Did your favorite celebrity rule the school? Or did they eat lunch in the bathroom stall? Let’s find out!
A week ago on Reddit there was a thread that asked former teachers & classmates of celebrities to #spill on what our favorite stars were like as students. I compiled all of the responses for your late-night reading pleasure, so grab a snack, play the hottest tracks from your high school years, & let’s get started!
Matthew McConaughey
“My mother’s best friend taught Matthew McConaughey. She said he was one of her favorite students because he was so sweet. Apparently he came to see her and talk to her class when he first started acting. Seems pretty cool.”
“Not a teacher but my dad’s best friend went to the same school as Matthew McConaughey. Apparently they smoked weed together and Matthew would always talk about how ’[he] was going to be a movie star.’”
“Matthew McConaughey went to my high school and middle school with my best friend’s mom. Apparently he asked her out in middle school and she said no. Also she says he was a ‘drama nerd with acne that wasn’t nearly as good looking.’”
John Travolta
“My English teacher had John Travolta in his basketball team that he coached at the time. He said [John] was very annoying, and he told him that he wouldn’t make it anywhere in life.”
Kristen Bell
“One of my high school teachers had Kristen Bell in her class for a few years. She said that Kristen was a very bright student, always well liked, and she had a beautiful singing voice and was the lead in the school plays. One particular memory she had of Kristen was when she was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: surprisingly it wasn’t the main cast, but rather the munchkins who stole the show, because they were the varsity football team walking on their knees through the auditorium. Kristen was supposed to sing at her wedding but had to cancel because she had just been hired for a job (which turned out to be Veronica Mars).”
Mariah Carey
“My hair stylist was Mariah Carey’s cosmetology teacher when she attended BOCES vocational school in Greenlawn/Huntington, New York. They said Mariah was a bit of a diva, and was not terribly interested in learning the trade of hair and makeup. She wanted to sing instead. I guess that worked out.”
“My mom said she went to high school with Mariah. She told me that Mariah was two years older and was actually a bully (no surprise). She was a total diva. My mom found out that Mariah would get up really early for school to get ready. She said she would take a needle to her eyelashes so each one was straight and perfect.”
“I live in North Babylon, New York. Mariah Carey grew up in Huntington, which is a town just north of me. A coworker of mine in her 40s went to high school with Mariah, and describes her as having been pretty snobby and promiscuous. She didn’t show up to class much, and may have smoked weed.”
LeBron James
“My 4th grade math teacher taught LeBron James. She said he was obsessed with basketball. When asked what he was going to be when he grew up, he said he was going to be in the NBA. When she told him he needed a backup plan, he just looked into her soul and said, 'No, I’m going to be in the NBA.’”
“From a colleague: LeBron James was a pretty diligent chemistry student. Surprising to me since he was already a demi-god to many people at that point.”
“A lot of my high school teachers taught LeBron. Apparently he was a pretty polite kid and didn’t do too poorly, but fairly cocky and obviously obsessed with basketball, although he kinda had a right to be. I met him once, he’s a pretty nice guy from what I could tell.”
Boots the Monkey
“Well, the voice of Boots the Monkey from Dora the Explorer goes to high school with some of my friends. Apparently he’s extremely awkward and he’s also not exactly the type of person this question was about.”
“I went to camp with him last summer, and overall he was a pretty nice kid. The problem was that once other people found out about him, they would constantly hound him to 'do the voice.’ He got noticeably annoyed when people would ask this, no doubt because he’s been asked on a non-stop basis. I felt kinda bad because on the last few days of camp when he was trying to say goodbye to our mutual friends, there was the same group of kids harassing him in the near background. Hope he’s still doing alright.”
Kanye West
“My mom taught Kanye West’s music theory class in high school. She said he insisted he would one day be a famous rapper, and that he was a decent student but sometimes a bit stubborn. Overall not that noticeable, although he did like freestyling. He and some other students threw a little baby shower for my mom while she was pregnant with my sister, which is nice.”
“I went to high school with Kanye. He mostly kept to himself, and was very serious about what he wanted to be. He ate lunch in the art room one year (so did I and a few other introverted types) and was always writing down lyrics, listening to music, or singing to himself. Intense and dedicated, for sure.”
“My Econ teacher taught Kanye too. He said he was a quiet student and was always doodling in his notebook.”
“I’m not a teacher, but my high school Environmental Sciences teacher had a wife who taught high school chemistry to Kayne West. She said he was a very nice, smart, and respectful young man. Which means both of them believe his behavior now is an act to get more people to talk about him.”
“My high school Math teacher was in a class that Kanye West’s mom taught at Chicago State University. Apparently one day after class, Kanye came around and challenged my teacher to an arm-wrestling contest. My teacher won.”
Michael Phelps
“My Econ teacher taught Michael Phelps. He said that no one knew who Michael was before the Olympics. As soon as he came back though, whenever he was in school, he was really cocky and obnoxious. But since he rarely was in school, he didn’t really have much experience with him after his Freshman year.”
Bruce Springsteen
“My friend’s mom knew Bruce Springsteen pre-fame. He even asked her out, but she turned him down because 'he was a total nerd and his shitty music was never going to take him anywhere.’”
“My dad was friends with someone who went to high school with Bruce Springsteen. He was this stereotypical geek/wimp, and one day he thought he’d be 'cool’ if he learned guitar.”
Trent Reznor
“My mom went to school with Trent Reznor. She said he was quiet but when you actually got to know him he was a talking machine.”
