In 2025, we shared stories from service workers who waited on famous people and revealed how much they got tipped. Well, even more readers shared their own celebrity tip experiences. Here are all of those stories:
The people who shared their stories allegedly speak from personal encounters. Obviously, we weren't there when they happened, so feel free to take them with a grain of salt.
1. "Bruce Willis always tipped extremely well and signed autographs for almost everyone. Great guy! I'm really sorry his health is deteriorating. Love you, Bruce!"
2. "Miley Cyrus is not only kind but also low maintenance, and she tips very well. She came into my restaurant in Nashville with a very large party and ordered veggie fajitas. Nothing changed or modified, got everything just as it came. Asked for a box for her leftovers. Tipped 200% and was a sweetheart."
3. "I waited on Brooke Shields with two guests at a restaurant in NYC back in 1980. She had just been in Blue Lagoon, and truly was America’s sweetheart at the time. She was pleasant and cheerful. She left a 30% tip, and I felt great about having served her."
4. "I had a friend who waited on Jennifer Lopez right after she got super-famous. She and her entourage allegedly ran my friend ragged, insulted him, held up the table for 3+ hours, and completely stiffed him on the tip. He was a great server, and she was a nightmare."
5. "I have waited on multiple celebrities in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival. Most of them were very nice and tipped generously. My biggest tip, percentage-wise, came from Steve Carell. He and his family were kind and down-to-earth and were a pleasure to serve."
6. "Jay-Z came into a club where I was working bottle service. Not only was he rude, but he also did not tip."
7. "I served Rob Lowe at One Fifth in NYC in the early ’80s. He left a $100 tip on a tiny bill. He was funny, very nice, and respectful to me and the staff."
8. "I was working as a cocktail waitress in the '80s in Merrillville, IN, when Irene Cara was the headliner. She came in with several others a few minutes before closing. They ordered piña coladas, daiquiris, and a variety of other fancy drinks. As I moved towards them, one of the people brushed up against my tray and knocked the whole thing over! I cleaned up the mess, got them all new drinks, and didn’t get home until after 4 a.m. They left a ZERO tip!"
9. "Back in the '80s, I was a doorman at a posh Philadelphia hotel. Larry Holmes was an expected guest. Upon his arrival, he checked his bags and went to the hotel restaurant. He was a really nice guy. They had a tie policy for men at the restaurant. My idiot British bosses didn’t recognize him and asked him to leave the restaurant. Larry was upset, had me get his bags, gave me $50, and went to the hotel across the street. My boss had the nerve to be mad at me for not telling them who he was."
10. "Cole and Dylan Sprouse tipped me 30% the other day. They were my lowest maintenance table all night."
11. "My coworker served Jack Black, and I helped run the food to the table. He tipped $300 on a tab of around $500. He was also very nice to everyone, said goodnight to me on his way out."
12. "I flew Bob Hope and his very nice wife from MI to two airports in NY. They were very kind and gracious to me and the other pilot. A week later, we both received sets of his signature 'Thanks for the Memory' cocktail glasses."
13. "I served Dave Chappelle a few times when I was a teen. This was during his Chappelle Show run. He tipped me $40 to help load his groceries into his car. I worked at a grocery store as a bagger."
14. "Waited on E-40 and his wife a few times at Cattlemen’s years ago. I’m a huge fan, but I never asked for anything. They were always humble, low-maintenance, and generously left 40-50%."
15. "I was a server in Midtown Manhattan near Times Square for years. I've served a lot of famous people. The worst tipper is Jane Fonda. She came into our small Irish pub with Sally Field for lunch. Everyone was younger or not American, so no one else recognized them. I grew up being made to watch old films by my mum, so I knew them, but no one bothered them. Fonda paid the bill and left a big zero in the tip part."
16. "When I was just out of high school in the early '90s, I worked as a bagger at a grocery store where John Lithgow frequently shopped. Most of the time, he came in alone or with his kids after a day of skiing. He was very shy and very nice. One day, he came in with his wife and kids, and I bagged their groceries and helped them load them into their car. After I loaded their groceries into their car, his wife thanked me and gave me a quarter as a tip. Later, I noticed it was a Canadian quarter."
17. "I worked at the Palm Springs Spa in 1975, and Marvin Gaye was there for two weeks. I worked at the outdoor pool area, and I would set him up with towels on a lounge chair. He didn’t give me one penny."
