Bad Celebrity Tippers

The Stuff of Legend

The stories are everywhere. Some of the world's most well-known celebrities are also renowned for something much less impressive: their heinous tipping habits. As many a waiter and waitress are only to happy to share, there are plenty of sordid tales involving massive orders of food, unpleasant personalities and pathetic tips to top it all off.

Many of these tales may very well be just that – stories concocted by the tabloid press or half-truths spun around to make said celebrity seem like the world's biggest cheapskate. Then there are the stories that are actually true. These are the ones that are often relayed by the offended party – in cases like these, the waiter or waitress who was essentially stiffed by a larger-than-life celebrity.

Sorting through the stories and discerning fact from fiction may not be the easiest task in the world – after all, most celebrity news out there does stem from the tabloid press –but some of these tales stand out simply because they're so outrageous. In other words, they're truly the stuff of legend.

The Worst of the Worst

Several lists of the world's worst celebrity tippers exist and it's interesting to note that the majority of them share several names in common. Beyond the word of the waiter or waitress who was dealt the unfair lack of tip, this is probably the best proof that a specific celebrity is a poor tipper.

Who tops this list? That's up for debate, but a few names regularly seem to come up whenever the subject of cheapskate celebrity tippers is mentioned. More on that soon, but first let's try to understand why a celebrity might leave a measly tip to begin with.

Give Me One Good Reason

The truth is that there isn't always a good reason to neglect leaving a tip. Unless the server's customer service skills are completely lacking or the entire visit is an absolute disaster that can't be rectified, a tip is usually warranted and always expected. When the party in question includes a celebrity or two (or more) and the order creeps up into the hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of dollars, it's certainly anticipated that the tip will be commensurate.

Sadly, even those celebrities who routinely spend hundreds on a gourmet meal and receive top-notch service don't always leave behind a tip. Some leave just a few dollars when the order total clearly suggests it should be something more. Then there are others who leave absolutely nothing.

Really Bad Celebrity Tippers

It's easy enough to dig up a who's who of bad celebrity tippers, but who are the Tinseltown elite who really stand out as the worst of the bunch? A few of these names seem to crop up quite frequently. Based on the reasons given, it's somehow no surprise that they've developed a reputation for their poor tipping habits!

• Rachael Ray may be a wiz at concocting meals in 30 minutes, but the cook/talk show hostess/author apparently can't be bothered to leave more than a buck or two when it comes to tipping. Rumor has it she tipped $1 on a $10 order. It's no wonder that she manages to stay under $40 a day.

• Britney Spears has been curiously absent from the tabs as she continues to move in a better direction. Still, there's always room for an oldie but goodie, bad Brit story. This involves Ms. Spears tossing a valet's tip on the ground for him to pick up. Look up "bad tipping behavior" and you'll surely find a picture of this remorseful behavior.

• Jeremy Piven is quite possibly the king of all bad tippers. The actor was reportedly banned from all Nobu restaurants for a couple of reasons, not least being his lame excuse for a tip. The actor left an Entourage DVD in lieu of an actual tip and also conducted himself boorishly. Needless to say, he and his own entourage likely won't be welcome again.

• Madonna has it all – except for the ability to tip properly. Those who've waited on Madge claim she's been known to leave nothing at all! What, not even a Who's That Girl? DVD?

• Barbra Streisand is known in some circles as a notoriously bad tipper. One account claims that she's not only leaves behind measly tips, she's also rude to the wait staff!

• Usher hopefully won't influence his fellow bad tippers with this sad move. The singer is said to have once left his autograph as a tip. Enough said.

And One Great Tipper

There are surely some good apples in this rotten bunch, including Johnny Depp. While shooting his latest film, Public Enemies, in Oshkosh, WI, he and his party enjoyed a meal worth $2600. He reportedly left behind a more-than-generous $1500 tip. Looks like a few of Hollywood's elite could stand to learn a thing or two from this gracious guy.