John Green
“Apparently one of my teachers taught John Green. Of course, when we asked our teacher 'What was John Green like?’ he answered simply… 'Not an exceptional student in the least. He wasn’t happy with any of his scores, nor was he happy making up the credit for his Writing course. His work was mediocre at best, at the time.’ - 'Why wasn’t he happy?’ someone asked the teacher. 'Because he failed my class and had to go to summer school.’”
Bill Murray
“Bill Murray went to my high school way before me but there is a story that I would like to believe is real: he got the record for most amount of detentions (called jugs) for someone who graduated from the school, and when a kid broke it years later he took him out to lunch.”
“My grandma taught Bill Murray in elementary school way back in the 60s in suburban Chicago. She said he had always been a jokester. While I can’t remember any specific stories off the top of my head at the moment, I do have this one. A couple of years ago they had the 50th reunion of that class from the small Catholic grammar school and Murray was filming a movie overseas at the time. Astonishingly he actually got the invitation that was sent to him and he flew back to attend the reunion and upon seeing my grandma he transformed into a completely different person. He came up to her and said as politely as he possibly could, 'Hello Mrs. ________.’ And then proceeded to have a conversation with her. One of the biggest stars in the world was still intimidated by his grade school teacher, 50 years later.”
Jon Bon Jovi
“A coworker of mine once punched Bon Jovi in the face when they were classmates in Sayerville High School.”
“The vice principal of my middle school taught Jon Bon Jovi in high school. According to him, and this is a direct quote: 'It’s a good thing that boy could sing, because he was dumber than a box of rocks.’”
“My friends went to the same school Jon Bon Jovi went to. They said the teachers thought he was a nightmare and that he got expelled freshman year.”
“My friend’s mother taught high school science to Jon Bon Jovi (then Bongjovi) in Sayreville, NJ. She said that he was 100% focused on becoming a rockstar, and would wear sunglasses and leather cowboy hats in class every day. Either Jon’s mother or grandmother owned a beauty parlor, and he used to get his hair highlighted there every weekend.”
“My uncle’s friend went to high school with Bon Jovi. Apparently he was caught smoking weed and the principal kicked him out and said, 'You’ll never amount to anything!’”
Chris Pratt
“A guy I know says he punched Chris Pratt in high school, I’m inclined to believe him.”
“Chris Pratt went to my high school. My history teacher had him and said that he was really kind and outgoing. He was in leadership and all that, and always led the assemblies. He was one of my teachers favorite students.”
Lady Gaga
“A friend of mine went to NYU with Gaga and shared a class or two with her. She described her as the student who always had to put her two cents in about every topic in class, and gave her thoughts as though they were the most brilliant in the world.”
“One of my professors taught Lady Gaga at NYU. She said Gaga used to stand up after class every day and tell everyone to come out and see the gigs she was playing in. Gaga wasn’t doing very well in the class, so my professor asked to meet with her. She told her that maybe if she focused more on her schoolwork and less on her gigs, she’d be more successful… awkward.”
“My stepmom worked on crime in NYU. Apparently Lady Gaga got in trouble a lot there, based on the fact that she ended up in my stepmom’s office.”
Leonardo DiCaprio
“My middle school history teacher taught Leonardo DiCaprio and said that he had laughed off Leo’s comments about becoming a famous actor and not needing school. He would always mention this story to every class.”
“Leonardo didn’t get along well with the other kids, he came in during lunch to eat with the teachers and faculty.”
“I went to elementary school with Leonardo DiCaprio. I remember going to his birthday party (3rd or 4th grade) and playing in his treehouse. He was a nice, quiet kid.”
Paul Rudd & Jason Sudeikis
“One of my high school teachers went to high school with Jason Sudeikis and apparently they still hang out. He said Jason was a generally cool dude, funny and well-liked but generally under the radar. For reference, Paul Rudd went to the same high school and is essentially the school’s golden boy while Sudeikis is liked, but much less acknowledged.”
Natasha Lyonne
“Not exactly answering the question, but before my time at my high school (a yeshiva), Natasha Lyonne was in Honors Talmud but got kicked out of school for dealing weed.”
Steve Jobs
“My dad went to middle school with Steve Jobs. He never had a class with Jobs, but he did hear stuff about him and saw him sometimes. My dad told me that Jobs really didn’t have any friends and was bullied. Part of that was because he brought it on himself by being an asshole sometimes, but Jobs was just kinda awkward socially and maybe didn’t know better. This was only for a year since Steve basically forced his parents to move so that he could go to a different school, because other than the bullying, Jobs also claimed that there were a lot of trashy people there and that the teachers sucked. According to my dad, that was bullshit. My dad said he felt bad for Steve Jobs at the time because he sort of got to know Jobs and Steve did not have a single thing about him that would lead anyone to see him having any kind of success. He was exactly the type of person to live in their parents’ basement until they were 40. I guess something must have changed.”
“According to my 80 year old math teacher, Steve Jobs was just as much of an arrogant douchebag at age 17 as he was in his fifties. He also had a cowlick the size of the moon judging by a 1972 yearbook picture of the robotics club.”
