Before Zach Galifianakis became a household name, he was just another aspiring comedian hustling in Los Angeles—doing stand-up in odd places and scraping by with side gigs. But it was at a neighborhood laundromat in 1994 that a life-changing friendship began. There, he met Marie “Mimi” Haist, an elderly woman volunteering at the laundromat and quietly living between the machines after falling on hard times.
Despite his own early struggles, Galifianakis was deeply moved by Mimi’s situation. Long before fame came knocking, he stepped in to help—finding her an apartment and covering her rent. Later, actress Renée Zellweger joined in, furnishing Mimi’s new home and adding an unexpected sparkle to her life.
As Galifianakis rose to fame, especially after The Hangover, he never forgot Mimi. He took her to red carpet events as his date, giving her a taste of the glamorous world she’d never known. Mimi embraced it all with grace and gratitude, her story eventually told in the 2016 documentary Queen Mimi, which captivated audiences with its tale of resilience, kindness, and unlikely connection.
Though Mimi passed away in 2021, her legacy—and the rare friendship she shared with Galifianakis—continues to inspire. It’s a reminder that small gestures of compassion can ripple out in the most beautiful, unexpected ways.
