Tony Hawk might just be the least-recognized well-known person on the planet. The iconic skateboarder is now in his 50s, but his legendary status in the skating world—and video game world—has made him a household name. His face, on the other hand, is a different story.
For years, Hawk has shared hilarious stories of people telling him he looks like Tony Hawk. These mistaken-but-not-mistaken identity incidents happen so often that Hawk has made a running joke out of it, often playing along with people’s “Hey, does anyone ever tell you you look like Tony Hawk?” inquiries. Sometimes he tells people he actually is Tony Hawk and they don’t believe him. Sometimes he just says he gets that all the time.
Tony Hawk fans know the joke well, so sometimes they purposefully tell him he looks like himself just for giggles. But a recent elevator interaction combined the ongoing saga’s greatest hits, and may just be, as Hawk says, “where it all ends.”
Hawk shared the story on Twitter.
“This just happened, and maybe this is where it all ends,” he wrote. “Got on an elevator with 3 people. One guy (with his wife), sarcastically: ‘anyone ever tell you…’ and stops. Me (amused): yes, but you’re the first today. His wife: ‘I’m sorry, I tried to stop him from doing the joke.”
Cute, but then it got extra funny.
This just happened, and maybe this is where it all ends:nGot an elevator with 3 people.nOne guy (with his wife), sarcastically: u201canyone ever tell you youu2026u201d and stops.nMe (amused): yes, but youu2019re the first today.nHis wife: u201cIu2019m sorry, I tried to stop him from doing the jokeu201d— Tony Hawk (@Tony Hawk)
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The elevator stopped and the couple got off on their floor. Then the third person on the elevator asked what the joke was. When Hawk explained that he gets “mistaken” for Tony Hawk, the guy said, “Haha you do look like him!” and then exited the elevator, leaving Hawk standing there alone and perplexed by what just happened.
It’s like the guy unintendedly came up with a perfect punchline to a joke he didn’t even know existed. You can’t even write this stuff.
(elevator stops, couple exits to their floor)nOther guy: u201cwhatu2019s the joke?u201dnMe: I get mistaken identity a lotnHim: u201cmistaken for who?u201dnMe: Tony HawknHim: u201chaha you do look like him!u201dnElevator stops again, he exits on his floor. I am left alone, heading upwards & feeling perplexed— Tony Hawk (@Tony Hawk)
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People loved the perfect storm that occurred on the elevator, and shared other fun Tony Hawk mistaken identity jokes.
u201cWhy?u201d Took me out— $emptythatwallet (@$emptythatwallet)
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You should enter a Tony Hawk look alike contest and see what you place— Henny Stabler (@Henny Stabler)
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Apparently Tony Hawk is completely unknown without a skateboard in hand.nnLeft: You look kinda like some guy I recognizenRight: Holy sh!t, you’re Tony Hawkpic.twitter.com/7qTzib8yqe— The Jewish Ginger Resister (@The Jewish Ginger Resister)
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time to bring back this hit tweet https://t.co/4X1c5G1jdO
— 🌿𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕝🔮🐊 (@Samwell_0) April 7, 2022
It’s the ‘Tony Hawk paradox’— FI Guy (@FI Guy)
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And apparently, Tony Hawk isn’t the only famous-but-not-like-Brad-Pitt-famous person to deal with this kind of thing.
Sou2026 like u2026pic.twitter.com/xa1ScJf8XH— Alf (@Alf)
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Good times. Keep on being your cool, awesome self, Tony Hawk—whether people recognize you for real or not.
BTW, there’s a new documentary about Tony Hawk called “Until the Wheels Fall Off” that just premiered on HBO. Check it out: