality stars, C list athletes and barely-famous musicians who have the most unbearable entitled attitudes. A true A list star can be fantastic on their own, but can be soured by their team or publicist being overly controlling.
Musicians, singers and DJs are the worst for being on time to anything. The exception is for young female solo artists - they tend to be on time. Actors and actresses are much better at making their call time.
Some of the male stars can be a bit creepy with younger female staff. You can tell they are used to being fawned over and having women throw themselves at them. If there is a rumour about someone behind the scenes (like how a certain singer prefers barely legal girls) it’s probably true.
Most female stars (especially actresses) will have weirdly restrictive diets. And/or they will smoke. You offer them anything more than bottled water and they will refuse. Most are hyper aware of their image and are always ‘on’, even behind the scenes with regular staff. It must be exhausting to be hungry and always performing the version of you that you think people want to see.
Most of the male stars are shorter in person than you think they are. And most of the female stars are very, very petite in person compared to how they look on screen.
I would never date a professional athlete. I’ve met enough to know that they are right up there with touring musicians as the least faithful types you could ever encounter. It’s not a matter of if they will cheat on you, it’s when will they cheat on you?
The bigger the star, the more likely they are to be kind with everyone they come in contact with. It’s the reality stars, C list athletes and barely-famous musicians who have the most unbearable entitled attitudes. A true A list star can be fantastic on their own, but can be soured by their team or publicist being overly controlling.
Musicians, singers and DJs are the worst for being on time to anything. The exception is for young female solo artists - they tend to be on time. Actors and actresses are much better at making their call time.
Some of the male stars can be a bit creepy with younger female staff. You can tell they are used to being fawned over and having women throw themselves at them. If there is a rumour about someone behind the scenes (like how a certain singer prefers barely legal girls) it’s probably true.
Most female stars (especially actresses) will have weirdly restrictive diets. And/or they will smoke. You offer them anything more than bottled water and they will refuse. Most are hyper aware of their image and are always ‘on’, even behind the scenes with regular staff. It must be exhausting to be hungry and always performing the version of you that you think people want to see.
Most of the male stars are shorter in person than you think they are. And most of the female stars are very, very petite in person compared to how they look on screen.
I would never date a professional athlete. I’ve met enough to know that they are right up there with touring musicians as the least faithful types you could ever encounter. It’s not a matter of if they will cheat on you, it’s when will they cheat on you?
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12points
#24
Steven Tyler is a very chatty guy, wants to know his crew and will have an at length conversation- even when your boss wants you to get back to work.
Also- Dita Von Teese is amazingly beautiful at 52, just perfect and it isn't lighting or costume tricks. She is also introverted, smart as hell, funny and perfectly professional. Truly a joy.
Also- Dita Von Teese is amazingly beautiful at 52, just perfect and it isn't lighting or costume tricks. She is also introverted, smart as hell, funny and perfectly professional. Truly a joy.
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11points
#25
I won’t reveal my source(s), but I’ll dish…
-Josh Hutcherson has a thing for male crew members, or maybe it was just one specific male crew member on that specific project.
-Gillian Anderson is super standoffish, I don’t think it’s intentional (punching a time clock kinda vibes?), but she’s not remotely friendly while on set. Not asking for chattiness or anything, but didn’t once acknowledge crew working in close proximity for weeks (gotta admit this was disappointing to me as an X-Files fan, still love her though)
-Jamie Lee Curtis asks crew members to wear name tags so she can greet and thank everyone by name.
-no surprise but Vince Vaughn just plays himself in every role. He doesn’t need to get ready to film because…that’s him! He’s ready. And this comes from interacting with him across several films over several years. Kind of an a*****e, but not rude, just…himself? That character ALL THE TIME.
-Jennifer Anniston is the sweetest person, just so kind and lovely. She’s the type to ask about your family and she loves to hear about people’s children.
-Josh Hutcherson has a thing for male crew members, or maybe it was just one specific male crew member on that specific project.
-Gillian Anderson is super standoffish, I don’t think it’s intentional (punching a time clock kinda vibes?), but she’s not remotely friendly while on set. Not asking for chattiness or anything, but didn’t once acknowledge crew working in close proximity for weeks (gotta admit this was disappointing to me as an X-Files fan, still love her though)
-Jamie Lee Curtis asks crew members to wear name tags so she can greet and thank everyone by name.
-no surprise but Vince Vaughn just plays himself in every role. He doesn’t need to get ready to film because…that’s him! He’s ready. And this comes from interacting with him across several films over several years. Kind of an a*****e, but not rude, just…himself? That character ALL THE TIME.
