Huff Post – George Clooney knows how to make someone feel like a million bucks, according to his good friend and business partner, Rande Gerber. Gerber recently revealed on MSNBC’s “Headliners” show that the actor once gifted 14 of his closest friends a $1 million a few years ago.
“There’s a group of guys we call ‘The Boys,’” Gerber said. “George had called me and ‘The Boys’ and said, ’Hey, mark Sept. 27th, 2013, on your calendar. Everyone’s going to come to my house for dinner.”
Once everyone was gathered at Clooney’s house, he gave each of “The Boys” a black bag. It almost sounds like a scene out of “Oceans Eleven.”
“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,’” Gerber said. ”‘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, 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.’”
When the group opened their suitcases, all of them found $1 million broken down into $20 bills. Clooney said that he’d also paid taxes on all the gifts, and Gerber said his friends were simply “in shock.”
“In shock.” Yeah I would think so. I’m sure being friends with Clooney has an infinite amount of amazing benefits, aside from him seeming to be just an all-around awesome guy. But giving $1 million to 14 different friends? Unreal. And I don’t care who you are, $14 million is $14 million. I would never be expecting something like that from any of my friends, no matter how rich they were. It’s always refreshing to hear a good story like this come out of Hollywood. It’s nice knowing that there are still some people out there who recognize those around them as being influential in shaping the person they’ve become. And a million bucks in cold, hard cash is certainly a fun way to do it. And breaking off the million into $20 bills? Makes the story that much better. Sure, he easily could have just written a check for each friend, but no, Clooney had to go over the top, using the rolls of cash. And of course he took care of the taxes on the gifts. Keep doing your thing, George, keep doing your thing.
