I’d like to think that I’ve done a lot of cool things in my life. I go to a great school, I’ve worked some cool internships and have written a book. To my surprise when people first meet me or hear about my work none of that matters. The only thing people seem to be captivated by is the number of celebrities I’ve been able to meet. When my schoolmates see my dorm then are mesmerized with my picture of myself and Kim Kardashian, they want to hear about how pretty Rihanna is in person. After answering the same questions over and over I thought I’d finally publicly share some of my adventures and encounters with celebrities. With that said, here is
What I’ve Learned From Meeting Countless Celebrities
They are Actually Human Beings with Real Bodily Functions.
The first big star I ever met was Tamar Braxton. I met Tamar during her promotional tour for her new album, Love and War. I’ll never forget driving to the record store (yes a record store, they sold CD’s there) and standing in line to meet her. She was very gracious and humble. She signed every CD, took pictures with fans and even did a Q&A. After the line had died down Tamar had to use the bathroom. She stopped the event, quickly ran to the ladies room and came back. This is such a common thing that every single one of us does, but for some reason, I was so shocked. I remember thinking to myself,
“Wow, Tamar Braxton just had to go pee.”
This was when I came to the realization that celebrities are humans too not perfect machines. It’s quite fascinating when you think about it and hard to remember. Like can you imagine THE Beyoncé having to blow her nose, sneezing or having a bowel movement? Crazy right, but it happens!
The Star Usually Isn’t the Star
Each celebrity I have met usually has some personal assistant that is running the show. When I met Rihanna at Macy’s, it was her assistant Jenn Rosales that was making sure Rihanna was very well taken care of and on schedule. After meeting so many stars, I always look for the executive assistant that comes with the star. This is the person who is running the show and making things happen.
When the rapper, Wale came to campus there were so many people around him trying to get his attention and grab him for pictures. As I saw he and his team walking through campus, there was one, young Latino guy that was dressed differently from everyone else. He was very unbothered by the commotion and on his phone the entire time. I knew that this man was the one who was running the show and he in fact was.
As I introduced myself and helped direct him to where everything was at Morehouse, he was very friendly. He told me that if I bought Wale’s album on my phone and shared it on Twitter that he would get me a picture with Wale. I thought he was playing, but it did in fact happened. While everyone was screaming and Wale was making his way back on his tour bus, my new found friend called Wale over we took a picture, and that was that. My advice for anyone trying to get the attention of a star, always be very respectful and connect with their assistants because they are the ones that are running the show.
Celebrities Smell So Good
If you’ve read my book, “Dealing With This Thing Called Life” in Chapter 10 I tell the story of what it was like to meet the singer, Rihanna. I said in my book that Rihanna smelled so good. The truth is they all smell good. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that each of them has the money to afford expensive colognes and perfumes because they all smell so good. I remember Anthony Anderson had an excellent strong cologne on when I met him at the UNCF An Evening of Stars Gala. When I bumped into Lee Daniels at the Barbershop in LA, he smelled fresh. Every star I always meet I always take a deep breath when we take a picture so I can smell some expensive smell. It’s very weird, but it never fails. Celebrities always smell good!
Celebrities Look Better In Person
One of the best days of my life was the day I met Kim Kardashian West during the last week of my internship with Los Angeles. I will never forget meeting her and seeing her in person. I remember walking in the Dash Boutique in Los Angeles and standing on my toes to get a glimpse of the social media mogul. When I finally laid eyes on Kim K, she looked stunning.
I have never in my life seen someone so beautiful. Her hair laid perfectly on the sides of her face; her smile was breathtaking, and she had the most perfect teeth. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t seen every episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and study Kim’s every move. With all of my Kim Kardashian admiration, you would think that I would have been prepared to see her in person, but I wasn’t. She looked 10x better in person as she ever did on TV. I could say the same thing for Ashanti, Rihanna and Tyra Banks. Don’t judge a star by their onscreen looks because they look even better in person.
Celebrities Are Just Like Us
I met Queen Sugar Director, Ava Duvernay at a celebrity birthday celebration that myself and the Morehouse College Glee Club were singing at. When I saw Ava and her team making their way through the event, I immediately asked for a picture. Ava was very gracious and told me herself that she would take a picture with me, but she had to find her Mom first. As she conversed with me, I saw her assistant on the phone telling someone that Ava was coming. They all walked away, and I heard the assistant say, “I can’t believe they won’t let your Mom in.” At this moment this is when I learned that Ava was leaving me to make sure her Mom made it into the event. Moments later Ava came back with another elderly woman, we took our picture, and that was that. At that moment I learned that celebrities are just like us. They have families, friends, and people that they care about that they want to protect and provide for. A lot of individuals assume that celebrities are properties of the public and should be taken advantage of without question, but this is not true in the slightest. Ava just like anyone else was not going to let her Mom not make it into the event. Most of us would do the same if we were at a graduation or function and our Mom couldn’t get in. I’ve learned that whenever I meet anyone to always treat them with the utmost respect as if they are a human being because often forgotten, they actually are.