Generous Celebrity Tippers: See Which Stars Have Deep Pockets and Big Hearts

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Generous Celebrity Tippers: See Which Stars Have Deep Pockets and Big Hearts

Stars aren’t always just like Us. Sometimes they go above and beyond to show their appreciation for a restaurant’s waitstaff by leaving a jaw-dropping tip behind. While tipping between 18 and 20 percent is considered “normal,” a handful of celebrities have developed the generous habit of tipping 100 percent or more when they dine out. For many famous people, the decision to tip copiously stems from their own connections to or pasts in the service industry. When Amy Schumer tipped $1,000 on a $77 bar tab while seeing Hamilton in March 2016, for example, she told the bartender she did so because she understands the struggle. “I’ve been there, I get it,” the New York native explained to her server at the time. [jwplayer 8KiO4B3g-zhNYySv2] Schumer then alluded to the interaction via social media, tweeting: “Lots of love to my fellow bartenders and artists. I’m grateful to them and the cast and crew for another great night.” Donnie Wahlberg is yet another example of star who frequently tips more than is necessary. For the Blue Bloods star, whose parents both worked in the service industry, leaving a large gratuity is simply his way of giving back and showing appreciation for others. “My mom waited tables, and my dad tended bars -- for years!” he explained via Instagram in July 2017 after tipping his Waffle House waitress $2,000. “So, when I walk into a #WaffleHouse, and the staff treats me like a king, you better believe I treat them like queens!” The Massachusetts native added at the time: “Thanks to the team at @wafflehouseofficial Charlotte, NC!” Wahlberg made headlines again in January 2020 when he left a $2,020 tip for his waitress at an Illinois IHOP. In addition to scribbling “Happy New Year” on the bill, the What Doesn’t Kill You actor included the phrase, “2020 Tip Challenge,” asking others to pay it forward. Days later, while enjoying dinner with Adele and James Corden in the Caribbean, Harry Styles kept the trend going and left that exact same tip on the trio’s $473 bill. Like Wahlberg, the “Watermelon Sugar” singer also wrote “Happy New Year” on his bill. “@donniewahlberg you got the second worldwide response from Harry Styles all the way from St Thomas Virgin Islands with @j_corden and @adele,” Styles’ server declared on Instagram at the time. Scroll down to see more celebs with deep pockets:

Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock

Generous Celebrity Tippers: See Which Stars Have Deep Pockets and Big Hearts

Stars aren’t always just like Us. Sometimes they go above and beyond to show their appreciation for a restaurant’s waitstaff by leaving a jaw-dropping tip behind. While tipping between 18 and 20 percent is considered “normal,” a handful of celebrities have developed the generous habit of tipping 100 percent or more when they dine out. For many famous people, the decision to tip copiously stems from their own connections to or pasts in the service industry. When Amy Schumer tipped $1,000 on a $77 bar tab while seeing Hamilton in March 2016, for example, she told the bartender she did so because she understands the struggle. “I’ve been there, I get it,” the New York native explained to her server at the time. [jwplayer 8KiO4B3g-zhNYySv2] Schumer then alluded to the interaction via social media, tweeting: “Lots of love to my fellow bartenders and artists. I’m grateful to them and the cast and crew for another great night.” Donnie Wahlberg is yet another example of star who frequently tips more than is necessary. For the Blue Bloods star, whose parents both worked in the service industry, leaving a large gratuity is simply his way of giving back and showing appreciation for others. “My mom waited tables, and my dad tended bars -- for years!” he explained via Instagram in July 2017 after tipping his Waffle House waitress $2,000. “So, when I walk into a #WaffleHouse, and the staff treats me like a king, you better believe I treat them like queens!” The Massachusetts native added at the time: “Thanks to the team at @wafflehouseofficial Charlotte, NC!” Wahlberg made headlines again in January 2020 when he left a $2,020 tip for his waitress at an Illinois IHOP. In addition to scribbling “Happy New Year” on the bill, the What Doesn’t Kill You actor included the phrase, “2020 Tip Challenge,” asking others to pay it forward. Days later, while enjoying dinner with Adele and James Corden in the Caribbean, Harry Styles kept the trend going and left that exact same tip on the trio’s $473 bill. Like Wahlberg, the “Watermelon Sugar” singer also wrote “Happy New Year” on his bill. “@donniewahlberg you got the second worldwide response from Harry Styles all the way from St Thomas Virgin Islands with @j_corden and @adele,” Styles’ server declared on Instagram at the time. Scroll down to see more celebs with deep pockets:

