We have to wonder what kind of people grow to be the super celebrities of the world today. Are they as weird and stuck-up as we imagine they might be? Or are they people who fell into the limelight, possessing the talent to stay there? There has to be people around who knew them beforehand, obviously. Fortunately for us, they took to the internet to share their experiences.
Reddit user, u/Jakob543, wanted to hear the juicy details when they asked:
People who went to school with celebrities before they were famous. What were they like?
The Hustle Came Before The Fame
Went to high school with Mac Miller. Dude was f-ckin dedicated, he was selling CDs in school and always had posters up and stuff. We weren't really in the same social circles but we had some classes together. He was a goof and a generally good guy. RIP.
Come As You Are
My mom went to high school in Aberdeen with Kurt Cobain. She said he would buy her and her friends beers from the gas station, and play his guitar and sing at parties.
A Friendly Bully
I went to High School with Nicholas Hamilton, the actor who played the main bully in the IT movie. He hung around the lesser popular group, and they were all pretty close. He was in the year above me, and I spoke to him once or twice in general conversation, and he has a good sense of humour. He dressed in quite normal cheap clothing, and wasn't really cocky. I haven't seen him since he graduated though. He was friends with a lot of my friends though
Changed By The Fame
Lived in the same dorm and had a bunch of engineering classes with Logan Paul. This was just when his Vine started taking off.
Was actually a pretty chill dude and very, very smart. He's changed a lot though since he left school.
Still. Insufferable.
I went to undergrad with Ben Shapiro.
He was an insufferable know-it-all then too. Completely smug and full of himself. Largely incapable of any original thought outside of "liberal is bad." Fairly polite at least. But still insufferable.
Practicing At All Hours Of The Day
I went to high school with Pink. We had theater and choir together. I was pretty shy in high school but a bunch of my friends were close with her. All I mostly remember is that she was always singing to herself, otherwise she was pretty normal.
Is Anyone Surprised?
My ex went to school with the Donald himself at the New York Military Academy. I was told this almost 20 years ago and everything I've been told about him was during The Apprentice fame when he actually had an approval rating over 50%, so none of it was embellished for the sake of political differences.
Trump was 2 grades above my ex but Trump was your obligatory campus king. Not a good student, overall d-ckhead bully as you'd expect, but likely kept there because of his father's money. My ex was only there a year, being sent there to "man him up" as he acted too effeminate for his father's tastes.
Keep in mind military boarding schools aren't where parents send promising students who are tolerated by their parents and do well in their studies. It's usually a place for wealthy parents to try and mold their kids into an ideal because they're seen as a f-ck-up in one way or another.
Too Tall To Miss
Went to high school with Derek Smith aka Pretty Lights. Was a popular nice guy, well known for his talent and drive toward music. Also is about 6'10" so pretty hard to miss. Always building up his different bands and partying the whole way. He was selling out hometown shows and opening for some big names in underground hip hop very early on. Was a ton of fun to be around for all that and watch him grow huge with his band mates. I still remember the first show he played as P.L... low key set in a local fort collins bar. Was very different direction from his previous stuff which was more hip hop oriented. He can rhyme and flow like a mf, also played bass very well. Interesting progression for sure. Apparently hes not as fun to be around these days, drugs and fame....
Stranger Things Were Certainly In Store For Him
I went to elementary school with Caleb McLaughlin- really sweet kid! I remember our teacher announcing to the class about him going on broadway to play young Simba in the Lion King
Props For John Stamos Being As Cool As We All Hoped
My dad went to school with John Stamos.
He always said they weren't really friends, he said he watched Johns band at a few talent shows and parties but they never really hung out. But here is a story he told me more recently:
My dad did magic and worked at a magic shop when he was in high school. He did some magic at a talent show where John Stamos was also preforming. John liked it so much that he asked around and found out where my dad worked, and pulled up in his car to talk to my dad at the magic shop. He basically told my dad how cool he thought the magic was, and how cool the shop was.
My dad said John was really popular in school, but also really nice and genuinely a cool guy.
Fake Fur?
Was friends with Natalie Portman in first grade.
Had a fake fur coat. Her mom would pack her lunch in lots of little containers with instructions on how to assemble them. That's all I remember.
What'd You Expect From Star Lord?
Was a freshman when Chris Pratt was a senior. We didn't interact much, but he was in a lot of the assemblies and I did tech theater for a play he was in.
He was a goofball. Lots of charisma, laid back, class clown. Bout what you'd expect seeing him now.
Humble With A Twist
My best friend's mom went to college with Wes Anderson and yes, he was a total hipster, but he's this super humble dude. They run into each other in Dallas every once in a while and he says hi and buys her coffee as if he's not this huge director.
Same for Owen Wilson.
So Long As You Admit You Had It Coming
I went to school with Terry Crews for a couple years. Nice kid and a great artist. He and one other kid used to have drawing competitions before class started. Somebody would yell out a comic book character and he and the other kid (also a great artist) would both draw. I can't remember who was better because it was a lifetime ago.
He punched me in the chest once at an assembly and totally winded me. I was being a d-ck, so I had it coming.
Never Let Your Skills Speak For You
Went to High School with Aaron Judge of the Yankees. Was a specimen of an athlete at a very young age. I was older than him, but it was a small school so basically everyone knew everyone. Ran into him at a mutual friends party the first year he was called up to the majors and the guy graciously accepted a congratulations then began to ask about me and my life as the local bartender in our small town. Remembered my name and everything. Guy is extremely humble and an over all class act.
Art Is Interpretive
Post Malone and I graduated from high school together! I even have a picture from when our art class recreated the Last Supper with McDonald's for someone's art project. He posed as Jesus and I was basically Judas. We weren't friends, but he was always friendly when we did speak. He had a very chill demeanor and always cracked jokes in our history class. I liked the dude!
He's Perfect. In Every Way.
went to primary school with Hugh Jackman, total class act and always had the makings of someone who would be successful
He used to be a gym teacher. There's a video of him on the red carpet and he recognizes one of his former students and goes up to chat.
But Was He Also The Very Best Like No One Ever Was?
Went to Jr High and High School with Taylor Lautner. Played football together my Freshmen year.
Dude was really nice, and a bit awkward. This was before the whole twilight thing, and he was most famous for Sharkboy and Lavagirl. He seemed pretty much what you expect a theater kid to be like. But really nice dude over all, pretty quiet, played pokemon leaf green together a few times.
Always A Trip To See People You Knew Move On
I went to high school with Shawn Mendes. Didn't know him personally, as I was in 12th grade while he was a 9th grader.
Despite that age gap, I knew who he was. Girls in my grade were already gushing about how cute and talented he was. I'm friends with a handful of people who are very close to him - and I'm happy to say that he seems like a really kind hearted person. He never portrayed an ounce of arrogance. He was always respectful to those around him.
I came back for a grade 13 and he was back for grade 10 (ended up being his last year in regular HS) ... his fame started to pick up real momentum, but he remained the same grounded individual. It's been a treat to watch his career flourish and I will always be a fan.
Plus, it's cool watching friends from high school casually travelling the world with him. Those guys got it good