18. "I was a taxicab driver in Columbus, Ohio, in the mid-'70s. I was dispatched to Stouffers University Inn for a person going to the airport. It turned out to be Eric Clapton. He was very gracious, and he gave me a $100 bill on a $12 fare to the charter airplane hangar at Port Columbus."
19. "I was a pit boss at the Hard Rock casino in the mid-90s. Jennifer Lopez was married to Ben Affleck (for the first time). Ben Affleck was a great tipper, always giving $100 for a free drink. Once he placed a $100 chip on the server's tray and Lopez called the server back, picked up the $100 chip, and tossed a $5 chip on the tray."
20. "Post Malone is a super good tipper. He usually gives 50–100% tips. Very polite and all-around great guest."
21. "Probably my favorite guest of notoriety was Wes Anderson. He was incredibly kind, and I felt deeply acknowledged as a fellow human being, not just a part of the mechanics of his meal. I don’t remember the percentage he tipped, but it was very generous."
22. "Martin Starr took me to a local bar/grill with a bunch of cast and crew from Tulsa King (I was working on the show). We ordered a lot of food and drinks, and Martin picked up the tab, which was about $2,500. However, the card didn't go through due to fraud reasons. Nevertheless, he got on the phone, verified it was him to his bank, and then paid the bill. He left a 30% or higher tip for the server who helped us. He actually asked me to add it up as he couldn't quite read the receipt. He was always super sweet and nice, and he often ordered ice cream trucks and stuff to come to the studio for all the crew to eat on him."
23. "Chuck Norris gave me $100 tip for a bottle of water at Harrah's Atlantic City."
24. "Scary Spice (aka Mel B) ordered a $25 bottle of wine, ugh, and left a mediocre tip."
25. "I waited on Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz when they were dating. They came in with five other people for drinks and some apps. The bill was around $500. Ashlee paid and tipped me $200. Plus, she, Pete, and their friends were all so friendly and down to earth. Before she left (and after she paid), I let Ashlee know that I was a fan of her music. She was very happy to hear it, thanked me, and gave me a big hug."
26. "Michael Rooker from Guardians of the Galaxy and The Walking Dead tipped me $300 on a $100 bill at the bar I worked at. He’s so funny and likable. A stand-up guy."
27. "In the early 2000s, I worked at a fine dining restaurant in the Colosseum Forum Shops in Las Vegas on the strip. Jay-Z and his entourage came in and took up my whole section. Everything went fine, they didn't return anything. They weren't overly friendly, but that was fine. We did not put the automatic gratuity for parties of eight or more on there because he was a celebrity. The bill was around $5,000, and he left absolutely no tip. Not a single penny. My poor manager felt so bad for me that he gave me a 20% tip on the total bill out of the kitty."
28. "Kevin Hart tipped me FAT the other day. $300 on an $80 bill."
29. "50 Cent. He didn’t leave enough cash for the bill and tried to walk out. I had to run after him and let him know he was short. He seemed frustrated and quickly gave me just enough to cover the bill. The tip was less than 10 cents."
30. "I once waited on David Lee Roth. He came in with a couple of other guys I didn't recognize. Only four other tables were seated at the time. I was the lone server on the floor. That man is a force of nature. Loud, yes, but somehow not annoyingly so. Effortlessly drew me in, the other servers still doing side work, the bussers, the bartender, and the other guests. Utterly charming and the most charismatic person I've ever shared a room with. Clearly, when he's in the room, everyone is riding the Dave wave. He paid everyone's bill and tipped 100% on top of it. I've never walked out of closing a lunch more upbeat."
31. "I had a friend who served Carmelo Anthony. He tipped her a few hundred dollars on a pretty small bill and then walked into the kitchen and gave everyone $100."
32. "I served Dave Chappelle. He's incredibly respectful and polite! He referred to me by my name and tipped more than 100% in cash."
33. "Drew Carey is a wonderful person. He's funny, polite, loves to be social, and is very friendly overall. He snuck into the restaurant I worked at in Vegas, had lunch with his friends who were waiting for him. The bill was $260 and he rounded up to $500."
34. "Tracy Morgan used to come into where I worked. He is just like his characters on TV, boisterous and funny, making a scene. And he would leave a 50% tip. Such a nice guy."
