Every George Clooney Celebrity Prank, from Giving Meryl Streep Acting Tips to Pooping in Richard Kind's Litter Box

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Ernesto Ruscio/Getty

Ernesto Ruscio/Getty

WhenGeorge Clooneywas honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards,Tina FeyandAmy Poehlerwarned him the honor might be an elaborate ruse — and one that he would have earned. After all, he’s been “pranking a lot of people for 25 years.“Since his early days as a breakout star onER,Clooney has developed a reputation as someone who is constantly looking for ways to put one over on his celebrity pals, pranking everyone from close buddies such as Brad Pitt and Richard Kind to unsuspecting onlookers likeMeryl Streepand the ASPCA. As he said onJimmy Kimmel Live,“I have a problem.“Below, see every celebrity prank Clooney has confessed to — or his costars have accused him of.

WhenGeorge Clooneywas honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards,Tina FeyandAmy Poehlerwarned him the honor might be an elaborate ruse — and one that he would have earned. After all, he’s been “pranking a lot of people for 25 years.”

Since his early days as a breakout star onER,Clooney has developed a reputation as someone who is constantly looking for ways to put one over on his celebrity pals, pranking everyone from close buddies such as Brad Pitt and Richard Kind to unsuspecting onlookers likeMeryl Streepand the ASPCA. As he said onJimmy Kimmel Live,“I have a problem.”

Below, see every celebrity prank Clooney has confessed to — or his costars have accused him of.

01of 12When He Posed As Brad Pitt to Pitch Tom Cruise An ‘Interview with the Vampire’ SequelDuring his Sept. 17 appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, Clooney revealed he’s had some fun sending people letters with the Brad Pitt stationary Kimmel gifted him some years back.“The Brad Pitt one was brutal. I sent it to Don Cheadle,” he said, as he began listing all the people who’ve been on the receiving end of his faux letters. “I sent it to Tom Cruise, saying they want to do [Interview with the Vampire 2], but this time Brad wants to play Lestat,” Clooney said with a sly smile.According to Kimmel, the ruse worked. “Brad this afternoon said that Tom called him and said ‘Yeah, it’s cool, you can play Lestat, that’s fine, I’m okay with that,’ and he was like, ‘What are you talking about?'”

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When He Posed As Brad Pitt to Pitch Tom Cruise An ‘Interview with the Vampire’ Sequel

During his Sept. 17 appearance onJimmy Kimmel Live!, Clooney revealed he’s had some fun sending people letters with the Brad Pitt stationary Kimmel gifted him some years back.

“The Brad Pitt one was brutal. I sent it to Don Cheadle,” he said, as he began listing all the people who’ve been on the receiving end of his faux letters. “I sent it to Tom Cruise, saying they want to do [Interview with the Vampire 2], but this time Brad wants to play Lestat,” Clooney said with a sly smile.

According to Kimmel, the ruse worked. “Brad this afternoon said that Tom called him and said ‘Yeah, it’s cool, you can play Lestat, that’s fine, I’m okay with that,’ and he was like, ‘What are you talking about?'”

02of 12When He Got Matt Damon the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ CoverMiramax;GettyAs atwo-time PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive winner, Clooney felt more than equipped to nominate the next generation. He just used some unconventional methods.“If you live in Hollywood, there were two entertainment papers —VarietyandThe Hollywood Reporter— [where] you’d see during the Oscar campaign ‘For Your Consideration for Best Actor,’ and every page was a picture of the actors,“he said.“So, I took out ads with Matt Damon — remember he wore this green Speedo inThe Talented Mr. Ripley —I took that picture of him and very seriously said , ‘For Your Consideration: Sexiest Man Alive.’ ““And we just kept pummeling it for, I don’t know, two years,” he recalled. “They finally gave it to him.”

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When He Got Matt Damon the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ Cover

Miramax;Getty

As atwo-time PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive winner, Clooney felt more than equipped to nominate the next generation. He just used some unconventional methods.

“If you live in Hollywood, there were two entertainment papers —VarietyandThe Hollywood Reporter— [where] you’d see during the Oscar campaign ‘For Your Consideration for Best Actor,’ and every page was a picture of the actors,“he said.

“So, I took out ads with Matt Damon — remember he wore this green Speedo inThe Talented Mr. Ripley —I took that picture of him and very seriously said , ‘For Your Consideration: Sexiest Man Alive.’ "

“And we just kept pummeling it for, I don’t know, two years,” he recalled. “They finally gave it to him.”

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When He Pranked Meryl Streep to Get Back at Brad Pitt

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Clooney apparently got a taste of his own medicine when he, Pitt and Damon were filmingOcean’s Twelve.As the story goes, the gang was in Italy filming and Brad Pitt printed posters telling crew members Clooney only wanted to be addressed as “Daddy Ocean” and warning readers: “don’t look him in the eye.” But since it was in Italian, Clooney didn’t clock the prank. When it was revealed, Damon said it was the “maddest I’d ever seen him,” while chatting with CNN’s Chris Wallace.

