Celebrity Interviews Broadcasted On Live TV That Went Horribly Wrong

Some celebs handle interviews like pros as they go through the motions, throw in a few jokes here and there, and walk away unaffected. Others? They seem to have a little trouble when it comes to staying out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons. These are the awkward celebrity interviews that leave people talking about them for years to come. You know the ones that involve stars walking out, making a fool of themselves, and upsetting the world? They’re the ones. It turns out that some interviews have gone so badly that they will forever go down in history as the worst ones of all time.

Courtney Love made things pretty awkward in an interview with Madonna

For anyone who wasn’t around in the ‘90s, here’s a quick history lesson: Courtney Love and Madonna were two of the biggest names in the industry thanks to their successful music careers and personal lives that appeared to dominate the headlines. It was no surprise when Madonna was interviewed at the VMAs. The part that was a little more unexpected came when Courtney Love somehow invited herself into the interview.

That should have been a sign that things were about to go terribly wrong, as Courtney entered the chat by throwing a shoe at her fellow musician. It wasn’t long before the entire interview was filled with plenty of underhand insults and tense moments, as no one really had any idea about what was going on.

Joan Rivers told an interviewer to “shut up” live on air

You know that things are probably going badly when the person being interviewed tells the interviewer to “shut up.” Sadly, a CNN host was about to learn that the hard way when they had 81-year-old Joan Rivers on the show. The late comedian is known for her barbed tongue and speaking her mind, and it seems she wasn’t ready to have her “shock value” questioned by the host.

Instead, Joan let her have it by asking if the host was wearing leather shoes before quipping, “Then shut up. I don’t want to hear it.” Although the host seemed to laugh it off and tried to move on with the interview, things remained pretty tense after the somewhat heated exchange between the pair.

Harry Belafonte fell asleep while he was on live TV

What happens when the person you’re interviewing is a little too comfortable, and they fall asleep? Hopefully, it’s something that most of us will never have to learn, but it was something a host at a local California news show was about to find out. Singer Harry Belafonte was 84 years old at the time when he was dragged onto the show.

The problem? It appears that Harry was less than impressed to hear questions he had answered several times before and preferred to use the time to catch up on some z’s instead. It might come as little surprise that the hosts had no idea how to react as they thought Harry was merely meditating before they tried to serenade the musician.

Jerry Seinfeld wasn’t impressed with Larry King’s questions about his sitcom

Let’s face it; Larry King is and always will be one of the most famous faces when it comes to interviewers across the US. He has been behind several memorable moments throughout his career. Still, his time interviewing Jerry Seinfeld in 2007 is one Larry would probably rather forget.

Although the actor is famous for co-creating and starring in the sitcom ‘Seinfeld,’ Jerry was there to promote his latest animated movie ‘Bee Movie.’ It wasn’t until the pair got into the interview that things heated up, as Larry asked Jerry if his hit sitcom had been canceled. The actor simply replied it was “the number one show in television” before asking, “Do you know who I am?” Larry later confessed he only appreciated ‘Seinfeld’ later down the line.

Marc Summers and Burt Reynolds had a water fight on Jay Leno

If there is one thing you didn’t want to do, it was mess with Burt Reynolds. As well as being a top Hollywood actor, Burt had also been around the block a few times and knew how to handle most situations that came his way. Sadly, Marc Summers, the host of a Nickelodeon game show, appeared to be more used to dealing with children and wasn’t ready for full-force Burt.

The pair appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’ together in 1994, where Marc started joking about Burt’s divorce. Cue Burt tipping water over his co-star for the night before Marc retaliated with a drink of his own. It eventually escalated to pies being thrown around before host Jay Leno got caught in the crossfire.

Tony Danza didn’t realize his mic was on when he started dragging local news shows

It’s no secret that some stars love nothing more than promoting their work and talking to the media, while others prefer to keep themselves to themselves. It seems that actor Tony Danza wasn’t overly impressed when he agreed to participate in a local news show. The problem? It wasn’t wrong before the rest of the world learned that, too.

