Why Burt Reynolds dumped a helicopter full of horseshit on a building: “I thought it was only fitting”
An unavoidable downside of movie stardom is an increase in press intrusion, with the most famous celebrities tending to be followed everywhere they go by reporters and paparazzi. Burt Reynolds may have grown accustomed to it, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t above taking the pettiest revenge.
He was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the 1970s, and by default, that made him one of the most talked-about. The moustachioed A-lister was a proven box office draw and a popular figure among the ticket-buying public, but his tumultuous personal life made him the perfect tabloid fodder.
When he wasn’t busy acting, Reynolds was known to become embroiled in feuds with co-stars and filmmakers, was regularly spotted out and about enjoying the trappings of fame and fortune, purchased a minority stake in an NFL franchise, co-owned a Nascar team, opened and closed several restaurants and nightclubs, engaged in some high-profile relationships, and declared bankruptcy more than once.
Living a life that was never too far from the headlines created a rich vein for the tabloids to tap into, and none enjoyed scrutinising every aspect of his existence more than the National Enquirer. Reynolds was a regular presence on either the front page or the gossip columns, and he eventually decided he’d had enough of being the publication’s number one target.
Instead of filing a complaint or writing a strongly worded letter of objection, the actor had a better idea. After moving to Florida, he realised he wasn’t too far away from the National Enquirer‘s headquarters, so he concocted a scheme that involved him tasking the foreman at his ranch to whip up a contraption that would allow him to wreak the smelliest revenge.
Reynolds had two nets packed up with horseshit and enlisted his associate to pilot a helicopter to soar through the skies on Christmas Eve so that he could get one over on the reporters who made their living publishing stories about him, many of which he suggested were completely fabricated.
“Dumping a helicopter full of horseshit on the National Enquirer made me feel great,” he admitted to The Guardian. “They’d been writing crap about me for years, so I thought it was only fitting. One Christmas Eve, my pilot and I loaded my helicopter with manure from my ranch, flew over the building and watched it cascade down their giant Christmas tree.”
In response, the Enquirer released a statement decrying Reynolds’ “malevolent mission,” explaining that it had become “tradition for children to gather” around the Christmas tree to gaze in awe and wonderment at the huge tree and its tens of thousands of lights. “None of that mattered to Burt,” the statement continued, which was an understatement considering he’d covered the tabloid’s HQ in a mountainous amount of shit for his own amusement.
