The Surprising Celebrity That Henry Winkler Sent A Fan Letter To

Though receiving fan mail from the public is a regular occurrence in many celebrities' daily lives, the notion of celebrities sending other celebrities appreciation letters is probably less heard of. Regardless, "Happy Days" star Henry Winkler took his own chance at contacting one of his celebrity idols when he sent a letter to an artist he cherishes: country singer Jelly Roll. Winkler, whose wife didn't realize how famous he was when they began dating, adorably reached out to the star, to whom he formally refers to as "Mr. Roll," he told Kelly Ripa on "Live with Kelly and Mark" in a video shared on the show's Instagram page in October 2024. "I write thank you notes, or fan notes, and I wrote one to Jelly Roll," Winkler said. "'Dear Mr Roll.' And I never thought I would hear back."

To Winkler's surprise, Jelly Roll acknowledged the letter, and Ripa facilitated a video response from the singer to thank him. Jelly Roll showed appreciation for Winkler and his message. 

"I cannot tell you how much that meant to me," Jelly Roll told Winkler in his video message. "I will send you a picture when I get home. I hope you don't mind, I framed it. I hung it up on my wall, where I have handwritten lyrics from Craig Morgan, all the stuff that's really been special in my career." If their pending meetup ever takes place, the "I Am Not Okay" singer warned Winkler to be prepared for a hug. "I can't wait to see you and hopefully give you a hug, man," Jelly Roll said in the video. "I'm a big hugger. I'll squeeze you."

Though some folks nowadays might find letters to be an outdated form of contact, Henry Winkler, who's been around long enough to have almost landed John Travolta's role in "Grease," still embraces the method. What's more, he is no stranger to delivering thank you notes to celebrities and creatives he adores, like Jelly Roll. On a 2019 episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," he said he feels compelled to recognize the work of people he finds exceptional. "If you see something and it is so incredible — if you see a performance, like Sam Rockwell as Fosse, you have to write a letter," Winkler told DeGeneres. Both sadly and jokingly, however, Winkler mentioned he does not receive fan mail.

Winkler once sent a letter to "Yellowstone" and "1883" creator Taylor Sheridan out of appreciation for his series. "I said it's amazing to spend time with your storytelling because we are loving every episode of these things," Winkler told E! News in 2022. He noted his letters are written purely out of genuine respect for someone's work, and not in the pursuit of earning himself opportunities. "I'm very happy where I am," he said regarding his career.