That’s because someone forgot to tell Tony that his mic was on while he sat and waited for his introduction. In the end, everyone got to hear Tony complain about local news stations, interviews, and the process of it all. He stated, “those news shows are terrible,” before sarcastically adding, “I’m gonna be a part of the local news! How exciting!”

R. Kelly made some disturbing comments in his 2008 interview

It’s now no secret that R. Kelly has been accused of several crimes that could be enough to send him behind bars for the rest of his life, such as allegedly kidnapping and holding girls hostage and inappropriate behavior with minors. However, he wasn’t always behind bars. In fact, R. Kelly was once one of the biggest names in the R and B scene.

Even so, he has been accused of several wrongdoings throughout his career, including the time R. Kelly was interviewed by BET in 2008. Here, the musician had a chance to put any rumors about his inappropriate behavior to rest. That was until he replied, “When you say teenage girls, how old are we talkin’?” when asked if he was attracted to young girls.

David Letterman wouldn’t stop talking about jail with Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton was one of the first influencers the world of Hollywood has ever seen. She was making it hot before the rest and set the bar high when it came to her own reality show. Without Paris, we wouldn’t have the likes of the Kardashians on our screens. Sadly, things haven’t always been easy for the now businesswoman and DJ as Paris was briefly arrested in 2007.

While David Letterman is one of the most famous interviewers of all time, it seemed he was a little too focused on Paris’ brush with the law as he wouldn’t talk about anything else during her interview on ‘Late Night,’ even though she made it pretty clear she didn’t want it to be discussed.

Robert Pattinson ended an interview with Ryan Seacrest

There was once a time when teenagers everywhere were either Team Jacob or Team Edward. There was no in-between. That’s right; ‘Twilight’-mania swept the world as people couldn’t get enough of the franchise or the stars of the movies. Robert Pattinson played the part of Edward Cullen in it all and got pretty close to Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, throughout the story.

It wasn’t long before rumors circulated that Rob and Kristen were in a real-life romance, and that’s what caused things to go so terribly wrong. Host Ryan Seacrest got off to a good start while interviewing Rob. That was until he asked the actor about the romance, only for his publicist to step in and pull the plug on the talk.

Charlie Sheen became a meme with his “winning” interview

There is becoming a meme, and then there’s Charlie Sheen. The actor has always been known for speaking his mind and being a little out-there with his thoughts, but he took things to an entirely new level in 2011 when he showcased his Tiger Blood stage. Things hit new heights during his interview with ‘Good Morning America’ that eventually paved the way for the ‘Winning’ song many of us know and love.

Charlie started by telling the world that he doesn’t have bipolar disorder; he’s actually “bi-winning.” He went on to compare the likes of Mick Jagger and Frank Sinatra to “droopy-eyed armless children” in a whirlwind five-minute interview that will forever go down in the history books as one of the most bizarre moments of all time.

Samuel L. Jackson was confused for Laurence Fishburne

There’s a good chance that learning who you are interviewing is probably one of the first things that people should do before heading to the air. Samuel L. Jackson is easily one of the most famous actors of all time, thanks to his incredible list of hit films and awards under his belt. Still, none of that was enough for one entertainment reporter to remember the star.

Jackson was the star of a 2014 news interview, where the interviewer asked the actor about his latest Super Bowl commercial. The problem was that it wasn’t Samuel L. Jackson who appeared in the ad: it was Laurence Fishburne. As soon as Jackson realized what was happening, he blurted, “We don’t all look alike!”

Ben Affleck took things to a creepy level back in 2004

Ben Affleck has always been a famous face in Hollywood, but it seems even that isn’t enough to mean he knows how to handle himself in an interview. The talk in question took place back in 2004 when things took a pretty disturbing turn for the host. Anne-Marie Losique was forced to try and keep her composure as Ben decided to straddle to Canadian presenter.

Things very quickly went from bad to worse. Ben started talking about Anne-Marie’s chest and how she usually shows more in interviews and how everyone would prefer it if she took her top off for the interview. He might have been drinking, or he might have overstepped the mark. Whatever the case, the interview quickly went downhill.

