The Unexpected Role David Schwimmer Played in Rod Stewart’s Divorce

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As a star of the beloved sitcom Friends, David Schwimmer has rubbed shoulders with many of the entertainment industry’s elite. But in an interview on Tuesday, January 14, the People Vs. O.J. Simpson actor, 58, revealed to The Late Show host Stephen Colbert that one of his earliest celebrity encounters — with pop superstar Rod Stewart — was less than glamorous.

Schwimmer explained that when he was a teenager, he was “just looking for work” over the summer when his mom, a divorce lawyer, suggested he work as a process server for her. “I was the guy who would pop out of the bushes and serve you divorce papers,” the Madagascar actor recalled.

“Once, oh man, thank goodness I’ve never run into him since, but I served Rod Stewart,” the Goosebumps actor explained, before wondering whether the twice-divorced singer, now 80, would seek vengeance on him. “I don’t even know if he knows. I don’t think he knows.” Colbert, 60, joked that Stewart “knows now,” and that Schwimmer should change the locks on his door.

Colbert warned Schwimmer, with whom he did improv comedy at their alma mater of Northwestern University, that he “could theoretically run into Rod Stewart sometime,” and that now the “Maggie May” singer “knows to punch” the actor.

Stewart, who celebrated his 80th birthday on January 10 by sharing photos of his large family, is currently married to his third wife, Penny Lancaster. He has eight children from five different mothers.

While Schwimmer did not provide any details about the divorce papers he served, he mentioned that the encounter took place between his first and second years of college. Stewart and his first wife, Alana Stewart, divorced in 1984, and Schwimmer would have been 18 years old at the time.

Despite his feigned fear of retribution from Stewart, Schwimmer looks back fondly at his unusual summer job, saying he felt “like James Bond” when he received a tip about where to serve someone their papers. He also recalled being a roller skating waiter at a Chicago restaurant, along with several other odd jobs he took before getting his big break.