Fans Share Wild Stories from Celebrity Meet-And-Greets

A celebrity meet-and-greet can be a truly memorable experience. The excitement of saving money for a ticket is one thing, but winning a meet-and-greet takes it to another level.

Recently, a Redditor asked, “People who have won a ‘win a day/date with a celebrity’ competition, how was it?” Here are some of the best responses, which, although not verified, supposedly come from real experiences:

“I went to school with the president of the Dolly Parton Fan Club and bought a raffle ticket for ‘Dinner with Dolly’ in Pigeon Forge. I won and got to meet Dolly, and she is honestly the kindest, most easygoing, and most fun person to be around ever. It was like having dinner with a really close aunt. She is also really, REALLY tiny in person — like 5′ even. She loves to talk about her home and upbringing. (She bought the theme park that is now Dollywood to save Pigeon Forge, Tennessee from getting absorbed by Gatlinburg.) Dinner lasted for like four hours, but it felt like minutes. I think Mrs. Parton easily belongs up on a pedestal with Bob Ross, Fred Rogers, etc.” — u/darthbiscuit80

“This was about 10 years ago. I won a meet-and-greet with Britney Spears before her concert through the local radio station. We were warned on the night by one of her staff that she can be rather shy, and it was 50/50 as to whether we’d actually get the meet. We were in luck. We got to meet her very briefly, took a couple of snaps where she put her arms around us, and then watched the gig front row. She was much smaller than you think and was lovely in that little moment. Show was excellent too. Thanks, Britney.” — u/Dielithium

“I won a Skype call with Bella Thorne by donating about $1,000 to a charity. I wanted to donate the call to my local school because I lived in a very poverty-stricken area and knew the kids would love it. Most of the kids had never even seen a stoplight or been to McDonald’s, so the concept of talking with a celebrity was a dream come true. The school had about 40 high schoolers in total. They were going to let a few of the kids ask her questions that all of the kids collectively chose. She (or her agent) refused. So I refused to accept the call. The agent said they MAY be able to work something out. I passed along contact information to the school in case Bella changed her mind, but the kids I talked to said they never got to Skype her; so I guess the call didn’t happen. The money still went to charity. Still disappointed with Bella Thorne.” — u/dawndollygolden

“In 2001, my wife (who was in fifth grade) won a storytelling contest for submitting a piece about her best friend to a ‘girl power’ magazine. She and her friend were flown out to LA and got to spend a day on the set of Lizzie McGuire and meet Hilary Duff. Unfortunately, my wife grew up in a ‘no TV’ household, so this was a basically meaningless encounter for her, but she said that Hilary was great, and that it was a really fun experience!” — u/porkchop_202

“Won a meet and greet with Lenny Kravitz backstage before one of his Australian concerts. It was awesome. The tour manager took us backstage, where we waited beside a heap of road cases. Lenny appeared, was super friendly, posed for photos, spoke to us, and was humble and laid-back. He then walked on stage and killed it.” — u/Maccas75

“I won a lunch with George Takei through a charity auction. We met for lunch on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles. He ended up talking a lot about his experience with WW2 internment camps, which was really interesting. Star Trek never came up. After lunch, he took us on a tour of the studio lot, showing us where they filmed part of Star Trek IV. Before we left, George insisted that we have something autographed by him. We went into the studio store, and he asked the lady at the register if they had anything Star Trek related in his distinctive tone. The lady looked at him oddly, probably a little starstruck, and didn’t respond. Then, with a hint of rush, he said, ‘I was on the show!’ Cue everyone breaking into hysterical laughter, except him. He was humble and lovable, a true character.” — u/cracker_salad

“Got to meet some cast members from Back to the Future on the 25th anniversary tour thanks to winning a radio contest. Christopher Lloyd seemed off due to illness, but Lea Thompson was an absolute sweetheart in person.” — u/StChas77

“I won a Seventeen Magazine contest to meet Sarah McLachlan on her tour bus at Lilith Fair. I was a huge fan, and it was a thrill. She was very kind to me, despite my being a nervous wreck. I gave her my favorite necklace, and she wore it on stage that night. It was a teenage dream.” — u/reddirtkatie

“My parents won a competition to fly with the Black Eyed Peas to their concert. They had a good time and briefly held the world record for highest altitude karaoke. The best bit was meeting the band, and Redfoo (before he got famous) even refilled my mum’s champagne.” — u/Plot_Ninja

“So I have been a big fan of Reba since I was 5. As a member of the fan club, I got backstage passes when I was 8. During the concert, I fell asleep before the end. My sister and mother, who weren’t even fans, met Reba. I’m still upset they didn’t wake me.” — u/bondwoman44

“Not a date, more a phone call. I saw on Hozier’s Twitter he was doing a ‘ring this number and I’ll answer’ thing. I got through first time. The conversation lasted a minute. I spent half the time asking if it was really him, then just said, ‘So… how’s things?’ He briefly answered and then hung up.” — u/[deleted]

“In college, I won a contest to meet Graham Chapman of Monty Python. He was a really kind, low-key guy, a bit stiff and formal, and seemed uncomfortable among awestruck college kids. I made a silly crack about the hors d’oeuvres, and he laughed. A year later, he died, but it remains a treasured memory. I have his autograph framed on my wall.” — u/AdventureSphere

“When I was 10, I was a huge Star Wars fan. My mom’s boyfriend took me to a Star Wars convention and arranged a dinner with cast members at the Spaghetti Factory. We even gave Jeremy Bulloch a ride to dinner. The cast was super friendly, especially Peter Mayhew, who wore a tie-dye Chewbacca shirt and gave me noogies. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.” — u/bloodfist

“Got free tickets and a backstage meet-and-greet with B.B. King at the House of Blues in Chicago. B.B. was eating applesauce and cheese cubes. When he found out we were both from Mississippi, he invited me to sit and chat about our favorite restaurants back home. He was super chill and cool.” — u/mohairstu

“Back when the Spice Girls were big in the early 2000s, I won a radio contest for ‘breakfast with the Spice Girls.’ The tour bus arrived, and it wasn’t the Spice Girls; it was four old ladies who cooked breakfast for me. It was the strangest, weirdest, most awkward thing ever, and no one but me witnessed it.” — u/jmansbufny

Source: Reddit