Yes, we love celebrity scandals, but celebrity kindness is something we never get tired of hearing about. Sure, we all love our favorite celebs for being talented, fashionable, powerful, and beautiful, but it’s even better knowing that deep down — they’re good, caring people. Some of them, at least. There’s nothing more exciting than learning that another member of the rich and famous used their privilege, wealth, or talent for the good of others.
Whether they’re donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to a cause they care about, or doing an everyday act of kindness — we’re so here for it. So, here are 17 random celebrity acts of kindness that are sure to give you a little glimmer of hope.
17. When Drake bought everyone groceries
We all know Drake is hip-hop’s favorite ‘Nice Guy,’ but it turns out he actually is a genuine, certified good man in more ways than we thought. Aside from respecting women and being BFFs with his mom, Drake’s kindness extends to strangers as well. While promoting his album, God’s Plan, he’s been going around the country doing random acts of kindness. The most notable one went viral on Twitter recently, after one onlooker filmed Drake buying $50,000 worth of groceries for shoppers in a Miami grocery store. Imagine being able to eat for a week, on Drake’s tab? So sweet.
16. When Lady Gaga surprised kids with carloads of gifts
Lady Gaga has always been known as an artist who’s extremely passionate about her fans, especially LGBTQ+ youth who may be struggling. She even started the Born This Way Foundation to support at-risk youth, after opening up about her own struggles with mental illness. So, it comes as no surprise that Gaga has been responsible for countless random acts of kindness throughout the years. She doesn’t just run the foundation; she makes sure she interacts with and helps struggling kids as often as possible. Once, she even personally delivered carloads of holiday gifts including clothes, makeup, gift cards, and personal messages to children at the Ali Forney Youth Center in New York, which is a place that advocates for homeless LGBT youth.
15. When David Harbour showed up for his fan’s senior pictures
It’s not often that celebrities respond to the bizarre requests of their fans… unless you’re David Harbour, of course. David has recently gotten a lot of attention for catering to his fan’s tweets asking for random favors, even if it’s just to brighten their day in the smallest way. It all started when a student named Damaris tweeted “@DavidKHarbour how many retweets for you to take my senior photos with me.” He replied: “25k And I get to wear the school sweatshirt and hold a trombone.” Fast forward three months and Damaris shared a series of photos with herself and David, while he donned her high school sweatshirt and held her trombone.
Check out the final pics here!
14. When One Direction helped a fan propose to his girlfriend
Few bands have as many crazy-obsessed fans as One Direction, so it would be nearly impossible for them to make every fan’s wishes come true. However, it seems that one man named Bradley caught Harry’s attention with his sweet idea for a proposal. His girlfriend, Christine, is a huge Directioner, so he tweeted the band to see if they would help him propose to her at an upcoming 1D concert. Harry replied to the tweet after it began trending, and set the plans in motion with Bradley. They stopped the show and projected Bradley and Christine on the screen as he proposed to her. They all even hung out backstage afterward. Aw!
13. When Kim Kardashian brought a fan to VIP
Kim Kardashian and the rest of her family are super responsive to their fans, whether it’s through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and of course — Snapchat. However, this act of kindness is so great because it truly was unexpected and random. When a fan tweeted that she was trying to find Kim after a show on the Yeezus tour, Kim decided to make her day. She responded to the fan, named Myleeza, asking for her seat number and section so she could sit with Kim. It just goes to show that a small favor from a celeb can have a huge impact!
12. When Justin Bieber bought iPhones for two fans
Let’s be honest, Justin Bieber has some seriously dedicated fans. During one of his visits to New York, countless Beliebers waited outside Justin’s hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of the Biebs himself. One fan, named Lalita, tweeted that she and a friend had been waiting outside for days, and decided to duck into an Apple store across the street for warmth. While watching his video for “Confident” on one of the computers, they felt a tap on their shoulder. It was Justin! Not only did he come to visit them and express his thanks, but he also bought each girl a brand new iPhone. Looks like being a fangirl can seriously pay off.
11. When Sandra Bullock helped a homeless man get back on his feet
As it turns out, Sandra Bullock is a real-life Miss Congeniality (sorry, we had to). When Sandra heard that a man she hardly knew was going through a difficult time, she used her fame for a great cause. Svend Petersen had worked at the Beverly Hills Hotel for nearly 45 years as a pool manager, working with countless stars over the years. After a real estate deal went wrong, he found himself homeless and going for days without food.
A crowdfund was immediately created in his name, asking for $5,900 to cover food and rent for the man who had become a familiar face to many of Hollywood’s elite. Five days later, Sandra donated $5,000 with the message: “Everything is going to be ok!” We sense some seriously good karma in Sandra’s future.
10. When Dave Grohl extended kindness two victims of a mine collapse
This next celebrity act of kindness is honestly unbelievable. You may or may not recall, but in 2006, there was a mine collapse in Beaconsfield, Australia. After the mine collapsed, fourteen miners were rescued, one was tragically killed, and two remained trapped in the rubble for two weeks. When asked what kind of supplies they needed while awaiting rescue, one thing they asked for was an iPod with Foo Fighters music.
Dave Grohl (the lead singer) heard this, and faxed a personal letter with the message: “Though I’m halfway around the world right now, my heart is with you both, and I want you to know that when you come home, there’s two tickets to any Foos show, anywhere, and two cold beers waiting for you. Deal?” One of the miners took Grohl up on his offer and joined him for a drink after an acoustic show. Dave Grohl was so touched by the whole thing that the band even wrote an instrumental song called “Battle of the Beaconsfield Miners.”
