Celebrity

‘Blue Bloods’ Fans Gush Over Donnie Wahlberg After He Left Massive Tip for IHOP Server

Blue Bloods fans can’t get enough of Donnie Wahlberg’s generosity heading into the new year. […]

Blue Bloods fans can’t get enough of Donnie Wahlberg‘s generosity heading into the new year. After the actor left a $2,020 tip for a $75.45 bill for Illinois IHOP server Bethany Provencher on New Year’s Day, fans are flooding social media to praise the kind gesture.

“Donnie has always been that guy , generous, helpful , and a great role model for anybody, on camera or off, he’s that guy,” wrote one fan. “Salute Donnie , wish the people in the world were more like you !!!”

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“Way to go Donnie,” tweeted a second after hearing of the massive tip. “You’re a wonderful human being!”

“Wow that is so amazing! What a way to start out somebody’s new year,” added another fan of the Blue Bloods actor. “This is one reason why you have been my favorite New Kid for over 30 years and I hope to one day be able to meet you. Happy New Year to you both.”

“That’s is so amazing!” wrote a fourth. “I can’t even imagine the look on her face when she saw that receipt. [Donnie Wahlberg] such a wonderful gesture.”

“That just goes to show how genuine and thoughtful he is!” shared another. “Grateful for celebrities like this that appreciate the fans and don’t let stardom overshadow their inner being. Thank you Donnie and Jenni for being you!”

The giant tip was left at the start of 2020 as Wahlberg and his wife, Jenny McCarthy, stopped in for a sit down meal at an IHOP location near their St. Charles, Illinois home. Provencher, the couple’s waiter who has “loved Donnie my whole life” and “was a very big New Kids on the Block fan when I was a kid,” was left overwhelmed by the gesture.

“I said ‘okay, thank you, guys, come again. I’ll take care of you again,’” Provencher explained when speaking to PEOPLE. “Then I open it, and I almost fell to the floor.”

“I just started crying,” Provencher continued. “I couldn’t believe it. I mean, who does that? It was a blessing. I just moved into an apartment, I’m a single mother — by myself with my son. So I struggle every day to make ends meet. And now I can buy furniture and put some money in the bank, and make sure my son is good.”

Later in the day, called the IHOP to speak with Provencher, a single mother of one who has been a server for 25 years and called the experience “the greatest thing to ever happen in my life.”