George Clooney is a generous friend to say the least.
George Clooney is a generous friend to say the least.
The 56-year-old actor's close pal and Casamigos business partner, Rande Gerber, recently claimed the actor once gave 14 of his close friends -- which he referred to as "The Boys" -- $1 million each as a surprise gift in 2013. Gerber dropped the jaw-dropping tidbit during his appearance on MSNBC's Headliners.
... And the amazing monetary gift wasn't all. Gerber said that Clooney also paid his friends' taxes for the year.
"There’s a group of guys we call 'The Boys,'" Gerber shared. "George had called me and 'The Boys' and said, 'Hey, mark September 27th, 2013, on your calendar. Everyone’s going to come to my house for dinner.'"
At the dinner, Clooney's pals were surprised with designer luggage bags at each seat on the table -- each containing a million dollars in $20 bills. Gerber noted that not all of the actor's friends were rich, with some struggling to support their families.
"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 recalled. "'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.'"
Not surprisingly, Gerber said he and the actor's pals were "in shock."
"Every one of us -- 14 of us -- got a million dollars," he marveled. "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.'"
"I mean these are guys that took care of George and now he’s giving it all back," Gerber added. "And George said, 'Not only that, I have paid everyone's taxes so this million dollars is yours.'"
Gerber -- who is independently wealthy -- said he insisted on not accepting the gift, but Clooney refused. The businessman said he ended up donating his million dollars to charity.
Although, Gerber noted that Clooney may have gotten his own reward for his generous gift.
"That was September 27th, 2013. Now September 27, 2014, he marries Amal," he pointed out. "That's good karma right there."
In October, Gerber hosted an epic Casamigos Halloween party, escorting both his wife, supermodel Cindy Crawford, and Amal Clooney.
Watch below:
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