Golden Star: ‘Hangover’ Star Zach Galifianakis Pays Rent for Homeless Friend

Here’s one star who didn’t forget his friends.

When the stars of the comedy Hangover III take to the red carpet for the glamorous premiere, comedian Zach Galifianakis will have an unusual Hollywood date: A formerly homeless 87-year old laundry woman who Galifianakis befriended before he became famous.

Elizabeth “Mimi” Haist was homeless, surviving off tips in the laundromat that Galifianakis used when he was a nobody. She alternated sleeping on friends’ couches.

Now that the funnyman has fame and a sizable income, he pays her rent.

That’s right.

Zach Galifianakis has provided Mimi with a one bedroom apartment for two years. He’s even taken her to premieres before. The New York Daily News reports: 

“All the fans were taking photos and I waved at them, I said, ‘They don’t know who I am!’ ” said Haist of her prior premiere experiences.

“Afterwards, they have a party at somewhere close by and you meet the stars. I drink lemon drop martinis with Grey Goose vodka.”

Haist first met Galifianakis in 1994, when the then-unknown comic was a newcomer to Los Angeles trying to get his big break. He moved into an apartment around the corner and was soon a regular visitor to Fox Laundry, where she volunteered — surviving off tips from customers.

The Hollywood star stopped coming after the success of the first “Hangover” movie.

“Maybe he has his own washer and dryer now,” Haist said.

Two years ago, the funnyman discovered that Haist — who was married earlier in life but has been on her own for the past 30 years — was homeless. He swooped in and found her a one-bed, one-bath apartment and started covering her rent and utilities.

What a sweet story. Good on Zach Galifianakis. He’s our Golden Star of the week.

Read more at New York Daily News.