-Jennifer Anniston is the sweetest person, just so kind and lovely. She’s the type to ask about your family and she loves to hear about people’s children.
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11points
#26
A friend of mine worked with Mariah, he worked for a touring company and when she arrived at the location she was playing at she had a strict rule, no one was allowed to look at her or her children, if anyone looked they had to be fired.
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11points
#27
Michael Jackson was very polite and a generous tipper to staff.
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11points
#29
Coolio (RIP) let me drink on his tab for knowing the lyrics to 'Gangsta's Paradise.' He told my boss to give me a raise. Also, he was rocking the same hairstyle as the music video, and that was impressive dedication.
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11points
#30
My dad was a bouncer in Seattle in the late 80s-early 90s. He saw and interacted with pretty much everyone you can think of. Soundgarden, Nirvana, Mother Love Bone. He had lots of nice things to say about Krist Novaselic and (shockingly!) Courtney Love.
But Alice in Chains were absolute f*****g menaces. Layne was caught dipping his hand into the tip jar on the bar multiple times and my dad was told he could never tell him to not come back, just kick him out for the night.
It all came to a head when Mike Starr called my dad the N word, for pulling Mike Starr's gf off a woman whom she was attempting to beat with her stilleto. MGMT still refused to give them the boot. My dad quit shortly there after when his buddy Mia Zapata (an absolute angel, RIP) got him a job at a different venue.
No matter how seemingly progressive a "scene" is for it's time, there are always god awful human beings around who are given a pass because "ART" or something. Any story you may have heard, just know there's about dozen that are so much worse. Not a single subculture is immune to this rule. Idolize NO ONE.
Except for Mia Zapata.
But Alice in Chains were absolute f*****g menaces. Layne was caught dipping his hand into the tip jar on the bar multiple times and my dad was told he could never tell him to not come back, just kick him out for the night.
It all came to a head when Mike Starr called my dad the N word, for pulling Mike Starr's gf off a woman whom she was attempting to beat with her stilleto. MGMT still refused to give them the boot. My dad quit shortly there after when his buddy Mia Zapata (an absolute angel, RIP) got him a job at a different venue.
No matter how seemingly progressive a "scene" is for it's time, there are always god awful human beings around who are given a pass because "ART" or something. Any story you may have heard, just know there's about dozen that are so much worse. Not a single subculture is immune to this rule. Idolize NO ONE.
Except for Mia Zapata.
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9points
#31
I knew Bebe Rexha before she got famous. I really don't have any dirt because she was always super nice to everyone. I was friendly with her at school and let her cheat off me in English. We snuck off a few times and she showed me songs she was writing and she always liked my music.
She used to work at like the MAC store and I'll never forget one day she sits behind me in English and just goes "your skin is so emolient" and I was like idk what that means lmao but it was a good thing, she was always complimenting other people.
I never saw her have a diva moment or anything even close to that. I really have no notes. We weren't besties but we had a lot of classes together and sat in chorus together. Both were sopranos.
Wish she'd throw me a bone 😂😂 but that's probably selfish and unrealistic. But girl u cheated off me lemme cheat off you. I'm just kidding fr 💀.
She used to work at like the MAC store and I'll never forget one day she sits behind me in English and just goes "your skin is so emolient" and I was like idk what that means lmao but it was a good thing, she was always complimenting other people.
I never saw her have a diva moment or anything even close to that. I really have no notes. We weren't besties but we had a lot of classes together and sat in chorus together. Both were sopranos.
Wish she'd throw me a bone 😂😂 but that's probably selfish and unrealistic. But girl u cheated off me lemme cheat off you. I'm just kidding fr 💀.
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9points
#32
I have waited on Amanda Seyfried and Justin Long multiple times when they were dating. They're both super nice and her dog is incredibly cute and well behaved.
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9points
#33
Ran concert venue for a few years, I know he’s not a crowd favorite these days but Benson Boone was one of the best artists we had. So sweet, took great care of everyone around him, especially his family who was also great, he was so passionate and happy, just genuinely a sweet, fun guy.
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9points
#34
Conan O’Brien came into the restaurant where I worked and would get super drunk but it only made him even more effusively nice. He would talk to anyone and ham it up for people who were clearly fans.
Dennis Quaid on the other hand would also get drunk but it just made him even more of an a*****e, he and his wife always looked miserable.
Dennis Quaid on the other hand would also get drunk but it just made him even more of an a*****e, he and his wife always looked miserable.
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9points
#35
I worked with celebrities through the early 2000s and the actresses just didn’t eat. We would have long days sometimes 10+ hours and they would *maybe* nibble something. They smoked nonstop instead. Now, the actors would eat, but actresses didn’t. Really helped with any body image issues I had because I was never going to smoke or stop eating full meals just to be thin.