Grimes
“I went to elementary school with Grimes. She was pretty charismatic, but I get the feeling she was more of an introvert. If I recall correctly she was an average student. Keep in mind that this was a private catholic school in a very affluent neighborhood, so all of our parents had very high expectations for us academically. I don’t know her parents that well, but her mom is a crown prosecutor and her dad is a professor, so I’m sure they expected her to be doing well. Her parents went through a messy divorce in either grade 5 or 6. Claire took it really hard. She’d always been artsy but I think she got more into her art during this phase as she focused less on her academics. One thing that may surprise you is she wasn’t musical at all in these days. Apparently she taught herself how to play the piano at around 16 or 17, but this is after I lost track of her. Our school had a decent music program, but she wasn’t into it. We had an excellent visual arts program at the school and that was her jam, drawing and painting. She liked drawing fashionable sexy women, yes I can remember her drawing highly sexualized women in grade 5. She also loved animals so she would paint them a lot. I think her dog’s name was Toby and she liked to paint him. I think I remember her drawing and painting nature scenes from time to time. She also loved Barbie dolls. When she went off to high school (which in our hometown starts at grade 8) she had a goth phase. These are the years where I lost track of her so I’m not sure when she stopped that. I get the feeling that she went goth because it was the most obvious and accessible means of rebelling at the time, but I don’t think that was satisfying for her.”
Kurt Cobain
“My best friend’s mom knew Kurt Cobain before he was famous. He would give her demo tapes to listen to, and she’d give them back to him because (she said) they were awful. She also gave Kurt money to take the city bus because he was a broke, starving artist with literally no money for the bus.”
“I’m from the Pacific Northwest as well, and I went to a regional yearbook camp (I know, super dorky, but it was fun and I learned a lot about making a yearbook) where the yearbook advisor from Cobain’s high school gave a talk. She said that when Nirvana was popular (and particularly in the aftermath of Cobain’s suicide) media outlets called her all the time looking for an old yearbook photo of him, but there were none. He apparently managed to go all through high school without a single photo of himself ending up in a yearbook (the lesson we were supposed to be learning as budding yearbook editors was the importance of getting everyone’s picture in the yearbook).”
Miranda Sings
“My old english teacher taught Colleen Ballinger (aka Miranda Sings), and reported she was very quiet, full of teen angst, and 'not fun.’”
Prince
“My grandmother was Prince’s high school guidance counselor. She said he was a quiet and sweet kid, but that his mother was pretty weird.”
Will Ferrell
“My AP Econ teacher said her was in the same fraternity as Will Ferrell, and apparently whenever they had a party he would disappear for a few minutes and then start streaking. He also said that once a professor gave him a bad grade on a test that would have caused him to re-take the class, so he started streaking until the professor changed the grade.”
“My dad went to USC with Will Ferrell. He was a couple years older than my dad, but my dad says he was a nice, polite, and funny guy. Apparently, Will started a 'lizard club’ at USC where he would just put up paper cutouts of lizards all over the school.”
“Will Ferrell graduated from my high school. In my Physics class we watched a video he turned in for extra credit. He was a weird and funny dude back then too, he was basically drooling on himself and spitting in a grocery store.”
Rihanna
“I went to school with a girl who Rihanna used to babysit in Barbados. She said Rihanna was really sweet to all the kids.”
John Mayer
“Not a teacher, but my friend’s older brother, let’s call him A, was in high school with John Mayer. I guess he used to go to parties and bring his guitar and try to hit on chicks, tried to pick up A’s girlfriend and A punched him out. I deeply want to believe it’s all true.”
“I went to the high school John Mayer used to go to, but not at the same time. I heard a story he was fooling around with a girl in the back of a bus, and later had to apologize to her after he said some stuff about her on the radio.”
“I had an English teacher in 10th grade who said John Mayer creepily hit on his girlfriend at Coachella and wouldn’t fuck off even when she told him she had a boyfriend.”
“I had the same guitar teacher (Al Ferranti) as John Mayer. He said he was a quiet kid, showed a lot of potential but his dad wasn’t really into the whole guitar thing.”
“Not a teacher, but my friend went to the same HS as John Mayer. She said when he was a senior he was a prick to the teachers in school and before he graduated he gave all the teachers CDs of one of his first demos. None of them ever listened to it and threw it out because they didn’t like him.”
“John Mayer went to my high school’s cross-town rival. I’ve heard he was a prick and was really arrogant and cocky. The song 'No Such Thing’ is about his school. Apparently his guidance counselor told him he would never make it big in the music industry. Also, he was so full of himself that the theatre coordinators (one of them still works there) wouldn’t cast him in any of the musicals, despite him being the most talented singer they had.”
Pharrell
“A close relative was the school nurse at Pharrell William’s high school. She said he would visit the nurse’s office quite often, pretending to be sick so he could get out of class. She said he was very nice and creative, and wishes she could meet him in person again.”
“I student taught at Princess Anne, and worked with some of his past teachers. They only had great things to say about him. He still visits the school every now and again.”
Marilyn Manson
“My softball coach in high school had taught Marilyn Manson’s psychology class at a different school. He said he was soft spoken, very smart, and kind of weird.”
“My middle school music teacher was Brian Warner’s (Marilyn Manson) music teacher when he was in high-school. Brian once ran out on the field during the band’s halftime show, hitting a drum and screaming.”
Damon Albarn
“One of my teachers went to school with Damon Albarn (lead singer of Blur and Gorillaz for anyone who doesn’t know) when they were kids. Apparently he picked on her a lot because her mother was a teacher at the school, and once he scribbled over her work, proudly exclaiming, 'Hand that in!’ My teacher was at school with him from age 11 to 16, from what she said it seems like he was always kind of a troublemaker but as he got older he became less mean, he was only a bully at the start. Seems like he wasn’t exactly the kindest kid in class, even to his friends, but wasn’t particularly unpopular. I guess he was one of those 'hard to love, but harder to hate’ kind of people.”