“[Meryl] is like the greatest actor of all time, so I sent it to her,” Clooney said. “This package of 60 CDs of accents for the stage and screen and it [had] a card from Brad that said, ‘Dear Meryl, I hear you’re gonna play the Iron Lady, this guy helped me with my accent inTroy.'”

04of 12When He Pooped in Richard Kind’s Cat BoxKMazur/WireImageThis one is much better toldstraight from the horse’s mouth, but the crux of the story is that Clooney was crashing at Richard Kind’s place back in the day. TheSpin Cityactor had a cat at the time and wasn’t very good about cleaning out the litter box. Clooney, who had been doing all the heavy lifting for days on end, saw an opportunity to deliver a very crappy — albeit hilarious — lesson on the importance on keeping up with the litter box maintenance.You can probably fill in the blanks.

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When He Pooped in Richard Kind’s Cat Box

KMazur/WireImage

This one is much better toldstraight from the horse’s mouth, but the crux of the story is that Clooney was crashing at Richard Kind’s place back in the day. TheSpin Cityactor had a cat at the time and wasn’t very good about cleaning out the litter box. Clooney, who had been doing all the heavy lifting for days on end, saw an opportunity to deliver a very crappy — albeit hilarious — lesson on the importance on keeping up with the litter box maintenance.

You can probably fill in the blanks.

05of 12When He Tried to Sabotage Matt Damon’s PsycheIn thechat with Chris Wallace, Damon recalled theMonuments Menset being another fertile ground for Clooney’s elaborate pranks.Wallace asked Damon, “George Clooney once told me that in the movieThe Monuments Menhe had the wardrobe people take in your uniform each week so that you would think that you were getting fat. One, is that true? And two, did it work? And three, did you ever get him back for it?““First of all, you know George, so you can answer the first question. ‘Is it true?’ Of course, it’s true,” Damon replied. “He totally did that. I’ve never tried to get George back for anything because I just know the countermeasures are gonna be so severe.”

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When He Tried to Sabotage Matt Damon’s Psyche

In thechat with Chris Wallace, Damon recalled theMonuments Menset being another fertile ground for Clooney’s elaborate pranks.

Wallace asked Damon, “George Clooney once told me that in the movieThe Monuments Menhe had the wardrobe people take in your uniform each week so that you would think that you were getting fat. One, is that true? And two, did it work? And three, did you ever get him back for it?”

“First of all, you know George, so you can answer the first question. ‘Is it true?’ Of course, it’s true,” Damon replied. “He totally did that. I’ve never tried to get George back for anything because I just know the countermeasures are gonna be so severe.”

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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

It seems Richard Kind makes for an easy target.

Kind came to visit his old pal while he was filmingOcean’s Elevenin Vegas, but ended up falling asleep one night as everyone was still “drinking and chatting.” Needless to say, it was a big mistake. Huge!

Clooney, along with Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle decided to move the cot Kind was sleeping on into the casino. You snooze, you lose … the right to a peaceful night’s rest, apparently!

07of 12When He Got Noah Wyle Added to Steven Spielberg’s Naughty ListVince Bucci/AFP via GettyNoah Wyle worked with Clooney for years onER,and though Wylepreviously toldStill Here Hollywoodpodcast host Steve Kmetko that he decided to be an “accomplice rather than a victim” very early on, no one in Clooney’s company was ever safe.While on theTonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Wyle revealed that one year, Spielberg (who was a producer onER)got the entire cast cellphones as a wrap gift for the season. The only problem was, the previous year, he had given the cast of the filmAlwaysslightly bigger wrap gifts: Mazda Miatas.Seeing an opportunity for a tongue-in-cheek moment, Clooney convinced Wyle and some otherERcastmates to write thank-you notes that read, “Dear Steven, Thank you for the Miata cell phone.“Wyle followed through with sending the note, but the mastermind behind it all did not. “I wrote that letter and that was the last Christmas present I ever got from Steven Spielberg,” Wyle joked.

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When He Got Noah Wyle Added to Steven Spielberg’s Naughty List

Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty

Noah Wyle worked with Clooney for years onER,and though Wylepreviously toldStill Here Hollywoodpodcast host Steve Kmetko that he decided to be an “accomplice rather than a victim” very early on, no one in Clooney’s company was ever safe.

While on theTonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Wyle revealed that one year, Spielberg (who was a producer onER)got the entire cast cellphones as a wrap gift for the season. The only problem was, the previous year, he had given the cast of the filmAlwaysslightly bigger wrap gifts: Mazda Miatas.

