Zach Galifianakis saved an 87-year-old from homelessness

Hollywood
Zach Galifianakis saved an 87-year-old from homelessness and has been paying her rent for years

It is a story that is currently in good use – in these difficult pandemic times, it is nice to read something completely positive. We owe this to the actor Zach Galifianakis, who became famous thanks to the cheeky comedy series “Between Two Ferns” and his role in the “Hangover” movies.

But the successful US comedian also started out small. As a young man, he appeared at every opportunity in small shops, bars and burger restaurants in Los Angeles, hoping for the big break. For a long time there was no money for this, apart from small donations from the public. The now 52-year-old could not afford to live big. His apartment was too small to even have a washing machine – so he regularly took his laundry to a small neighborhood laundromat. There he met Elizabeth, called Mimi, Haist.

For Zach Galifianakis, Mimi was a friend in hard times

Mimi Haist, now 87, worked in the laundromat for more than two decades. The salary wasn’t high, but she loved her job as she enjoyed talking to the visitors. In the neighborhood, Haist was a little celebrity that everyone was fond of. But especially between Galifianakis and the old lady a real friendship developed. Until one day the comedian stopped coming. With one of the leading roles in the first “Hangover” film, he had made the long-awaited career leap, had become known and suddenly made good money. Good enough for accommodation that (not only) had room for a washing machine. He no longer had to go to the laundromat.

But he hasn’t forgotten his old friend Mimi. And one day he heard that the old lady had lost her job in the laundromat and was therefore no longer able to afford her apartment. Having become homeless, she found shelter with friends. Her salary had never been enough to save up reserves. The now wealthy Hollywodd star did not want to leave that behind: He went looking for Mimi Haist, and finally met her in the apartment of a family friend. Galifianakis promised to find an apartment for her and to pay all the costs.

In times of need, he didn’t let Mimi down

And it didn’t stop there: He brought his colleague, actress Renee Zellweger, on board, who has a passion for interior design. She planned (and bought) Mimi Haist the complete interior design for her new apartment. The 87-year-old had never imagined her retirement home to be so luxurious.

It didn’t stop with this one nice gesture: The comedian and his very special friend have since resumed their friendship as closely as before. Galifianakis did not invite his partner or a family member to the Hollywood premieres of his films “Hangover 2” and “The Agony of Choice” – but the woman who had encouraged him and put him in a good mood in difficult times. He picked up Mimi in a limousine and walked with her over the red carpet. “I dress nicely and a friend helps me with the make-up,” reports the 87-year-old. “It’s a lot of fun for me, I never thought I’d experience something like that. Afterwards I’ll drive home in the limo.”

Sources: “Goalcast”, Instagram

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