Justin Bieber
“I was in Stratford, Ontario and ran into someone who used to be Justin Bieber’s babysitter. From what I gathered, he was an entitled little shit and always tried to impress girls by playing guitar and stuff.”
“One of my friends went to school with Justin Beiber for a year and a half, apparently he was kind of a dick and not many people liked him.”
Robin Williams
“I had a professor in college who directed Robin Williams back before he got famous in the early to mid-seventies. He was the musical director for a production of The Music Man. Apparently Robin was constantly making jokes, improvising, and generally being hilarious. My professor said he had a hard time being mad because every damn thing he said was hilarious (and this man, while not humorless, is definitely not someone who outwardly shows it.) Eventually, so much time had been wasted that he had to stop and yell, 'Hey man! Cut the crap!’ Apparently, Robin got right into character, did his part quite well and after he finished his part, my professor looked at him and said, 'Thank you. Continue.’ And then, like a switch had been flipped, he went back to being wild, zany, and hilarious.”
Magic Johnson
“My teacher taught Magic Johnson at MSU - said he was polite a nice, charismatic guy but only showed up the first and last days, still shook his hand at the end though.”
Michael Vick
“My mom taught Michael Vick in 7th or 8th grade in the inner city. She describes him as being very quiet, somewhat shy, and focused on staying out of the trouble his peers were getting into. She taught more of his siblings and became friends with his mom and has always remained close with Michael and his family. She was also on the Board of Directors for his non-profit (before he got in trouble). Despite what he’s most known for these days, he has always been a person who remained humble and gave back to his community.”
Chevy Chase
“I toured Haverford College, and they pointed out a certain four-story residence hall in which Chevy Chase lived during his short student career. Story goes, he led a cow up to the top floor. Cows can climb up stairs, but they can’t climb down. The cow was shot and removed by crane, Chase was expelled.”
Mike Patton
“A guy I worked with (who ended up becoming a massive Faith No More fan) went to school with Mike Patton and apparently the guy was constantly getting in trouble for pranks and would do shit like run down the halls flashing his penis.”
Paris Hilton
“Although he was only a classmate, my cousin went to middle school with Paris Hilton for a couple years. Apparently she was a bitch then too, and just as snobby. Dated high schoolers in 7th grade, and just acted better than everyone.”
“My old Spanish teacher in middle school was a substitute teacher at a different school in LA before coming to my school. She taught Paris Hilton Spanish a couple of times. She also showed us her high school year book. She won most likely to become famous or a supermodel, I forget which one.”
Lewis Hamilton
“I know a friend who went to school with Lewis Hamilton (British Formula 1 Racing Driver). Supposedly an alright guy, but hung around with a lot of dicks. Because of his status of already being an up-and-coming racing driver (usually most people are picked out to be racers in their teens), he would get away with so much shit. I assume it’s because the school wants to leave a positive mark on students who are going to world famous so it helps them in the future.”
Vanilla Ice
“My 9th grade English teacher had Vanilla Ice as his student and said he didn’t try and barely passed his class. He later dropped out and didn’t actually graduate.”
George Clooney
“Not a teacher but my brother worked at Nadler’s Clothing store at Kenwood Mall with George Clooney. He was supposedly super funny and nice. One day, he said he was leaving for Hollywood.”
Eliza Dushku
“My 9th grade English teacher had Eliza Dushku and he quipped, 'She was a Douche-ku.’”
Nicki Minaj
“My Geometry teacher taught Nicki Minaj. She would never really come to class. She was always in the stairwell rapping and such, but she was a decent student.”
All Time Low
“Not me, but my English teacher in high school taught a few members of All Time Low and one of them slept with her and made a song about it.”
Michael Jackson
“An old neighbor’s friend was Michael Jackson’s singing teacher. She said he was naturally an alto.”
Amy Winehouse
“I’m not sure if this was just a rumor or not, but my cousin went to secondary school with Amy Winehouse and said she was expelled for doing drugs in the bathroom.”
Chris Farley
“My old school pastor went to school with Chris Farley. They played either lacrosse or rugby together, I forget which one. Anyway, they were really close friends. My pastor’s name is Matthew (Matt) Foley. If you know any of Chris Farley’s famous skits, you’d know that Matt Foley is also the name of Chris’ character that lives in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER! So yeah…they were good friends. Haha.”
“My friend’s dad went to high school with Chris Farley. Chris was on the football team. And apparently if he was on the sidelines during a game he would practice tackling by running and diving into the ground.”
Kris Jenner
“My mom went to high school with Kris Jenner and says she was fairly similar to a toned-down Regina George from Mean Girls. I’ll grab a photo from the yearbook next time I visit.”
Britney Spears
“My 5th grade English teacher had Britney Spears in her class. She said she was a sweet girl but kinda bratty from what I can remember. It always bothered her that Britney says she is from Louisiana but spent years in McComb, MS as a child, which she never mentions.”
“I never knew Britney, but I went to school with Jamie Lynn Spears. She was a sweetheart, I enjoyed talking to her. I’ve heard that Britney is a raving bitch though.”
“My middle school science teacher taught Britney Spears. Apparently, she wanted to be a lawyer.”
Imagine Britney as a lawyer…
Dave Chapelle
“My Spanish teacher from Beavercreek, Ohio (about 25 min from Yellow Springs, OH) said she was Dave Chappelle’s teacher when he was younger. She said he was a jokester but still pretty respectful. Generally a good student, but he didn’t really stand out or anything. Just a nice, funny, sometimes quiet guy.”