Seeing an opportunity for a tongue-in-cheek moment, Clooney convinced Wyle and some otherERcastmates to write thank-you notes that read, “Dear Steven, Thank you for the Miata cell phone.”

Wyle followed through with sending the note, but the mastermind behind it all did not. “I wrote that letter and that was the last Christmas present I ever got from Steven Spielberg,” Wyle joked.

08of 12When He ‘Got Back’ at Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for the Golden GlobesChristopher Polk/NBCIt seems Clooney can dish it but not take it.After Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (pictured on Clooney’s lap in 2013) took a jab at him in their opening monologue at the 2015 Golden Globes, the veteran actor decided to get them back. In typical Clooney fashion, he incorporated another unsuspecting celeb: Matt Damon.As it turns out, theHail, Caesar!actor sent the two besties some sort of “wounded letter” on behalf of Matt Damon, stating that he didn’t appreciate the jokes they had lobbed at him and Clooney in the film’s monologueEver the industry pros, Fey and Poehler hit back with a prank of their own, which included a letter of warning to Clooney urging him to “step it the f— up” if he is going to prank “grown-ass, professional comedians.”

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When He ‘Got Back’ at Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for the Golden Globes

Christopher Polk/NBC

It seems Clooney can dish it but not take it.

After Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (pictured on Clooney’s lap in 2013) took a jab at him in their opening monologue at the 2015 Golden Globes, the veteran actor decided to get them back. In typical Clooney fashion, he incorporated another unsuspecting celeb: Matt Damon.

As it turns out, theHail, Caesar!actor sent the two besties some sort of “wounded letter” on behalf of Matt Damon, stating that he didn’t appreciate the jokes they had lobbed at him and Clooney in the film’s monologue

Ever the industry pros, Fey and Poehler hit back with a prank of their own, which included a letter of warning to Clooney urging him to “step it the f— up” if he is going to prank “grown-ass, professional comedians.”

09of 12When He Would Spray Ryan Gosling with Water During ‘Ides of March’Frazer Harrison/GettyRyan Gosling found out the hard way what it’s like working with a master prankster.While Clooney was directingThe Notebookactor inThe Ides of Marchhe often found himself with wet pants.“He will come up to you and tell you something very serious … and then he’ll walk away and you realize your pants are wet,” Gosling toldExtra, perThe Hollywood Reporter. “He’s had like an Evian spray bottle. He’s been spraying your crotch the whole time.“Still, Gosling had nothing but the fondest things to say about theERalum and their time together. “He’s hard to be around, so handsome, smart, charming, funny,” he told the outlet.

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When He Would Spray Ryan Gosling with Water During ‘Ides of March’

Frazer Harrison/Getty

Ryan Gosling found out the hard way what it’s like working with a master prankster.

While Clooney was directingThe Notebookactor inThe Ides of Marchhe often found himself with wet pants.

“He will come up to you and tell you something very serious … and then he’ll walk away and you realize your pants are wet,” Gosling toldExtra, perThe Hollywood Reporter. “He’s had like an Evian spray bottle. He’s been spraying your crotch the whole time.”

Still, Gosling had nothing but the fondest things to say about theERalum and their time together. “He’s hard to be around, so handsome, smart, charming, funny,” he told the outlet.

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When Julia Roberts Got Accidentally Caught in the Crossfire

Samir Hussein/WireImage

Julia Roberts was pregnant when the crew was filmingOcean’s Twelve,so she was being treated like she was “made of porcelain” for the bulk of the production. So she was as surprised as anybody to find an enormous bronze statue put in her suitcase, making it impossible to carry.

No word on how Roberts reciprocated.

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John Krasinski

Universal/Everett/Shutterstock

George Clooney directed John Krasinski on the set ofLeatherheads,and he not only gave theOfficestar acting advice, but he also indoctrinated him into the art of pranking your costars.

“You and I had this scene where we had to drive up to the farmhouse several times, and we’re doing it and I am getting increasingly more hot … we had to turn off the AC for sound, and you were like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know, I’m okay. But you’re hot, huh?’ " Fischer recalled. “This went on for like 15 minutes, and then all of a sudden you start snickering. You had turned on my seat warmer all the way to the hottest setting!

“You know what’s sad about that prank? I realized that I am such a bad prankster that I stole that prank from Clooney,” Krasinski confessed. “That’s how unoriginal I am. Basically you got Clooney’d is what you got.”

“Oh my gosh,” Fischer said, laughing. “I got a recycled prank.”

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Mae Whitman

Jamie Mccarthy/Getty; Rodin Eckeroth/Getty

Duringan interview with PEOPLE, Mae Whitman recalled playing Clooney’s daughter inOne Fine Day, and all the attendant hijinks that went along with that experience.

source: people.com