Why George Clooney gifted his 14 best friends $1 million each

November 17, 2020

George Clooney in GQ's Men of the Year issue
George Clooney in GQ’s Men of the Year issueJason Nocito

George Clooney really is quite the friend.

The Oscar winner confirmed rumors that he gave a whopping $1 million each to his 14 closest pals back in 2013.

“I just thought basically if I get hit by a bus, they’re all in the will. So why the f–k am I waiting to get hit by a bus?” he explained in GQ’s Men of the Year issue.

George Clooney covers GQ's 2020 Men of the Year issue.
George Clooney covers GQ’s 2020 Men of the Year issue.Jason Nocito

A few years ago, Clooney’s close pal Rande Gerber shocked fans when he told MSNBC that Clooney had invited their group of friends over for dinner and surprised them each with a suitcase containing $1 million in cash. (This was long before Clooney, Gerber and another business partner sold their Casamigos tequila brand for $1 billion).

In the new GQ interview, Clooney, 59, said that when he decided to gift all that moolah to his friends, he was single, aging and didn’t expect to have a family. The actor-director is now, of course, married to wife Amal Clooney and the father of 3-year-old twins Alexander and Ella.

“And I thought, what I do have are these guys who’ve all, over a period of 35 years, helped me in one way or another,” he recalled. “I’ve slept on their couches when I was broke. They loaned me money when I was broke. They helped me when I needed help over the years. And I’ve helped them over the years. … And I thought, you know, without them I don’t have any of this.”

Clooney also confirmed the bit about the suitcases — and said they came from the high-end luggage brand Tumi.

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