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John Leguizamo

In April 2023, the Violent Night actor revealed that he carries $100 bills to tip waiters and valets. "This ain't the '70s. You can't tip with $20 bills. People gonna throw that back at you," Leguizamo joked during an appearance on GMA3: What You Need to Know. "You gotta give back. If people are giving you their best service and you don't tip 'em? Come on. Who are you? I'm not a cheapskate."

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Gabrielle Union

The Bring It On star told Jimmy Kimmel in September 2021 that she is a strip club “connoisseur,” who likes to leave generous tips for the dancers. She frequents one Atlanta strip club so often that the performers there know her by name. Maybe it’s because the You Got Anything Stronger? author is a celebrity or maybe it’s because she likes to leave tips ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.

“You don’t really think about it because — the booze,” she explained to the late night host. “And you just want to make sure all the ladies go home with a little something.”

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Tom Selleck

In December 2020, Donnie Wahlberg revealed via Twitter that his Blue Bloods costar Tom Selleck left a $2,020 tip on a $204.68 bill at Elio's restaurant in New York City. "I didn’t start it but I’m proud to be part of it. To those who gave even the smallest extra amount this year — THANK YOU," Wahlberg tweeted, sharing a photo of Selleck's handwritten note to the server. "#Spreadloveandlovewillspread."

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Donnie Wahlberg

In November 2020, the Blue Bloods actor dropped a $2,020 tip on a $35 bill after dining at a restaurant in Plymouth, Massachusetts. "A very special thank you to our friend @donniewahlberg! When asked about it all he said was, 'Who's up next?!'" the Marshland Restaurant chain's Instagram account shared at the time alongside a snapshot of Wahlberg's receipt.

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Nev Schulman

The Catfish star left a $926 tip for a pregnant waitress named Zulia Reyes at the Denver International Airport in Colorado in August 2020. Schulman chose that amount because the waitress is due on September 26, which also happens to be his birthday. According to Reyes, Schulman also signed the receipt, writing, "Congrats on your baby girl!"

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Michael Polansky

The Parker Foundation executive director left a $200 tip on a $17 bill after dining out with Lady Gaga in June 2020. "Turns out lady Gaga is cool af," one person tweeted along with pictures of the generous receipt.

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Gabriel Iglesias

The comedian stopped by Gotham Comedy Club in New York City for a last-minute set in February 2020. The set lasted nearly two hours, forcing the staff to stay late. To make up for it, Page Six reports the California native left a $3,000 tip for the staff to split among themselves.

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H.E.R.

The “Hard Place” singer was in New York City ahead of the Grammy Awards in January 2020 and celebrated her multiple nominations and a pal’s birthday at Brooklyn Chop House. According to Page Six, H.E.R.’s table chowed down on dishes including salt-and-black pepper lobster, Beijing chicken and chicken satay. The songstress left a $1,000 tip to show her appreciation for the eatery’s staff.

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Donnie Wahlberg

The former New Kids on the Block member started the new year off right when he left a $2,020 tip for an IHOP server after eating at one of the chain’s Illinois locations in January 2020 and racking up a $75 bill. The star’s good deed got the seal of approval from his wife, Jenny McCarthy, who took to Twitter to gush about her husband’s actions. Along with a photo of the receipt, which included the phrase “2020 Tip Challenge,” The View alum tweeted at the time: “@donniewahlberg starting 2020 off like the amazing man he is.”

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Harry Styles

The former One Direction member apparently took Wahlberg up on his challenge and left a very apropos tip after sharing a meal with Adele and James Corden while vacationing in the Caribbean shortly after New Year’s Day in 2020. According to an Instagram post from the waiter that served the famous trio, their meal came out to less than $500, but Styles left a $2,020 tip and even wrote “Happy New Year” on the receipt. “Big ups to @harrystyles for taking care of Mr Big Life!” the server gushed on social media at the time. “@donniewahlberg you got the second worldwide response from Harry Styles all the way from St Thomas Virgin Islands with @j_corden and @adele. Happy new year guys!”

