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While Toy Story may take credit for ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me,’ one celebrated actor has also made sure his pals know he’s grateful for their friendship, albeit through a much more financially significant gesture.
As a thank you for sticking by him and helping him through many various stages and challenges during his life, George Clooney gave each of his 14 closest friends $1 million. The star reportedly said that he wanted to let his nearest and dearest know how grateful he is for them being a part of each other’s lives.
"It was really important to me that while we're still all here together, that I give back," the star said.
Rande Gerber, who is a close friend of Clooney, remembers the actor telling the rest of their crew - who call themselves ‘The Boys’ - to mark their calendars. Gerber said that Clooney invited all of them to his home for dinner and when they arrived, they saw suitcases at their place at the table. It was then that Clooney shared the reason for getting everyone together.
Gerber remembers him saying, “'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.”
When the men opened their suitcases, they found it was full of $20 bills - amounting to $1 million. Gerber explained that everyone was taken aback from the unbelievably kind gesture.
"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'."
Gerber also said that Clooney paid off everyone’s taxes for the year. "One was working at a bar in Texas at the airport, trying just to support his family, rides a bicycle to work every day," he shared. Gerber said that Clooney felt so strongly about giving back to those who had helped him, he refused to allow anyone to return the money.
For the actor, the evening was about gratitude for the people in his life who supported him through his highs and lows. To him, being able to repay them for their friendship (and help them out in some way) was priceless.
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