“My friend’s aunt taught Dave Chappelle in middle school and told him that he wasn’t funny enough to be successful so he should pay attention in class.”
Molly Shannon
“Not me, but one of my high school teachers taught Molly Shannon. Another one of my teachers (6th grade sexual education teacher) was one of her only friends in high school. She was apparently wildly unpopular because that funny comedic nerdy persona is actually what she was like in real life back in high school. Her grades apparently weren’t too stellar either (mostly C’s and D’s). My high school is constantly bragging about how she is an alum. She apparently can’t stand the place. Supposedly, they tried to get her to come in as a guest speaker multiple times and she always declined.”
Kevin Sorbo
“My great aunt taught Kevin Sorbo in the third grade - he wasn’t very good.”
Dick Cheney
“My grandpa beat up Dick Cheney ('Dickie Cheney’ then) in high school.”
Hillary Clinton
“My grandpa taught Harrison Ford and Hillary Clinton. 'Harry’ was very nice, and he even have him a ride home on a few occasions. Hillary was the president of the History Club, which my grandpa was in charge of since he was a history teacher. He said she was one of the smartest kids he ever taught.”
Tobey Maguire
“Tobey Maguire went to my middle school for a brief period of time. My English teacher had him as a student. He said he was not the best student, but according to the teacher, he blamed it on his constant moving from place to place as he was only in our school for a couple months. He said Tobey had no real drive for school and he was happy to see he’d made something of his life.”
Taylor Swift
“Before my middle school vice principal was at my school, he was the principal of the middle school or elementary school Taylor Swift went to. She used to leave early for singing lessons. He didn’t like this very much and once told her that singing would get her nowhere.”
“I went to high school and was in the same graduating class as Taylor Swift.
Even had a few classes with her. She was pretty cool, but certainly not the ugly unpopular duckling she portrays. It was pretty cool having her preform at talent shows, etc. News crews would follow her around the halls as she began to blow up. She even preformed at a mutual friend’s funeral. As a freshman, she really only dated seniors for instance, which is who that 'Drew’ guy is in her, like, first hit.
Also, side note, on her first CD, there is a special thanks to a group of her friends. All of them being the 'popular ones’ No joke, she was known. Sophomore year should have to leave for weeks at a time to shoot commercials.”
“Not me personally but I have a lot of friends that went to high school with Taylor Swift. They all say the same thing about her, not surprised she got famous (her parents had money) but a stuck up and pretentious bitch. Can’t say I’m really surprised.”
“I was home schooled at the time, but Taylor Swift went where I would have. I’ve attested to this before, but apparently everyone said she was a snooty bitch - and that was before she was even famous in any real manner. ”
Barack Obama
“Friend of mine’s dad when to high school with Obama, said we was very laid back and was known as a stoner. Don’t know the validity of the stories, but he’s got the yearbook to prove it.”
“A family friend of mine was president Barack Obama’s basketball coach in middle school. 'Barry’ got cut from the basketball team the first year he tried out, he could not shoot that well.”
“I had a professor in college that taught President Obama in a freshmen speech class while he was at Occidental College. He said that, at that point, Obama didn’t really put a lot of effort and didn’t think it was an important class.”
Joey Essex
“One of my old science teachers was in the same class as Joey Essex. By the stuff that he told us about him, Joey may be just as stupid as he seems on TV.”
Will Smith
“My uncle taught remedial English at Overbrook High in Philadelphia for a while. He said he had one student who was really clever and would write poems in the margins of his notebooks all the time. My uncle would eventually take him aside and tell him he’s too smart for remedial level, and bumped him up, specifically noting his poems. The kid wound up making an album soon after with some of those 'poems’ on there. He also had a TV show for awhile. It was Will Smith.”
“My algebra teacher taught Will Smith. He was always rapping in the hallways. My teacher told him that rapping couldn’t get him anywhere. She said she’ll never tell anyone they can’t do anything now.”
Gerard Depardieu
“Parents of one of my friend’s went to school with Gérard Depardieu (or at least knew him when he was a teenager). Even if he was a thug (and is still known like so in my town), he was also a fundamentally nice person. I think things got bad with the celebrity, and his family issues (primarily the death of his son). He grew up in a very poor family and committed some minor crimes (theft, vandalism…) before becoming an actor. I don’t know anything in specific but he isn’t very liked in his hometown because of stuff he did there fifty years ago. He still cary a very bad reputation here because of that.”
Ewan McGregor
“My drama teacher in Dundee (very camp fellow) used to say that Ewan McGregor was a little cunt.”
Brad Pitt
“My media teacher told me that Brad Pitt was a douchebag. All the teachers that had him for a student seemed to hate him.”
“I’m a little younger than he is, but Brad Pitt went to a high school in my college town. My mom’s friend actually attended HS school with him. Apparently she was dating this big football player. At a random party, Pitt put some moves on her in a spare bedroom (well aware of her boyfriend twice his size in the other room). Someone walked in and warned them that the boyfriend was on his way and she helped Pitt slip out the back sliding door to evade confrontation.”
“My mom’s friend in college dated Bradd Pitt while he went to college at the University of Missouri. He was in the Sigma Chi fraternity, and my mom describes him as a typical frat boy. He dropped out of school to move to LA to pursue acting, but he was still dating my mom’s friend. He came back after starring in a Taco Bell commercial or something, and he thought he was hot shit. He tried to convince my mom’s friend to move down to LA with him to start a life. Her dad told her to, and my mom quotes, 'dump the loser.’ I’ve met my mom’s friend before, she looks like Jennifer Aniston.”
