Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

A simple act of kindness turned into an unforgettable story for one woman and her family while visiting New York City. Karine Gombeau, a French tourist, was exploring the city with her husband and teenage son when she spotted a man rummaging through a trash can near Grand Central Terminal. Moved by what she saw, she decided to offer the man some leftover pizza.

"He should have my pizza instead of going through that bin."

— Karine Gombeau

What she didn’t know? That “homeless man” was actually Hollywood legend Richard Gere.


Gere was filming a movie in disguise

According to The New York Post, Gere was filming a scene for his 2015 movie Time Out of Mind, in which he plays a man experiencing homelessness. Dressed in a scruffy jacket and cap, and appearing unshaven, Gere blended right in — enough to completely fool Gombeau, who didn’t recognize him.

The family had been sightseeing in Little Italy and ended up with more pizza than they could eat. When they saw Gere, who appeared to be down on his luck, Gombeau felt compelled to help. “What’s in the bag?” he asked. Gombeau, apologetic that the food wasn’t warm, responded with a mix of French and English: “Je suis désolée, but the pizza is cold.”

"The pizza is cold."

— Karine Gombeau

Gere graciously accepted the food. “He said, ‘Thank you so much. God bless you,’” Gombeau later told reporters.

The surprise identity reveal

It wasn’t until two days later that she realized what had really happened. A hotel employee handed her a copy of The New York Post, and there, splashed across a photo in the paper, was her handing a bag to Richard Gere.

"It’s crazy, this story."

— Karine Gombeau

Gombeau was shocked — and a little starstruck. “I think he’s very handsome, even at his age,” she said, adding with a smile that while Pretty Woman wasn’t her favorite, she really loved Chicago.

No idea it was a film set

At the time, neither she nor her husband had any idea they were on a movie set. Her husband had even been filming casually with his camera, only to be told by crew members to stop. “People came from all over the station and told my husband to stop filming. People came out of the subways. It was very confusing,” she said.

Kindness, no matter who’s watching

Beyond the surreal celebrity encounter, Gombeau was struck by how many people experiencing homelessness she saw in New York. “It leaves me really sad to know we waste food and they have nothing,” she said. “It really moves me.”

Her instinct to help, she explained, was immediate and heartfelt. “He was dressed in a way, with a cap, not shaved. He looked like a man going through a rough time,” she told ABC News.

She said Gere’s performance was so convincing, it only confirmed his talent. “He is a good actor,” she said. “It is a great story. A memory of New York I will keep for a very long time. For the first time in New York, I could not have wished for better.”

More For You

25 hilarious signs that prove people still have a great sense of humor
Image Source: Reddit | u/beachvbguy

25 hilarious signs that prove people still have a great sense of humor


Signs are meant to inform, warn, or direct, but sometimes, they unintentionally entertain. Whether due to poor wording, clever humor, or just plain absurdity, some signs end up being comedic gold.

Thanks to the internet, we no longer have to stumble upon them by accident—there’s even a whole subreddit, r/funnysigns, dedicated to collecting the most ridiculous ones.

Keep ReadingShow less
Teacher’s viral fake baby assignment sparked total student panic
REDDIT

Teacher’s viral fake baby assignment sparked total student panic

Students at Chippewa Secondary School in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, are learning the trials of parenthood with fake babies. If you didn't do this kind of thing at your school, it's basically an attempt to terrify teenagers into never having a child.

As you can imagine, it's not going very well. Teacher Andrea Lefebvre took to Facebook to share some of the hilarious texts she'd received from students about the babies, ranging from teenagers asking if they can stash their baby in their bag, or if they can turn it off.

Keep ReadingShow less

This 33-pound baby just became TikTok famous—and caught the NFL’s eye

Sydney Frost had no idea her 33-pound baby boy, Carson, would become the internet’s newest sensation when she posted a playful TikTok earlier this month. The Texas mom jokingly “dialed” the NFL on Carson’s round tummy to the beat of Claudia’s “Phone Ya”, tagging teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Detroit Lions. Her caption read: “Dialing the NFL now… Breaking news: No contract for these rolls yet. Coaches, what’s the holdup?”

Within days, her video exploded to over 17.3 million views, and even NFL teams joined in on the fun. The Detroit Lions commented, “You have our attention,” while the Philadelphia Eagles quipped, “We’ll take this one in 20 years thanks!” Fans of all kinds, from baby product brands to major sports teams, flooded the comments section, making lighthearted “recruitment” pitches for the chunky, lovable baby.

Keep ReadingShow less