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Jamie Foxx

In November 2019, shortly after breaking up with longterm girlfriend Katie Holmes, the Django Unchained actor stopped by New York restaurant Brooklyn Chop House with a group of approximately 30 friends and stayed until 5 a.m. Per Page Six, the Golden Globe winner left a $2,000 tip.

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Tracy Morgan

The Saturday Night Live alum was in a very generous mood when he had dinner at Carmine’s Italian Restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in August 2019. Not only did he pay a bartender $100 to watch his $2 million Bugatti (which was parked on the street outside) while he ate, but a source told Us Weekly at the time that the comedian left a “generous tip for his waiter” when his meal was over.

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Jimmy Fallon

Though not a tip per se, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon host decided to pay it forward in September 2018 after dining with his wife Nancy Juvonen at Il Mulino restaurant in the Hamptons. As the eatery’s manager, Enzo Lentini, told Us at the time, the Saturday Night Live alum picked up the tab for the party of four seated near him in part because they let him dine in peace. “I didn’t hear the whole conversation when he [Fallon] walked over to them, but from what I did gather I heard him say, ‘I appreciate the fact that you gave us privacy and I want to thank you for that and I wanted to do something nice for you,’” Enzo explained. He also mentioned that Fallon and Juvonen are typically very generous when it comes to the waitstaff. “[They are] very generous and usually are 30-40 percent tippers,” he noted.

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Chrissy Teigen

The Cravings author hit up an Outback Steakhouse in Ohio in October 2017 and left her waitress, Mikayla Scott, a hefty $1,000 tip. “I was like, ’Oh my god, praise the Lord,’” Mikayla told the Associated Press at the time, once she realized what the star had done.

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Amy Schumer

When the comedian saw Hamilton on Broadway in March 2016, she made sure to show her appreciation for the bartenders who were working during the show. After ordering $77 worth of drinks, the Trainwreck star left an impressive $1,000 tip. A bartender who served the Inside Amy Schumer alum said that when she thanked the Emmy winner, Schumer replied, “I’ve been there, I get it.”

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Charles Barkley

“I think it’s important when you’re successful [to be a good tipper],” the basketball legend said during an April 2014 appearance on Conan. “I’ve tipped $25,000 before,” he noted, explaining that the generous gratuity was given to someone during a blackjack game where he won $700,000. “I probably should have tipped more,” the former Philadelphia 76ers player quipped.

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Taylor Swift

The “You Need to Calm Down” singer showed her appreciation for the waitstaff at Ralph's Italian Restaurant in Philadelphia in July 2013 after stopping by the restaurant for a bite to eat with Ed Sheeran and Austin Mahone, who were touring with the Grammy winner at the time. After the meal, the songstress took pictures with the staff and left a $500 tip, according to the New York Daily News.

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Jessica Simpson

The “A Public Affair” songstress left a $300 tip on a $500 bill after eating at Lavo in New York City with some friends in January 2011. Per the New York Daily News, the Texas native even left some words of encouragement for her waitress on the bill. “You were amazing and make this world a better place,” the star wrote.

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Johnny Depp

The Pirates of the Caribbean star “delighted” a waiter at Chicago’s Gibsons steakhouse in June 2009 when he left behind a whopping $4,000 tip after dining with a group of friends in a private room. That server, Mohammed A. Sekhani, told RadarOnline at the time that the Oscar nominee had been to Gibsons before. “He may be one of the most famous actors in the world but he is a very humble guy and a really cool dude,” Mohammed explained.

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Drew Barrymore

According to Ugly Betty alum Ana Ortiz, Barrymore is a “great tipper.” As Ortiz, who worked as a bartender before delving into acting, told Latina in April 2008, the Blended star had a habit of simply doubling the bill when it came time to leave gratuity. “[She tipped] 100 percent of the bill both times I served her,” Ortiz recalled.