George Clooney gave $14 million (in cash) to his 14 best dude friends in 2013

Film Premiere of Suburbicon

There are two new suspiciously nice stories about George Clooney today. If it was just one story, I would think “oh, that’s interesting.” But two stories? It’s almost like something bad is about to come out about George Clooney and he’s trying to get some good points before everything turns to sh-t. First up: George and Amal were worried about other passengers on their flight to the UK. Specifically, they worried that the Clooney twins were going to cry the entire time, so George and Amal gave everyone noise-canceling headphones:

New dad George Clooney figured out a way to ingratiate himself with passengers on a flight with wife Amal and their newborns. Spies said the star, “On a trip home to the UK with his twins, gave all the first-class passengers noise-canceling headphones.”

They had the logo of his Casamigos tequila and came with a note “apologizing ahead of time” if the twins cried.

“Even Quentin Tarantino, who was onboard, wore the headphones,” a spy said. But “the babies didn’t make a peep!”

[From Page Six]

There are noise-canceling headphones branded with the Casamigos logo? So it wasn’t so much “concern for fellow passengers” as “George shilling his tequila.” No, I’m not being fair. It was both. Good for them. As for the second story… George once gave away $14 million to his friends:

It pays to be pals with George Clooney… literally. The A-list movie star’s best friend Rande Gerber revealed on a recent episode of MSNBC’s Headliners that back in 2013, George not only paid 14 of his closest friends’ taxes for the year, he gave them $1 million each. One. Million. Dollars. As Gerber recalled, “There’s a group of guys that we call ‘The Boys.’ George had called me and ‘The Boys’ and said, ‘Hey, mark September 27, 2013 on your calendar. Everyone’s going to come to my house for dinner.”

When George’s dinner guests arrived they found black suitcases at each of their spots around a table, and the Suburbicon director shared a special message to the men who helped him early in his career. Rande (who is married to Cindy Crawford and is a part-owner of Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila company) explained, “George begins to say, ‘Listen, I want you guys to know how much you’ve meant to me and how much you mean to me in my life. I came to L.A., I slept on your couch. I’m so fortunate in my life to have all of you and I couldn’t be where I am today without all of you.'”

“‘So,'” Rande said Clooney shared, “‘it was really important to me that while we’re still all here together, that I give back. So I want you all to open your suitcases.'”

Inside was $1 million in $20 bills. As Gerber remembered it, “Every one of us—14 of us—got a million dollars. Every single one of us. We’re in shock. Like, what is this? He goes, ‘I know we’ve all been through some hard times, some of you are still going through it. You don’t have to worry about your kids, you don’t have to worry about, you know, school, you don’t have to worry about paying your mortgage.'”

“One was working at a bar in Texas at the airport, trying just to support his family,” he added. “Rides a bicycle to work every day. I mean these are guys that took care of George and now he’s giving it all back. And George said, ‘Not only that, I have paid everyone’s taxes so this million dollars is yours.'”

And even when Rande, who is a successful entrepreneur, told George he could never accept the generous gesture, the actor had quite the response.

“I pull him aside and said, ‘I absolutely am not taking this million dollars,'” Gerber said. “Immediately George goes, ‘I’m just going to make one announcement. If Rande doesn’t take the million dollars, nobody gets it.'” (For the record, Gerber complied but donated the hefty gift to charity.)

Gerber described this never-before-heard story as a testament to Clooney’s character, adding, “This is who George is. That was September 27th, 2013. Now September 27th, 2014, he marries Amal. Now that’s good karma right there.”

[From E! News]

I did have a moment of thinking “does George not have any close female friends?” It’s well known that George has “the boys” – his very close friends, the men he’s known for decades, who have had his back since before he was famous. So he counts 14 men as his nearest and dearest friends… and no women? Alright. All that being said… it was a nice thing for George to do. I’m still feeling cautious though… what’s about to break about George Clooney this week?