Kid Rock
“Not a teacher, but my friend’s dance instructor went to high school with Kid Rock. They said his nickname was 'Stinky.’ No idea what his character was like at the time - aside from potentially having poor hygiene.”
Katie Holmes
“My religion teacher taught Katie Holmes when she went to a Catholic private girl’s high-school in Ohio. Said she was always missing class due to her early acting career.”
“I went to a very Catholic high school that used to have Katie Holmes on the Alumni Hall of Fame. I was there the year they took it down because of the Scientology scandal. According to the teachers that knew her, she dressed up as a piece of dryer lint for Halloween one year. She was pretty quiet and wasn’t around school a whole lot because she was auditioning for Dawson’s Creek.”
Ryan Seacrest
“Ryan Seacrest’s old high school principal said he used to do the announcements over the intercom every morning and was gregarious and nice. He had her her husband out at one of his events and made sure to get them nice seats and everything.”
Dick Van Dyke
“Not a current celeb, but I have talked with a few people who went to high school with Dick Van Dyke. I was told that he got ahold of the old time fail notification letters and sent them to all of the honor students’ parents.”
Taylor Lautner
“Not a teacher, but Taylor Lautner was my desk partner in 3rd grade. He was the one who pseudo-taught me the word 'fuck.’ (My parents were pretty conservative and I had never heard it before. He had it written in his textbook from a previous student, and when he secretly showed me I thought it was a funny made up word and yelled it for the entire class to hear. Pointing and laughing ensued.)”
“My freshman roommate went to high school with Taylor Lautner. She said he was a self-absorbed ass.”
“I am not a teacher, but several years ago when Twilight and Taylor Lautner were a big thing, I took a class with one of his old preschool teacher’s who was going back to school. She told this story of how he wet his pants in class after having too many juice boxes, and how odd it was for her to hear teenage girls (and middle-aged women) ogling him when she just remembered him as the kid who wet his pants.”
Sara Bareilles
“I had two teachers that knew singer Sara Bareilles. One of them was a past teacher, one was her classmate basically all of middle school to high school.
According to them, she was always really nice. Just a normal, smart student, but she always loved singing. My teacher used to always tell us stories about her whenever we asked.”
Nathan Lane
“My high school English teacher taught Nathan Lane. He said he was a pretty quiet student, into acting. He did remember when the class went to a play and Nathan Lane could tell the lead actor was drunk, which it turned out he was. Apparently Lane’s father was an alcoholic.”
Daniel Tosh
“This is a huge curve, but I live in Florida, and a teacher of mine had a bunch of classes with Daniel Tosh at UCF. He said he was exactly how you would think he was, a dick.”
“My dad taught Daniel Tosh’s 11th grade history class at AHS. He said he was snobby and was not well received by others, and said he was not the outspoken dude he is now. He said he was pretty smart but didn’t apply himself at all.”
“My mom went to high school with Daniel Tosh. She didn’t know him personally but I think these pictures from his senior year (maybe junior, too lazy to check) sum up what kind of student he was.”
Bowling For Soup
“I went to school with Jaret Reddick and Erik Chandler from Bowling For Soup. Erik was very quit as a kid, we hung out sometimes, but I was in the drum section in band with Jaret in high school. He was hilarious and always creative. I was a new student and he made me feel welcome from Day One. He showed up at my parents’ house at 6AM a few mornings after I started school there with a caravan of everyone in the drum section, honking their horns. They picked me up and initiated me in to their secret club. Good times!”
John Hinckley Jr.
“A friend of mine went to school with John Hinckley Jr. He was weird and always asked the professor in the history class what subject has to do with Nazis.”
Sheryl Crowe
“My AP Psych teacher used to teach at the same high school where Sheryl Crow was a music teacher. Before she quit teaching to become a full-time singer, my teacher encouraged her to give up her pursuit of music because what were the odds she would have a successful career and she was in 'a really good school district.’ The guy was a great teacher and a very sweet man, but not the best with the foresight.”
John Mellencamp
“My grandmother babysat John Mellencamp. She says he was wild. My dad was his peer in school and said he was kind of a dick. A story he tells me is one of Mellencamp’s first tattoo: A group of people were all getting tattoos, and one guy is whimpering from the pain. John Mellencamp calls the guy a pussy and then takes a seat for his tattoo - the needle just barely touched his skin, and he fainted.”
Buddy Holly
“When I first went to Texas Tech, I struck up a conversation with the teller at a bank. She said she went to high school with Buddy Holly and said that he was a pretty well-liked guy, and was considered the class clown. Sounds like a fun guy.”
The Rock
“My old Spanish teacher went to high school with The Rock and she said he was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.”
Kevin Spacey & Val Kilmer
“My speech teacher in high school was the drama teacher/director for both Kevin Spacey and Val Kilmer. He said that Kevin Spacey was destined for Hollywood/drama and it was in his blood. He knew early on that Kevin was going to go into acting. He said that Val was a cocky little shit. When asked what Val was like in person, my teacher said, 'You know how he was in Top Gun? That’s him being him.’ (Paraphrased. It was a long time ago).”
John Lennon & Paul McCartney
“One of my grandmother’s relatives went to school with John Lennon and Paul McCartney. She claimed they’d cut class all the time and would get caught smoking in the cemetery across the street. Her best story is that one day she won a 'posture belt’ in school. I don’t know what that is but there you go. That day they sat behind her on the bus and set fire to said posture belt and she was forced to put it out with her orange juice. I don’t think she was a Beatles fan.”
