George Clooney admitted on the “New Heights” podcast that he has orchestrated elaborate pranks on fellow actors, using fake letters signed as both former President Bill Clinton and his friend Brad Pitt. Clooney’s tales shed light on the creative lengths he went to, particularly highlighting one memorable Brad Pitt prank letter sent to Meryl Streep, and how many in Hollywood fell victim to his signature mischief.
Clooney’s Presidential Prank Letters Target Hollywood Stars
During his appearance with Jason and Travis Kelce, Clooney detailed how the practical jokes began with a stack of stationery given to him by Jimmy Kimmel. Clooney explained,
“Jimmy Kimmel gave me a stack of stationery with a presidential seal and Bill Clinton’s name on it,”
adding,
“And I would send notes to all these actors from Bill Clinton, I’d sign it — and I’d find a movie that wasn’t a great film and I’d write, ‘I loved you in this film.’”
Over the years, Clooney targeted at least 30 actors, often choosing films that were not critically acclaimed for his fake praise.
Echoing his dedication to the joke, Clooney said,
“I’d write these notes, and I’d send them. I sent [them] to, like, 30 different actors,”
before declaring,
“I guarantee you some of them are framed in some of their homes. Guaranteed.”
The prank not only fooled many but even led some to display the forged correspondence as mementos, completely unaware of the deception.
Prank Letters Using Brad Pitt’s Identity
Clooney’s playful deceptions didn’t end with presidential correspondence. He obtained another set of personalized paper—this time bearing Brad Pitt’s letterhead—from Kimmel as well. Clooney concocted a more elaborate ruse, centering on a peculiar gift sent to Meryl Streep.
“Somebody sent me this book of dialects on CDs, where you could do an Irish accent or you could do a French accent,”
Clooney said, going on,
“There’s a guy who teaches [accents]. And I had this big book. I don’t know why I had it, somebody sent it to me.”
He described his next move:
“And so I take a note with Brad Pitt’s [signature] and I send it to Meryl Streep. And I go, ‘Dear Meryl, from Brad — this guy helped me in my accent in the movie ‘Troy,’ and I thought maybe you could use it,’”
continuing,
“And I sent her this book of accents from Brad Pitt.”
The Reveal and Reactions to Clooney’s Prank
Clooney eventually confessed the prank to Meryl Streep years after sending the mysterious gift. Reflecting on the encounter, he recounted,
“Like, four years later, I see her and I tell this story, and she’s like ‘Oh my God, I was wondering why the f—k he’s sending me [this book],’”
sharing his amusement that such pranks have become a long-running feature of his friendships. Clooney also mentioned the reciprocal nature of their practical jokes:
“It’s so awful. We’ve done a lot of terrible things to each other. He’s done terrible things to me, man, so it all comes out.”
Through these stories, Clooney’s mischievous streak stands out as a hallmark of his off-screen relationships. The Brad Pitt prank letters add another chapter to Hollywood’s history of playful antics among stars. With many targets still unaware of the fabrications, and others displaying the forged letters proudly in their homes, Clooney’s tales reveal the unpredictable, and sometimes tense, humor that defines his connections in the entertainment world.