42nd Toronto International Film Festival - Suburbicon Premiere

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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77 Responses to “George Clooney gave $14 million (in cash) to his 14 best dude friends in 2013”

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  1. Liberty says:

    An LA friend told me a couple of years ago about a pre “now I will be married” best-man pay day, but who knows.

  2. NayNay says:

    I’m so over George Clooney. I just don’t get see the attraction.

    • Sabrine says:

      This is old news, not sure why it’s being brought up again. Yes, George has had his day but his personal life still makes him interesting…..to a degree.

  3. boredblond says:

    Yeah..I seem to remember one of the ‘boys’ telling this a few years ago, or it was somehow accidently-on-purpose leaked. Shrug…

  4. Ayra. says:

    Hm… interesting.

  5. SKF says:

    It’s a lovely thing to do

    • Helenw says:

      I like him and I also think he is genuinely nice. It’s a wonderful thing to do. Here I’ve been wishing for the exactly same amount to cancel all family worries about having our own home. Hope remains.

  6. drea says:

    I don’t get the big deal that women aren’t in his “close” group of friends.
    I’m a woman, outside of my guy/partner who is my best friend, all my other close friends are women.

    Reaching.

    • Jayna says:

      I have a large circle of longtime close friends, and they are all women, with the exception of a male gay close friend who became my friend because he is close friends with one of my female friends. I don’t see what the big deal is.

      These guys were his friends since his 20s, when they all hung out together and many were roommates at times when they needed a place to say, and played sports together. He has female friends, but they are in the business. I like it that he kept his male friends in his life all these years and didn’t throw them over for only A-lister friends. They aren’t really famous except maybe Richard Kind, and all of them and their wives/girlfriends were at his wedding.

    • Snazzy says:

      Agreed, I said the same below 🙂

    • Cat'sMeow says:

      I don’t have close male friends either.

    • Mina says:

      I agree. It’s not uncommon that someone (especially a married person) doesn’t have a very close friend of the opposite sex.

      • Amy says:

        In the USA. Elsewhere (I’m in Europe), it’s normal to have a mix of friends. It’s a wonderful change for me!

    • Jussie says:

      Also it’s not like he has no female friends. They just aren’t part of this group. Most of them are successful actresses, producers etc., so he’s not going to be giving them a million dollars.

  7. Rose says:

    Do you have to pay tax on that if someone just gives you $1m in 20s?

  8. lucy2 says:

    I think it’s nice he helped out some friends who needed it. Would I have done it in a big ceremony with suitcases full of cash….no. But for those who needed it, I’m sure it’s had a big impact on their lives. Hopefully they used it wisely and were charitable as well.

    I’m guessing the headphones have the logo because the company paid for them, not George. It’s not like they stopped at the Best Buy in the airport on their way to the plane.

    • Forthelasttime says:

      I think the message is that it was a thoughtful deed. Not sure the value would make or break GC.

  9. Louise177 says:

    I think most people have the same sex as their closest friends. It doesn’t mean George doesn’t have female friends. There is a lot to criticize about George but this isn’t one of them. I think this is just a slow time of the year for gossip. A lot of random are in the news since nothing else is going on.

    • Veronica says:

      I was going to say, I think most men and women tend to have some level of gender segregation with their friends, especially as you get older. If you share the same sexual orientation, too much emotional investment can often spill over into romance. Once everybody starts getting married, there’s a kind of natural “step back” I find with friends who could be potential partners. You’re still close, but not AS close.

      Most of my close friends are female. I have ONE very close guy friend, who I live with (their house is near my college and they could use the money), but I’m also very close with his wife and am godmother to his children. I imagine that’s the only reason she’s comfortable with me living with them.

      • LizLemonGotMarried says:

        I agree Veronica. I had close, close male friends in my teens and twenties (some occasional hookups, some not), but after everyone got married, those friendships gradually faded-we will still check in occasionally, and keep up on FB, but my close female friends and couple friends have kind of taken over most of my “hang out” time. I have one reasonably close male friend, from work, and I’m tight with my boss and my friends’ husbands, but for support and fun-it’s the girls.

