20 Celebrities People Didn’t Recognize in Person

Despite the fact that it’s now the number-one dream of Western children, being famous sounds like an existential nightmare. You literally can’t do anything outside your own house (or even inside your own house, depending on your local privacy laws and the strength of the paparazzo’s lens) that you don’t want broadcast to the entire world. Billions of people are eagerly devouring any news of which ex’s house you were seen leaving, who your dermatologist is and what kind of tampons you buy.

As Don Draper would say, that’s what the money is for, but it’s no wonder that celebrities take great pains to disguise themselves when they’d rather just be a face in the crowd. They’re probably even more grateful when they get to actually speak to another human who doesn’t know who they are. That’s why so many heartwarming stories were shared after user GowBeyow asked r/AskReddit, “What famous person did you meet, not realizing who they were until later?”