Nick Cave
“My dad went to high school with the singer Nick Cave. My dad says he was a wanker, and a few things that he’s said in interviews about where he grew up are blatant lies.”
Josh Hutcherson
“My wife’s step-brothers went to grade school with Josh Hutcherson back when he was doing stuff like The Polar Express and Motocross Kids. Apparently he was a douchebag. Some girl asked for an autograph and he tried to charge her $50.”
America Ferrera
“America Ferrera went to my high school (before I was there) and my Algebra 2 teacher said that he made her cry during her sophomore year. He was a really intense guy.”
Kit Harrington
“My dad taught Kit Harrington at college. Apparently he was pretty quiet and out of his class - one of the people my Dad didn’t expect to make it big, looks like he got that wrong big time.”
“He was really, really dorky. He used to have short hair and glasses and wore some hat thing. Got shown a few pics of him on a geography trip to Iceland, you could barely recognize him. Drama teacher said he was always nice, bit hard to get him to shut up though, history teacher said the same. Apparently he performed with the general skills you’d expect from a British 15-16 year old during his drama lessons which means he probably perfected his art when he studied at the 'Central School of Speech and Drama’ (according to Wikipedia).
It’s pretty cool. He has visited a few times to speak to GCSE drama students but sadly I haven’t had the chance yet.”
Enrique Iglesias
“My father taught Enrique Iglesias in High School. As far as I know, he was just a good kid, you know? Never did anything to piss people off but never went out of his way to do any good. He told me he had a feeling Enrique would be famous, but people say that. Overall he was just average I think.”
Fergie
“My grandma taught Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas in high school. She said she was really nice, but was gone a lot for modeling stuff.”
J. Cole
“Anyway, one of my college professors taught J. Cole his freshman year. He said he was one the brightest students he ever had (Cole went on to graduate summa cum laude in Communications). Professor didn’t seem to care too much about his career in hip hop, though.”
Kelis
“Late, but my old voice teacher went to school with Kelis. She was really nice and very quiet and changed a lot after becoming a singer.”
Lourdes Leon
“My Geometry teacher taught Lourdes Leon (Madonna’s daughter). She also skipped class a lot, but hired tutors so she did well regardless. I actually went to school with her for two years, she was really nice and wasn’t at all full of herself despite the fact that her mom is Madonna. She would smile at people, say excuse me, had manners.”
Azealia Banks
“My history teacher taught Azealia Banks. She was very very feisty and didn’t like being told what to do. She would get into arguments with him and other students (what a surprise) but she was very passionate about everything she did.”
Aidra Fox
“Aidra Fox went to my school. She was a year younger than my older sister and I vaguely remember, back when MySpace was a thing, a nude she posted on there. I never imagined her getting into porn.”
Fred Durst
“Not a few teacher but my step dad went to high school with Fred Durst for a few years. He was kind of a loser and apparently a jerk. He doesn’t claim Gastonia but he lived here.”
Jacob Tremblay
“I taught Jacob Tremblay for a very short while as during my time at his school, he was mostly away for his press tour for Room. While he was there I found him to be uninterested in schoolwork, pleased to be the center of attention, and he talked back to me. Another teacher told me that last year (in grade 3) he drew dicks on the Teddy Bear pictures they were coloring.. I feel sorry for him.”
Neil Patrick Harris
“My aunt went on a date with Neil Patrick Harris before he was out. I also had a teacher who went to school with him. Apparently he was a little full of himself, but it seems that he grew out of it.”
“Had an English teacher who used to teach NPH. Apparently he was very smug and always putting on airs. He still really dislikes him. This was right after, or during, the Doogie Howser years, so the whole, 'Whatever teach, I’m a doctor’ really had a part in his smugness”
Tony Danza
“My dad went to grammar school with Tony Danza (Anthony Iadenza). They were caught throwing spitballs and my dad talked his way out of it. Tony Danza got expelled.”
Andy Dick
“Not a teacher, but my mom went to school with Andy Dick and they had choir together. She said he was always telling jokes and trying to make everyone laugh. They are both from a small town and supposedly, where we live now Andy Dick lives an hour away from us.”
Steve Carell
“My high school Theater teacher had dated Steve Carell in college and she still talks to him on a regular basis. He is exactly how you would imagine. Nothing is sacred to him, and everything is funny, or else he will make it that way. He was apparently kind of an angry young man as well, and had 'the world owes me for my talents’ attitude.”
Drake
“I had a substitute teacher for, like, a week that was the tutor for the Degrassi kids, namely Drake, while they were filming. All we did that week was watch Degrassi, I’m not kidding. They said Drake was just a very sweet kid.”
“I worked with a guy that went to high school with Drake. I saw his yearbook picture and in the little shout-out section under his photo he wrote: 'Dance team, whattttt!! Attendance crew, yeah!’”
Kevin James
“My friend’s parents went to school with Kevin James, AKA Paul Blart, and he was apparently the high school bully of the time. Funny to think about that. Now one of my friends lives in his old house.”
Adrien Brody
“I had a Film lit teacher who taught Adrien Brody. He wouldn’t let anyone sit at the desk Adrian sat in and told non-stop stories about what a great kid he was.”
Jeremy Renner
“One of my professors taught Jeremy Renner in college - said he was nice and funny, but a bit of a rascal.”