Vanilla Ice destroyed the Daily Show set with a baseball bat

If there is one thing you probably don’t want to do, it’s ask a rapper to destroy something with a baseball bat. At least, that might be a note for all future interviewers when it comes to welcoming Vanilla Ice onto the show. Jon Stewart used to be the host of a show that counted down MTV’s worst videos.

It was here that Vanilla Ice was asked to destroy a copy of his hit song ‘Ice, Ice Baby’ with a baseball bat. While it might have seemed fine on the surface, it wasn’t long before the rapper decided to turn the bat on everything in sight and proceeded to smash up the entire set. Janeane Garofalo later admitted she was “genuinely afraid.”

Jane Fonda was adamant she wasn’t talking about cosmetic procedures to Megyn Kelly

Being an activist and actress means that Jane Fonda has made quite the reputation for herself. That wasn’t enough to see her hold back when she was interviewed by Megyn Kelly for a stint on ‘Megyn Kelly Today.’ Here, it seemed the host was a little more than obsessed with the idea that Jane might have been under the knife for a cosmetic procedure or two.

Megyn started out asking Jane all about the procedures before questioning why she wasn’t proud to admit that she’d had work done. Jane’s response shut the host down in seconds, as she asked, “We really want to talk about that now?” Megyn later made matters worse by defending her actions by seemingly slating some of Jane’s career.

Things got pretty awkward between Madonna and David Letterman in 1994

It seems that Madonna has been at the center of more than one celebrity interview that went terribly wrong. This time, it wasn’t due to an unexpected guest: it was thanks to how she behaved during her talk with David Letterman. To this day, no one really knows if Letterman was enjoying his talk with the star back in 1994.

Things took strange twists and turns throughout it all as Madonna kept dropping curse words and offered up a pair of her underwear as a gift for the host, who appeared to be less than impressed with it all. Of course, looking like he’s annoyed has always been a part of Letterman’s draw, meaning no one has figured out if it was all for the cameras or not.

Drew Barrymore revealed everything to David Letterman during an interview

There appears to be something with David Letterman and strange happenings in celebrity interviews. Of course, the host has interviewed several stars throughout his career, meaning there is always the chance that something unexpected will play out on the small screen. That was just what happened when Drew Barrymore arrived at the set.

She appeared on the show in 1995, which just so happened to be Letterman’s birthday. The actress decided this was the perfect excuse to give Letterman a dance on his desk before Drew lifted her top to the host and exposed more than anyone thought she would. Although the audience didn’t see a thing, Letterman later told Drew he still tells his friends about the moment now.

Shannon Tweed walked out of her interview with Gene Simmons

It comes to something when your own partner has had enough of you in an interview and decides to exit stage right. Sadly, that was the case for Shannon Tweed when she appeared alongside Gene Simmons on ‘The Joy Behar Show.’ Here, it didn’t take long for the conversation to shift to the number of women Gene has supposedly been with throughout his life.

Many wondered how Shannon even made it this far into the interview, especially when rumors that Gene had been intimate with 5,000 women were brought to the table. In the end, it all proved to be too much for her to handle, as Shannon got up and walked away when Gene replied to Joy’s question, “How’s your back, Gene?”

Sacha Baron Cohen spilled ashes over Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet

We’re not sure that many of us can say we thought of it before, but we think it might be time to add getting covered in someone’s ashes to the list of things we don’t want to happen in our lives. Sadly, it seemed that Ryan Seacrest didn’t have much of a choice when Sacha Baron Cohen arrived on the red carpet in 2012.

Ryan has been to the Oscars several times and has seen all kinds of things. However, nothing prepared the host for Sacha to pull out an urn that supposedly contained the former North Korean leader’s ashes as the actor claimed, “It was his dream to come to the Oscars.” That was all before the ashes “accidentally” got dumped onto Ryan.

Daniel Kaluuya called out an interviewer for not watching Get Out

The thriller movie ‘Get Out’ was the talk of the town back in 2017 as people across the world tried to come to terms with the meaning behind it all and how the scenes unfold. It was a huge hit for everyone involved, including the star of it all, Daniel Kaluuya.

