A Woman Invited Celebrities To Her Graduation & Some Actually Responded
mckenziesmyers | ShutterstockGetting a college degree is no easy feat. So, it’s no surprise that many want to share their achievement with friends and family. But on such a special day, why not get some extra support from your favorite celebrities as well?
Graduates know the struggle of picking between family members thanks to limited ceremony invitations, but one woman on TikTok actually wound up with some extra invites and didn’t want them to go to waste. From basketball stars to actors, she reached out to some of the biggest A-listers!
A woman invited celebrities to her college graduation, and some actually responded.
Renee was a 2022 graduate of California State University, Northridge, with a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. She also graduated with honors, so no wonder she wanted to share her joy with everyone. Renee sent her favorite celebrities letters with the extra graduation invites and had five responses!
Alie04 | Shutterstock
On the invite list: "Hamilton" star Lin-Manuel Miranda, famed basketballers Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan, A-lister Johnny Depp, Chris Pratt, Former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, and Adam Sandler. Even influencer Dr. Mike made the invite list.
Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, Adam Sandler, and Johnny Depp all responded.
Shaq sent back a photo of him dancing with writing in Sharpie that read, “To Renee, Congrats and good luck! ‘Peace’” with his signature below the endearing message.
Jordan sent back a card with two photos of him with just his signature. When you’re the G.O.A.T., suppose that’s all you need to write!
Adam Sandler was in the same boat with no note but tacked on a smiley face below his signature. His autograph was set against a black-and-white photo of him playing an acoustic guitar.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" actor Johnny Depp also surprised Renee with a response. He sent a photo of himself in the famous pirate garb with a note that read, “All good wishes,” and his signature below it.
Doctor Mike opened Renee's invitation in his own video.
The final celebrity response came from the internet personality “Doctor Mike,” a family physician and content creator. He didn’t send her a card. Instead, he opened her invite in a video on his Patreon.
There were a number of people she sent invites to that didn’t respond, unfortunately: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Pratt, and The Obamas. All of these people are surely inundated by letters daily, so it’s surprising that some even responded! But that brought up a question that some people in the comments had.
Someone in a comment claimed to have gotten the same letter from Sandler in response to their invite. “Adam Sandler sent the same exact card you got, I sent my wedding invite,” they wrote. “[Darn] I thought it was unique. He must have an assistant send copies of that.” Renee replied to the comment, sharing that she doesn’t think all her notes were truly from the stars in question.
“The Adam Sandler and Johnny Depp ones are definitely not personally signed by them. I appreciate I still got a response back though!” she commented.
Renee wasn't wrong. Celebrities don't open their own fan mail, and really, how could they? It would be a full-time job. Most aren't even handled by assistants, but by actual fan mail services they pay. That doesn't mean the sentiment isn't appreciated, however. In fact, these services wouldn't exist if fans didn't enjoy receiving autographed merch regardless of who did the signing.
While it all might seem a little frivolous, Renee got joy out of it, and that's absolutely all that matters. Graduating is a big deal, and there's no shame in some harmless fanfare ... get it? Fanfare!
Ethan Cotler is a writer and frequent contributor to YourTango, living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news, and human interest stories.