35. "When I was 14 and working at a small Vietnamese restaurant in Orange County, Keanu Reeves and his girlfriend came in, and after I served them, they left me an envelope of cash full of mostly hundreds. They left me an envelope a week for almost five months, with random people dropping them off. Each envelope had a little note in it that said inspirational stuff like 'We’re still rooting for you' and 'We’re really proud of you, keep pushing.'"
36. "Around 2007, in Ryan Gosling’s early days, he was in my hometown and stopped by the pizza place with some others. He came in towards closing time, but rounded up a $55 check to $100 and took pics with everyone there who wanted one."
37. "Wolfman Jack was one of my regulars, back in the day. He'd tip $100 on a $20 lunch ticket every single time he came in."
38. "Rupert Grint comes in with his wife and baby. They’re very polite, keep to themselves, keep things tidy, and tip 25% or more."
39. "Chad OchoCinco asked me how much my rent was and tipped me that."
40. "Trevor Lawerence is a great tipper and overall very kind! Like clockwork, this man would come in and order 10 pizzas from me every Wednesday. At one point, he asked to meet the person who made his 'fantastic pizzas' — he handed me $100, and he tipped the to-go people/host like 100%. Every time he came in after that, he would wave to me through the expo window and occasionally slide me some cash."
41. "Kevin James left me a $230 tip on a $330 bill. So, he can do no wrong in my eyes."
42. "Alaska from RuPaul's Drag Race tipped $700 on a $200 bill because she and her partner were in the restaurant for three hours."
43. "The only celebrity I’ve waited on was Sheryl Underwood. She was incredibly sweet and tipped 200%."
44. "John Malkovich was a regular at a local restaurant I worked in, and he was always super kind, very quiet, and tipped generously, 30% or a bit more. Just wanted to dine quietly with his partner."
45. "Shaq visited a few years ago. He paid for everyone's meals in the restaurant, tipped his server $300, and tipped all the other staff $100 each. Really amazing guy."
46. "Elvis came in with some officers and stayed over an hour. They had a meal and a few beers. Elvis left $5,000 plus a large tip. Other officers said he did it all the time."
47. "I waited on Joe Rogan about 10 years ago. He was quiet, polite, and very low-maintenance. He left a $100 tip on a $30 tab."
48. "My boyfriend and I did DoorDash one night and ended up delivering poke bowls to Victor Wembanyama from the San Antonio Spurs basketball team. His meal was around $70, and he lived very far, and it took forever for someone to open the gate in his gated community. He left no tip."
49. "I was a bartender for a nationwide steak restaurant in Atlanta. Cam Newton came in one night with a few people. This was when he was still playing football, and the Falcons were going to play the Super Bowl. He wasn’t friendly and was really aloof. He ordered some food to go. He tipped well, though, right around $100 on almost $300 worth of food."
50. "Tina Fey was the worst. She was demanding and smoked a cigarette at the outdoor table even after being asked to stop. She left less than 10% for the tip."
51. "Carlos Santana is the most humble and respectful celebrity I've ever served. He always tips $100. If he is with his family, it’s double, sometimes triple that."
52. "I worked at Bennigan’s Restaurant in Boston before the 2000s. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant came in one night. I can’t remember how much the bill was, but Scottie Pippen paid it. He did not leave a tip. At that moment, I came up with the nickname 'No Tippin Pippen.'"
53. "John McEnroe had one drink and tipped me $100 in 1982."
54. "I was a server at a restaurant in Central Park. Naomi Campbell came in with her entourage of about eight people, and they were extremely demanding. Naomi never spoke to me; someone always had to speak for her. As I was checking in on them to see how their dessert was, Naomi was handing her phone to the person across from her, who was in front of me, and it got dropped on a lava cake on the table. Somehow, she thought it was my fault (the only time she said something directly to me), and I was told by a member of her entourage that I needed to leave the table because she was upset. They left $10 on a huge check. By far one of the rudest groups of people I served, famous or otherwise."
55. "My coworker served Ludacris once, and he was apparently fine until the end, where he asked the server if the restaurant was going to take care of the bill for him. They only agreed to because he said he'd tip the server. Pretty full of himself."
56. "I used to be a service manager at a cafe chain that Harry Connick Jr. and his family would come to once a month or so. They were quiet, low-key, and polite. He must have had a house in the area because no one ever really bothered him. I don't remember how much he tipped exactly, but it was always at least 25%."