9. When J.K. Rowling read to a fan named Catie Hoch
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has touched the lives of millions of children all over the world. However, the story of one fan, Catie Hoch, touched J.K. Rowling. Years ago, before the release of the fourth book, The Goblet of Fire was released, Rowling received a letter from Catie Hoch’s mother. She explained that her daughter had terminal cancer and was a huge fan of the series. Tragically, she was hoping to know if the fourth book would be released before her daughter passed. Rowling began corresponding with the family, and when Catie’s condition deteriorated, she read her excerpts of the unpublished fourth book. Just like that, a young fan from upstate New York got an exclusive look at the newest Harry Potter from J.K. Rowling herself.
8. When Jamie Foxx saved a man from a burning car
At this point, we all know that Jamie Foxx is multi-talented. He can sing, act, dance, and apparently go into action-hero mode when the situation calls for it. This story is so wild it almost sounds made-up, but we promise it’s true. In 2016, a truck driver slid off the road and fell into a ditch while driving through Hidden Valley, California. His car burst into flames, trapping him in his car, right outside of someone’s home. As you probably guessed, that someone was Jamie Foxx. According to two eyewitnesses, Jamie and another citizen broke the window, reached in and dragged the passenger to safety 30 feet away. Um, *swoon*.
7. When 2 Chainz bought a house for an eleven-person family
You probably can’t name too many 2 Chainz songs, but he might become your favorite celebrity after you read this. The “Mercy” rapper has been caught committing acts of kindness on various occasions since he rose to celebrity status. He may rap about expensive cars and fashion, but that doesn’t mean he’s greedy. In 2013, 2 Chainz started “To Reassure U,” a.k.a. The TRU Foundation. The goal is to help communities fight poverty and domestic violence, promote education, and help enrich the lives of young people. In 2016, 2 Chainz (with the help of his foundation) donated a five-bedroom home to a family in Atlanta after hearing word of their eviction. It’s not every day you get to say that 2 Chainz bought your house.
6. When Cher aided victims of the Flint water crisis
If you still somehow haven’t heard about the Flint water crisis, then this story will blow your mind. In 2014, the citizens of Flint, Michigan had to begin getting their drinking water from the Flint River, exposing over 100,000 citizens to extremely high levels of lead, causing serious health issues among thousands of children. Although they still don’t have clean water, many celebrities took notice and tried to help the city’s cause. Most notably, Cher expressed her outrage with the issue, publicly calling for Governor Rick Snyder to step down. But most importantly, it inspired her to donate 181,440 bottles of water to the citizens of Flint. She paid for half the donation herself, while Icelandic Glacial water matched her donation.
5. When Pitbull aided victims of Hurricane Maria
You may know him as the writer of your favorite (super cheesy) party anthems. But it turns out that Pitbull is also pretty notorious for his kindness. After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico was completely devastated, with no fuel, food, power, or drinking water. Many celebrities tried to do their part to make as much of a difference as they could. When Pitbull heard about the tragedy, he sent his private plane down to the island to transport cancer patients out of powerless hospitals to receive treatment in the US. When asked to comment on his charitable act, he simply said: “Thank God we’re blessed to help. Just doing my part.”
4. When Bryan Cranston brightened the day of a fan with terminal cancer
After playing cancer patient-turned-meth dealer Walter White on Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston was seriously moved by one fan’s loyalty. When 19-year-old Brad Joyner was diagnosed with brain cancer, his family launched the #breakingbrad campaign and Twitter trend. Meeting his idol, Bryan, was one of the items on Brad’s bucket list. When Bryan found out, he took the time to Skype Brad to meet him and of course — crack a few jokes about making meth before paying for an ice cream truck to drive around his neighborhood all afternoon.
3. When Nicki Minaj paid her fans’ college expenses
Nicki Minaj is known for being super interactive with her fans, but who knew that it would lead to a spree of celebrity kindness via Twitter. Basically, one of her fans half-seriously tweeted her about paying her college tuition using a Wendy Williams GIF. To everyone’s surprise, Nicki replied asking for the girl’s information so she could help her out with her expenses. This led to something even bigger; Nicki asked for proof of straight A’s, and by the end of one day, she had paid off over seven students’ college fees.
2. When Chrissy Teigen paid for someone to become an esthetician
Chrissy Teigen is known for taking to Twitter to interact with fans, voice her opinions, and apparently — commit random acts of kindness when she feels so obliged. One day, a girl named Mercedes Edney began sharing a crowdfunding page that she had started to pay her tuition. Mercedes was passionate about beauty and needed help raising $5,995 to complete payments at esthetician school. Somehow Chrissy caught wind of the cause and immediately donated the remaining $5,605 with a personal message: “I’ve seen this be your passion for such a long time now. So excited to see you fulfill your dream!” How cute.
1. George Michael’s secret acts of kindness
After legendary singer George Michael passed away in 2016, people were extremely moved by the entertainer’s legacy. However, this was only heightened when stories of George’s secret acts of kindness began to surface. It turns out, he was a ridiculously charitable man but refused to take any credit for it while he was alive. To name a few: he donated over $100,000 every year to a children’s charity in London, he paid for one woman’s $20,000 IVF treatment, he once left his bartender a nearly-$7,000 tip to pay for nursing school, and gave a stranger $35,000 when he overheard her talking about her debt. Now that’s a charitable man!