  10. Div says:

    Kaiser, Jeff Sneider is a film journalist and he tweeted a few days ago that he heard a rumor that someone surprising was going to be on the chopping block next week and that he hoped the rumor wasn’t true. Wonder if it’s George? The weird thing is that there have never been rumors before unlike most of the other guys who have been busted.

    At the time, I was thinking in might be Leo. While there have never been rumors about him personally, apparently there have been rumors (and people on record) that members of his pussy posse (name is disgusting and you think he’d be ashamed of it) are awful to women. When the Me Too movement first started, I saw some people retweet an article from a long time ago, maybe the late 90s early 00s, where that actress from Showgirls went on the record about one of his buddies harassing her horribly when she turned down a date and even beating up her husband or boyfriend at the time.

    • Moi says:

      There are only a couple of actors that I am afraid something might come out about, one in particular. I’m not even going to say their names because I don’t want to jinx anything.

      • Don't kill me I am French says:

        A friend thought about Stallone ( a now dead sister accused him of rape when teen) or Franco ( remember the story about his flirt with a teen girl on social media) or Washington ( recent rehab/shenanigans rumor/ very very religious) or Smith

    • diana says:

      I read in some places that James Franco is next.

    • Mina says:

      Please, let’s not do this. I hate this blind item epidemy. We’ll start doubting everyone now based on just the rumor mill? Let’s wait until there’s actually a (well founded) exposé before we start theorizing whether George Clooney might be next in the chopping block (I doubt he is).

  11. Felicia says:

    No shade for Clooney on this from me. Noise cancelling headphones… babies at that age cry at takeoff and landing because they can’t regulate their ear pressure and it hurts. The best way to prevent that is to feed them (breastfeed or bottlefeed) on both takeoff and when the plane starts it’s decent. But with twins, if they are still breastfeeding, that becomes problematic. At least he gave some forethought to the comfort of the other passengers.

    “Paying it back”. I doubt there are many people in HW who don’t discard certain friends once they become successful. And probably even fewer who make a gesture and give acknowledgement to the people who had their backs when they really needed it. Who recognize that maybe they wouldn’t be in the place they are if those people hadn’t been there. There is absolutely nothing to criticize about this.

    Maybe there is something about to hit the news regarding Clooney. I sincerely hope not. After all of the disillusions lately, it would be nice to actually have an example of someone who isn’t a complete dirtbag.

  12. Salanta3 says:

    How do you withdraw 14 millions in cash and not set up a million alarm bells?

    Also: why cash, George? Could you not have written them all checks?

    I don’t know, I just find this all… suspicious.

    • Millenial says:

      My thoughts, too! Sounds like something someone would do if they needed to launder some money? Or were about to die of cancer. How odd. It doesn’t seem “nice” to me, just super suspicious.

      • Carrie1 says:

        This. I had a boss do this for Christmas bonuses to all of us one year. Not a million but several thousand. He also paid taxes for us on the bonuses.

        A few years later, I’m nearly sexually assaulted at work *in front of said boss* and he said nothing, did nothing, ran home to his wife because he didn’t want any part of helping me. I’m a woman. I did a lot for his wife and considered her a friend. Another two years of sexual harassment followed this incident. It took my health, career, everything.

        So this kind of guy who ingratiates with headphones and PR using his wife etc. is red flags all over for me.

        The millions for friends sounds like silencing payoff under guise of gratitude. It’s creepy.

    • Maria F. says:

      in twenty dollar bills! I am too lazy to count, but that is a pile of money.

      I think a check would have been easier for everybody.

    • Jayna says:

      Cash because he and his friends are pranksters, and he probably just thought it was funny to put that many small bills in a briefcase. That’s the kind of humor these guys have been doing back and forth since in their early 20s.

      No alarm bells. He said he was paying taxes for them on the money, so it was a withdrawal that was not hidden from IRS.

