8 People Who Knew Celebrities Before They Were Famous Share Their Stories

This is an interesting one for me to write because I actually have a sibling who’s a celebrity. And yes, I’m very proud of her. And yes, she’s very down to earth.

Look, many celebrities may seem larger than life, but don’t let the glitz and glamour fool you. There are TEAMS of people behind the scenes making sure they look great for the cameras and making it seem like they live a life that people THINK they would envy. And yeah, being a celeb does have its benefits. But don’t get the reality twisted. There’s a lot about it that is completely fiction.

Still, what about when people weren’t famous? What were they like?

These reddit users reveal the celebs they knew before they hit it big… and not all of it is flattering.

1. Justin Bieber

Went to elementary school with Justin Bieber.

He was a total bully and a giant asshat but for some reason he took a liking to me and invited me to all his birthdays.

A funny memory I have is of him making fun of some kid on the stairwell and then tripping and falling down the stairs and then crying all the way to the Principals Office.

He has always been a total douche.

2. Chris Evans

Chris Evans went to school in Sudbury, which is a couple towns over.

I worked with his sister and didn’t know she was his sister, and one day she wouldn’t shut up about his “porn stache” and I just turned to her and went “dude why do you care so much about Chris Evans mustache” and she then told me she was his sister.

Then showed me a video of him that Scarlett Johansson had just texted to her.

That was a weird day.

3. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

I saw Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen at Thanksgivings with both of our families or occasionally met up with them and their family if we visited LA.

They’re really good girls that dealt with a lot of sh^t for trying to grow up and live a normal life while also being well recognized and chased around everywhere they went.

And by extension, I also know their sister Lizzie, who is getting close to the same attention as the twins got, but is able to handle it better since she’s obviously an adult now and can process things better than if she were much younger.

4. Shaquille O’Neal

Not me, but my dad used to be friends and play basketball with Shaquille O’Neal when they were around 13.

They lived a couple houses away from each other at one point. My dad always resorted to clinging to his leg to keep him from scoring.

He was a tank compared to my dad even back then.

5. Eminem

I lived in the same neighborhood as Eminem growing up.

He was a few years older than me but since we both kinda stand out we ended up hanging out with the same people a few times before he got famous famous, though he was already locally well known. We weren’t friends though.

He was pretty serious and kinda seemed like a recluse but definitely not afraid to speak his mind if he felt it necessary.

Never exchanged more than “sup” though.

6. Snoop Dogg

Not me, but my aunt. She knew Snoop during high school, and at the time everyone there were getting into colors. She decided to join in, tied a bandana to her arm.

Later in the day he took it from her, without a word. Turns out that people wearing her color were being hunted down.

Overall, pretty cool dude. I hear he hasn’t changed much.

7. Neil Patrick Harris

Went to high school with Neil Patrick Harris. He wasn’t a bad dude, but wasn’t humble in the least.

He was still working on Doogie Howser. When he was at school, he wasn’t allowed to be himself, surrounded by fans and others.

He had the nickname of Drama Dork by some of the other cliques.

He hasn’t gone to one of the reunions.

8. Tom Hanks

My dad interned with Tom Hanks when he first started out at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. He was always very kind and charismatic with everyone, and just a constant ball of energy.

When his son Colin was born, he proudly showed him off to everybody. he was probably just days old.

About 3 years ago, there was a reunion of all the Great Lakes interns. My dad went, not knowing if he was going to show up and if he did, if he’d remember him.

But not only did he show up, he approached my dad and remembered him by his full name.

He is honestly just a really great man.

I’d really like to meet Tom Hanks at one point in my life.

Maybe he’ll host SNL some day…