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8points
#36
What I’ve always found interesting about famous people is how they always seem to have so many people around them even in their own home. Like it’s never just them and/or their family in the house, it’s usually filled with all manner of assistants, support staff, cleaning crews, etc and they just act like it’s normal to have people they barely know walking around their house attending to business (I supposed because it is for them - being a celebrity basically means being a corporation unto yourself and it takes people to run that corporation). I’ve also found this to be true in the case of people who aren’t famous but are just really rich.
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8points
#37
A good friend has a job where she meets celebrities fairly regularly. A while ago, I asked her fave so far and she said Usher was delightful. Very friendly and super engaging, asking great questions that showed he was paying attention to everyone and everything around him. She was also pleasantly surprised by how nice Leo DiCaprio was. Pedro Pascal is even more swoony and charming in person than you can imagine. Madonna, on the other hand, was very cold and unnecessarily snarky.
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8points
#38
I’ve worked with various celebrities over the years…
Adele -funniest and nicest celebrity I’ve ever met. She had everyone in stitches and was very down to earth.
Dani and Kylie Mingogue - very polite and nice. No notes.
Liam Neeson - kept himself to himself. Very quiet. I’m surprised he’s still working tbh as he looked very tired and over it.
Sadly the British celebrity who was the absolute worst has since died so I don’t feel like I can tell any negative stories about them. .
Adele -funniest and nicest celebrity I’ve ever met. She had everyone in stitches and was very down to earth.
Dani and Kylie Mingogue - very polite and nice. No notes.
Liam Neeson - kept himself to himself. Very quiet. I’m surprised he’s still working tbh as he looked very tired and over it.
Sadly the British celebrity who was the absolute worst has since died so I don’t feel like I can tell any negative stories about them. .
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8points
#39
Ariana Grande’s cheat day is Tuesday. She offered me a mochi and a homemade snickerdoodle when I interviewed to be her tour assistant.
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8points
#40
I work as a publicist and have worked with celebrities of all different backgrounds (meaning actor, athletes, musicians, etc).
• A LOT of these celebrities are much shorter than you expect them to be. Especially the men. I will also say this - Google lies about the heights of many of these celebrities (men are usually made to be taller).
• People also need to stop putting many of these celebrities on a pedestal. A lot of these celebrities are a lot different from the character they play for the public.
• This my theory, but a lot of these celebrities are frozen at the age where they became super famous. (Hence why Leo dates women in their early 20’s. He blew up when he was around that age.)
• There’s a HUGE personality difference between celebrities who are in TV/film vs those who are musicians. From my experience, I have found actors to be kind of weird, introverted, and well behaved. Musicians on the other hand are super outgoing and fun loving partiers. The best example of this I can give is how the award shows are (as explained by Phineas Eillish). If you go to the Golden Globes, Oscars, or anything acting related, everyone is seated and well behaved. During the breaks they get back to their seats on time before they’re live again. On the other hand, music award shows like the Grammys or VMAs is where everyone is drunk and just socializing. Trying to round up everyone back to their seats before the break is over is like trying to herd a bunch of cats.
• For some reason I’ve also noticed a TON of these celebrities smoke, and will usually try to hide it from the public.
• Any celebrity losing weight recently is most likely on Ozempic.
• A LOT of these celebrities are much shorter than you expect them to be. Especially the men. I will also say this - Google lies about the heights of many of these celebrities (men are usually made to be taller).
• People also need to stop putting many of these celebrities on a pedestal. A lot of these celebrities are a lot different from the character they play for the public.
• This my theory, but a lot of these celebrities are frozen at the age where they became super famous. (Hence why Leo dates women in their early 20’s. He blew up when he was around that age.)
• There’s a HUGE personality difference between celebrities who are in TV/film vs those who are musicians. From my experience, I have found actors to be kind of weird, introverted, and well behaved. Musicians on the other hand are super outgoing and fun loving partiers. The best example of this I can give is how the award shows are (as explained by Phineas Eillish). If you go to the Golden Globes, Oscars, or anything acting related, everyone is seated and well behaved. During the breaks they get back to their seats on time before they’re live again. On the other hand, music award shows like the Grammys or VMAs is where everyone is drunk and just socializing. Trying to round up everyone back to their seats before the break is over is like trying to herd a bunch of cats.
• For some reason I’ve also noticed a TON of these celebrities smoke, and will usually try to hide it from the public.
• Any celebrity losing weight recently is most likely on Ozempic.
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7points