57. "I served Lewis Black breakfast after one of his shows. He was polite, tipped at least 30% and while I don't like to hound celebrities, other guests came and talked to him, and he was so kind and open to conversation. Great customer and a genuinely kind dude."
58. "Love Billy Joel’s music, but I met him and he wasn’t friendly at all. My son worked in a North Shore restaurant that he regularly frequented, and he was a 20% tipper, that’s all."
59. "I worked at a bar on the Jersey Shore for 10 years. Bruce Springsteen is always the most humble and low-key; he would pull up on his motorcycle just trying to have Patron on the rocks unnoticed. He would usually only get through one drink/drink and a half max until someone spotted him but always left $100 tip. I even worked a couple of his private parties as well and always left a FAT tip for everyone from security to the kitchen."
60. "At a previous place I worked, I waited on Emily and Felicity Blunt, John Krasinski, and Stanley Tucci. Nothing went wrong with their meal, and they were nice enough, but Stanley left less than a 10% tip on their $500 bill."
61. "Cassandra Peterson came to The Abbey, and her hair was bleached out for the summer, so I didn’t recognize her immediately. Her friend made a joke about her being Elvira, who 'lived up in a dark castle in the Hills.' We laughed, she paid, and they left. She tipped me 150% of the bill which was about $50 bucks. It still didn’t dawn on me she was Elvira until the algorithm showed me an interview of Cassandra Peterson and her mannerisms and the way she spoke gave her away."
62. "I was bartending years ago and had Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls at the bar. He was rude and complained about everything — although he ate everything in front of him. The bill came to about $425 — he left me $2. This is why he is called No Tippin’ Pippen."
63. "San Francisco Giants former first baseman J.T. Snow and his father were sitting outside at a table in Spanish Bay Resort at Pebble Beach. J.T. ordered a Coke and charged it to his room. He left me a $100 tip."
64. "My partner, who is a classically trained executive chef, was hired to turn around a struggling steak house in Ennis, Montana. I was the weekend front-of-house manager and a server on weeknights. Ennis is a fly fishing Mecca so we had guests from all over the world, but my favorite was David Letterman. He usually came in on a weeknight when we weren’t totally out-of-control busy, sometimes with his son or his manager, sometimes by himself. He always had the same meal, a simple but delicious pasta and a glass of wine. He would interact with the locals and was just a delight to wait on. Never had any complaints or expected to be treated as being special. And he always left a $100 tip. I would wait on him when I was the only server on but would let the other server take him when I was fortunate enough to have one…felt like I should share the wealth! Good memories of that restaurant and of Ennis."
65. "I remember seeing Bill Nye walking into the restaurant I was working at (at the time). It was a smooth service, and he seemed to enjoy his food. I came to collect the bill and saw that he had tipped me $40 for a $40 meal. It made my year."
66. "Jeffrey Star and Nikita Dragun came into The Abbey and demanded comped bottle service for themselves. I served them and their crew, and they left NOTHING. It was tacky as hell."
67. "Maria Shriver and her daughter, Katherine Schwarzenegger, ate a big brunch at a restaurant I used to work at in Chicago with maybe 10 other ladies. They weren’t rude, but they were incredibly needy and demanding. Their bill was close to $1,000. Maria paid, but she didn’t leave anything for a tip."
68. "10 years ago, I worked at a resort in Phoenix, AZ. I was the server for Guy Fieri. He had his son with him, and of course his entourage. Guy had a vodka Sprite, and his son had a Sprite, plus food and drink for his entourage. It was several hundred dollars. When it was time to close the tab, I was completely stiffed of a tip. They only paid the tab with no tip!"
69. "Not a restaurant, but when I was working at a movie theater in college we were told to hold a couple of seats for a 'big celebrity' that was coming in to watch The Fighter. It’s not something we normally did (it was before you could reserve seats online), but we kept the spots open nonetheless. Turns out it was Dwyane Wade. He tipped me and my friend both $20, which was cool and unexpected!"
70. "I once served John Cena at a taqueria. Not only did he not tip me, he just ghosted on the bill altogether!"
71. "Eugene Levy and his family tipped me 22% of their bill."
72. "Ross Matthews asked for an employee discount with a group of friends while at The Abbey/Pink Pony Club (obviously, he is not an employee) and then tipped on the discounted total. I should have given him discounted service!"
73. And finally, "Nelly tipped the bartender who served him nothing."
Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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