The movie – and actor – were up for several awards when someone from Sky News pulled the actor over for an interview. Here, they started asking Daniel, “What does the story mean to you?” before they added, “it’s a very different story” and “it ticks a lot of boxes.” It didn’t take Daniel long to realize that the interviewer hadn’t actually seen the movie and therefore missed the entire point of the film.

Barbara Walters savagely took down the Kardashians

Being a TV host means that sometimes, people have to interview people they don’t necessarily like. That appeared to be the case for Barbra Walters as she settled into her show. She was in the middle of hosting the ‘10 most Fascinating People of 2011’ when Barbara was joined by some of the Kardashian Klan.

Kris Jenner, Kourtney, Khloe, and Kim Kardashian all arrived to give their take, but Barbara wasn’t here to play. The host started listing everything the family can’t do, such as “You don’t act, you don’t sing, you don’t dance,” before she knocked the entire thing out of the park with the line “You don’t have any, forgive me, talent.” Khloe quickly tried to defend the family by saying, “we’re still entertaining people.”

Danny DeVito enjoyed a few drinks before his time on The View

We guess there are only so many times you can do an interview before you need to find a way to spice things up, right? That appeared to be what was going on for Danny Devito before he appeared on the talk show ‘The View’ back in 2006. The actor has appeared in a host of productions, meaning he is often a hot topic of conversation.

Here, Danny admitted that he had been up all night drinking with none other than legendary actor George Clooney and he seemed to be a little worse for wear. The twist? Some people think that he could have still been under the influence of drink, given his behavior and the way he talked throughout the interview.

Cara Delevingne wasn’t in the mood for the hosts of Good Day Sacramento

‘Good Morning Sacramento’ was supposed to be in for a treat when model and actress Cara Delevinge agreed to an interview. However, things headed south from the moment they started, thanks to a host of reasons. To start, there was the satellite delay that means both parties were sat blinking for a few seconds until the feed caught up.

Then, there were the questions about whether Cara had read the book the movie was based on and why she was “less excited” to be there. Oh, and the moment they called her “Carla.” However, there was no coming back from the moment one host stated Cara should “go take a little nap, maybe get a Red Bull.” Cara checked out with both sides blaming the other for the interview.

Things almost got physical between David Letterman and Crispin Glover

To date, people are still trying to figure out if Crispin Glover really was as manic as he seemed during his 1987 interview with David Letterman or if the actor was trying to play up to a character. While we may never know the true answer, it certainly made for an interesting interview when the pair came face to face.

Although the entire discussion was odd from start to finish, it was the part where Crispin started challenging the host to an arm-wrestling competition that things got really strange. That was topped off by the fact the actor almost kicked Letterman in the face, and the host was left visibly nervous as a result. After all, it’s not every day that people get attacked in an interview.

Anne Hathaway had enough of Jerry Penacoli asking about her figure

Some actors will go to any length to ensure they have what it takes to fit into a role. That appeared to be the case for Anne Hathaway as she trained hard for her role as Catwoman in ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ However, that wasn’t the only thing Anne did to prepare for the part or the only skills she showed off in the final production.

That didn’t stop Jerry Penacoli from focusing on nothing but the fact that Anne appeared to be in shape for the role. The host had already landed himself in trouble for asking Scarlett Johansen about her outfit in ‘Avengers.’ In the end, Anne was so sick of his questions that she asked Jerry “Are you trying to fit in a catsuit?”

Tables were flipped when Jim Rome interviewed Jim Everett

There aren’t many of us that would take on a quarterback, but we guess there could be times they might see the funny side. Deliberately calling them by the wrong name until they flip out in an interview might not be the best way to make a name for yourself. Amazingly, that appeared to be the road interviewer Jim Rome took when talking to quarterback Jim Everett.

Rome kicked things off by calling Everett Chris Evert, a former female tennis champion. That was enough to push Everett to a new level, who threatened the host by asking him to “call me Chris Evert one more time.” Rome smirked before he tried his luck, resulting in the entire table getting flipped and the cameras cutting to a break.

