February 2, 2024

Samuel L. Jackson ‘Pretended To Be Security’ For Magic Johnson While On Vacation

"During COVID I could have my hat, my sunglasses, and my mask on and I pretended to be security. So I would actually take pictures for other people with him."

Samuel L. Jackson appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday, Jan. 31, where he gave an insight into his vacation time with Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, according to People. He revealed that, at times, he acts as if he is the NBA Hall of Famer’s security.

Jackson told Kimmel that he and Magic vacation together yearly. Sometimes, while they are out and about, fans recognize the former basketball player, and during the coronavirus pandemic, he went unrecognized, and they didn’t typically approach him.

“When COVID was happening, that was kind of like the best for me in a way,” Jackson expressed to the talk show host. “I’d be with Earvin. Everybody knows him. He’d take a picture with the worst person on the planet.”

The fact that they wouldn’t recognize him, and while he was with Magic, they, instead, would ask Jackson if he could take a photo of the fans with Magic.

“During COVID, I could have my hat, my sunglasses, and my mask on, and I pretended to be security. So I would actually take pictures for other people with him.”

He also stated that the two of them have a friend who is also Black and has a bald head, and he gets away with signing autographs because people think that the friend is actually Jackson.

“We have another friend who travels with us, John Palmer. He’s Black and bald, so they think he’s me,” Jackson said. “So he signs a lot of autographs and takes a lot of pictures, too.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Magic spent $7.5 million last summer on a 42-day vacation with Samuel L. Jackson, NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, and Judge Greg Mathis. The group took some time on a luxury yacht cruise and stopped by France, Italy, Greece, and Montenegro before ending the journey in Croatia.