      And @Millenial, I think he did it when he did because all of his friends have kids now, more expenses in life, college looming, some already in college, and knew their families could use it. I have no doubt over the years that he’s been generous with all of them as far as trips and gifts, etc. But this large one-time gift really probably coincided with wanting to give that kind of money to them when his friends and their families could use it.

    • Felicia says:

      Very unlikely he’d publicize this if he’d been doing something shady.

      • Carrie1 says:

        He didn’t. His friend Rande did. Those two covered for each other forever. I don’t see this as anything more than selling George for good pr for him and every man close to George. Whether something is up or this is pre emptive damage control remains to be seen.

        This is how abusive men have gotten away with abusing forever. Boys club. This story is gross.

  13. Bejkie says:

    I guess it’s a nice thing to do? I don’t know…how may of his 14 “Boys” were like the airport bar worker, & how many were like Rande Gerber? On the other hand, I am wishing I had someone gift me $1M right now.

    • Jayna says:

      None of them are like Rande Gerber, very wealthy.

      • Bejkie says:

        Oh, ok. I’m sure they all appreciated his paying it forward then. Rande probably did too, just didn’t necessarily need it. At least it says some charity benefitted.

      • Jayna says:

        @Bejkie, he’s been longtime friends with Karen Duffy and her husband, John Lambros. She has suffered from a painful, chronic, debilitating condition sarcoidosis since he’s really known her, or had just met her. She lives with tremendous pain. I couldn’t imagine living like that, but she does with dignity. He became close friends with her husband also. I think her husband makes decent money at his regular job and Karen writes a book here and there, but with all of her health care expenses and problems, I imagine they could use the money, and I’m sure John was probably one of the guys there who received it for not only himself and Karen but also for their child born from surrogacy.

  14. Jayna says:

    I don’t believe the airplane story. Since the babies they have been flying private. With the babies still so young and if he was planning an extended stay back in the UK of at least a month, he would be taking their dogs, and I believe it would be a private flight, so he didn’t have to worry about the babies crying and his pets. So I bet this is a made-up story, considering it’s Star Mag.

    But if it’s true, that was thoughtful.

    • Taxi says:

      Don’t the dogs have to be quarantined for 4 months upon arrival in UK? If so, unlikely they brought the dogs for anything but a permanent stay.

  15. Tan says:

    So much gift in cash? Laundering in a nice way?

    Tbh not having good female friend is not something I side eye. I have nice male colleagues but most my adult life friends are female.

    I have lost touch with most of my male friends , somehow they all end up being patronizing and weird

  16. Snazzy says:

    the only having male friends is not that much of a surprise. I mean I count only women as my dearest friends. I have male friends, but closest friends? All women. So no shade from me on that.

    I really hope nothing comes out about him. I know he can be a bit sketchy sometimes but I do love my George

  17. Sarah says:

    1 million dollar cash on a briefcase? Who handed it to them? Meghan Markle from Deal or No deal? Lol. This publicity is hilarious. I guess he wanted to be back in the spotlight before the year ends.

  18. QueenB says:

    Not surprised he hasnt any close female friends, how he sees women is widely known and the reason Amal was chosen and marketed in the way we all witnessed. But if there were really guys that actually could need the money Im a bit surprised honestly.

    Also I dont think they are all close, no one has 14 actually close friends. Likely guys that helped him out and he paid them back.

  19. JustJen says:

    So, only the first class people got the headphones…As for taxes, if he gave it to them in cash, how would the IRS know?

    • Jayna says:

      Because he withdrew the money from an account. There are tax laws. It’s recorded. He didn’t go around trying to hide that he was taking out 14 million dollars nor who he was giving it to, thus why he told them he was paying the taxes on the million for each of them

      As I posted above, he and his friends are pranksters on each other from way back to their twenties, and it’s never stopped. George probably thought it was funny to have them open a large briefcase with twenties, and not understand at first what they were seeing, a million dollars, and to make a serious gift filled with emotion from him to them more lighthearted, as he uses humor to mask everything. Juvenile, yes, but it goes in line with how these guys all interact with each other as far as the gags.

      • SJhere says:

        Ya know, if I had his level of money I’d maybe do the same. How is this different vs. big lottery winners who gift to their friends and family? Same to me. I do like the fact that he also paid the tax bill on these gifts because otherwise the taxman would have taken such a large amount as to make the gift only a gesture.

        Good for Randy for giving his to charity.

        I think Clooney realizes he is a lucky man with some talent.
        He’s no Daniel Day-Lewis or early DeNiro but he certainly made smart choices, and is very wealthy. I hope to hear he’s also giving to the charity of his choice just as largely. Btw, I’d say his acting career has certainly peaked and he could go right ahead and retire from public life, zero loss to the general public.

  20. ConnieQ says:

    Almost all airlines provide noise cancelling headphones to first class passengers. Plus the seats are built and spaced where you have no clue who’s around you. So that was a complete gimmick on his part.

  21. Canadian Becks says:

    Would he not have to have people’s Social Security Numbers to have laid their taxes on the gift?

  22. Miss M says:

    It is a thoughtful thing to do showing gratitude to those who helped during tough times.
    That being said…
    This is a story you keep underwraps and friends just say it when you pass away. It seems disingenous and self serving…

  23. Darya says:

    He spoke in support of Roman Polanski not long ago so I wouldn’t be surprised to hear anuthing bad about him.

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/10/17/nolte-defending-child-rapist-polanski-george-clooney-lectures-america-suburbicon/

  24. Suzanne says:

    I hate to be a Debbie Downer….but all that came to my mind when I heard he could afford to GIVE away 14 million dollars was….At .16 cents a day, it would provide a starving child food and clean water…Wouldn’t that $14 million have gone a LONG LONG way toward world hunger programs? What about all the humanitarian causes he supposedly supports? Instead he gave it to his buddies…who God only knows what they’ve done with it. Pack those 14 guys up on a plane…fly them to Uganda or where ever he goes to fight for causes…and at least have them help by participating in what he believes is a worthwhile cause…I mean besides making millions he can afford to just give away.

    • Carol says:

      I think he has given plenty to his charitable causes and wanted to do something nice for his friends. If he had tried to write checks or given secretly to them, then I bet some would refuse to cash the check or would consider it charity and say no. By doing it this way, he doesn’t single anyone out as “needing” the money. It was lovely.

      When I got married not all of my bridesmaids could afford the dress. I paid for all of them. The ones who could afford it tried to pay me back, but I pointed out that I wanted everyone to think of it as a gift for all and not charity for some. Same sentiment; much smaller doable amount!

    • Taxi says:

      He gives huge amounts of money to many charities, including clean water programs in developing nations.

  25. Skylark says:

    I very much doubt there’s anything in the pipeline regarding Clooney, unless ‘hypocrisy’ has become the ‘predatory’. In which case, he should definitely be outed!

    That cash to friends story is old and already told. The only reason I can think for it being revisited is Clooney looking to distract from his director fail and change the narrative going into the awards season he hoped would be filled with accolades for him and his ‘I’m the only one who makes important films anymore’ ego-driven fantasies.

  26. Lyla says:

    I’m sideyeying the plane story. Most first and business class hand out noise canceling headphones anyway so what’s the point other than to advertise his tequila brand. I’m guessing the person who made up this story hasn’t flown first or business in awhile. 🙄

  27. Forthelasttime says:

    He looks pretty old in that first pic. Wonder what it’s like to be with a guy that much older than you. He can’t have the energy to look after those twins when they start running around.

  28. HeyThere! says:

    I have a few close friends that have been my ‘days ones’ I would do this for in a heartbeat. I get it. LOL Also, who doesn’t want a briefcase full of cash?! It’s hilarious and old school gangster of him. No shade here.

  29. Severin88 says:

    It was a lovely gesture. But jeeeeez. No good deed go unpunished around here!

    Throw a million my way!!!

  30. Saskia says:

    It’s a coded message spread through media.