Emeril Lagasse
“One of my chefs in culinary school had Emeril Lagasse as a student. Apparently Emeril had a drug problem and got kicked out. Later, the school ended up giving him an honorary degree.”
Bill Engvall
“Bill Engvall graduated from my high school. He was in the band with my brother. They were always cutting up during class and was always cracking jokes causing everyone to laugh and to cause havoc. He was also on the swim team. He was a real player and had a reputation of being a real lady’s man. I knew his sister as well. She was gorgeous. I’m glad Bill has made it big as a comedian because he comes by it naturally.”
Kal Penn
“My sociology professor taught Kal Penn (Kumar from the Harold & Kumar movies) before he became famous obviously. They said he was very bright and friendly.”
Sacha Baron Cohen
“Sacha Baron Cohen wasn’t very exciting, unfortunately. He didn’t like the school very much and just kept his head down until he could leave, by all accounts.”
Michael Moore
“My mom went to high school with Michael Moore; says he was a stuck-up asshole then too. Also, he really likes to boast that he’s from Flint, MI, like he’s been crafted in the hood and he knows the struggle of 'his people’ or whatever. He actually went to school in Davison, a nice, middle-class suburb with minimal crime a couple miles outside of Flint. Davison’s school district is set up so you can only go there if you have a Davison address. He may have lived in Flint at a different time, but he spent his high school years in a cute little suburb.”
Trevor Noah
“My brother went to school with Trevor Noah. they were pretty tight friends and he used to visit fairly regularly. He was just as funny back then as he is now. A couple of years back my brother went to watch his show in London, and he saw Trevor afterwards and he was so immensely glad to see my brother, gave him free tickets to his upcoming shows. What a great, genuine dude.”
Martin Garrix
“Probably gonna get buried, but I used to teach at the high school Martin Garrix attended. He had already left when I came there, but a lot of my collagues used to teach him. Apparently he was polite and quite alright at school, but also very busy with his music. He signed a contract right out of high school. Oh, and he used to DJ at school parties, which I thought was quite funny.”
Tanya Tucker
“Not exactly the answer to your questions, but my dad was in elementary school with Tanya Tucker. He said she was always a mega-brat and the last straw was when she pushed him out of line at the water fountain to get a drink, he spat water in her face and she cried.”
Kurt Russell
“My mom dated Kurt Russell when he played baseball for the Portland Mavericks. She said she went to his hotel room and he came out of the bathroom in a towel and started making out with her. Her sister was with his friend Ziggy and when my Aunt knocked on Kurt’s door to get my mom, my mom flushed her keys down the toilet so she didn’t have to leave! Ha! She said she hung out with him over the summer and would watch him play baseball and bring him milkshakes. He told her how he was making a movie with Goldie Hawn and how beautiful she was! My mom said he was very down to earth, fun and sexy!”
Ty Pennington & Travis Tritt
“Not a teacher, but a classmate - close enough. A friend of mine went to high school with Ty Pennington and Travis Tritt (both attended the same high school, but were two years apart). She described Ty Pennington as a restless, hyper, 'class clown,’ a little eccentric, and a 'good guy.’ So, pretty much the exact way he seems to be on his show. Travis Tritt apparently was very quiet, introverted, and kept to himself. She said he would sit outside by himself and play his guitar during lunch breaks, or whenever he had the chance. I live in Tritt’s neck of the woods and have had an encounter of my own with him at a Wal-Mart. He caused a big scene because the lines were long/moving slowly, and he gave an angry, 'Do you know who I am!?’ sort of speech. Could have just been a bad day, but I was surprised both because I assumed he would be easy-going, and because I never imagined celebrities would do any shopping at Wal-Mart.”
Brandon Flowers
“This isn’t directly from the teacher, though I had him when I was in school. It was shop class at Juab Junior High in Utah, the famous person in question was the lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers. The teacher (Mr. Knowlten) would tell us about him, he was a class clown, and really nothing extraordinary other than the fact that he played a few instruments.”
Sanjaya
“I went to school with Sanjaya Malakar (American Idol). He was a really funny guy, I only met him once because he was a friend of a friend but he was really sweet.”
RuPaul
“My mom went to high school with RuPaul, whose actual name is like Antonio or something like that. She says he was kinda chubby and really into glee club.”
Stephen King
“In Maine, Stephen King was my both my mom and my dad’s English teacher in high school. Pretty much what you suspect; quiet and restrained teacher. From what I’ve heard about him though, he would apparently go off on huge tirades about why the state of Maine should be wiped off the face of the earth.”
Jay-Z & Biggie
“Not me, but my history teacher taught both Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z in middle school. She said Jay-Z was pretty shy and well-behaved, but she hated Biggie because he was obnoxious and flipped.”
“I had a history teacher in High School who taught Biggie. She said he was a terrible student.”
Nick Offerman
“My high school band director taught Nick Offerman. He said he was always pretty funny and apparently a talented musician. He actually won the Jazz Award at the school for playing the tenor saxophone.”
Nicholas Cage
“My grandmother was the secretary at a Beverly Hills High School when Nicolas Cage was attending. She said he was always late and often at the principal’s office for goofing off. Apparently he dropped out of school for a bit. She also described him as charming in a Ferris Bueller sort-of-way.”
Jason Momoa
“Jason Momoa and I were on the same hockey team in junior high. He was pretty rad to me. Just generally fun to be around. I don’t ever remember seeing him getting upset or worked up. His mother is even cooler than he is (I’m sure he agrees with me).”
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