Wendy Williams took down Omarosa when discussing plastic surgery

If there is one thing that many of us have learned about Wendy Williams, it’s that the TV host doesn’t hold back when she has an opinion or two to share. That was something Omarosa was about to learn the hard way, as the former ‘Apprentice’ star arrived on Wendy’s talk show. Here, the pair quickly ended up discussing cosmetic surgery.

That was until Omarosa accused Wendy of having work done on her nose, something that didn’t go down well with the TV host. Wendy snapped back that “They say good black doesn’t crack,” before adding, “But it’s cracking.” It might have been one of the biggest burns in TV history as Wendy continued to suggest that Omarosa headed for some cosmetic procedures.

Gary Coleman flipped out when he was asked about domestic abuse accusations

It seemed that Gary Coleman wanted to make one thing clear: he didn’t agree to an interview with ‘The Insider’ to talk about recent allegations of domestic abuse. If you don’t believe us, then just listen to the actor, who was quick to go off in one of the longest rants ever to take place during an interview.

It’s safe to say that things got pretty out of hand as no one knew how to stop Gary as soon as he got started. The actor cussed, he insulted the hosts, and he made a huge scene as he was so unimpressed with the questions. At one point, Gary even suggested that the hosts should end their lives, and he wouldn’t care when they did.

Vin Diesel made Carol Moreira pretty uncomfortable in 2016

What’s the best way to make a host feel uncomfortable throughout an interview? Call her what you believe to be complimentary names? Ask how you are supposed to continue when you think they are the most beautiful thing in the world? Get on your knees and crawl across the floor toward them?

If you thought one of them would be bad enough, then you might want to sit down when you learn that Vin Diesel thought all of them would be a good idea during his 2016 interview with Carol Moreira. Even Carol told the world that she was “completely uncomfortable” throughout the entire thing, and she “did not know how to react” to Vin Diesel. Carol even turns to ask for help from the crew at one point.

Mark Wahlberg had too much to drink on The Graham Norton Show

Being a part of the Wahlberg clan means that Mark is one of the more famous faces on the scene. That doesn’t mean he is exempt from an awkward interview that went terribly wrong or two in his time. Mark appeared on the British talk show ‘The Graham Norton Show’ where guests are encouraged to try a drink or two.

Sadly for everyone else on the set, Mark got a little carried away. Even the actor asked why Graham would allow people to drink. The actor asked Graham if he wanted to compare their downstairs areas and told several inappropriate stories. However, things took an even more unexpected turn when Mark later told the world that his behavior was all pre-planned.

Jesse Eisenberg came across as pretty mean during his 2013 interview

The crime-thriller movie ‘Now You See Me’ helped several actors reach the bigtime, with Jesse Eisenberg one of the many on the lineup. He was invited onto the show ‘Say My Name’ with host Romina Puga to talk about the upcoming film. Still, it didn’t take long for Jesse to turn pretty mean as he threw insults and jabs at the host.

He said that Romina was “the Carrot Top of interviewers” and asked if she was going to cry. In less than three minutes, Jesse appears to become one of the meanest celebrities, with Romina adding that the actor allegedly continued the abuse when the cameras stopped rolling. Romina even told Tumblr that Jesse is “not very nice,” even though the interview lasted five minutes.

Things got a little heated between Jack Nicholson and Jennifer Lawrence

It’s not every day that two celebrities are the reason that things get so awkward in interviews. Amazingly, that was the case for Jack Nicholson and Jennifer Lawrence as the interviewer quickly realizes they have lost control of the post-Oscars discussion in 2013. The actress had just won an award for her latest movie role but was soon distracted by someone else on the red carpet.

It turned out that Jack Nicholson was standing right behind the actress, and she couldn’t wait to get to know her new friend. The pair started flirting back and forth as Jen asks “do I look like a new girlfriend?” among several other escalating questions. While it might not have been the worst interview, the interviewer certainly wasn’t in control.

Tom Cruise couldn’t help but jump on Oprah’s couch

It seems that Tom Cruise’s interview with Oprah might be one of the most memorable moments in Hollywood history. It all took place back in 2005 and became one of the most talked-about moments on the small screen, but Tom’s appearance wasn’t the only thing that got so many people talking.

Oprah had just moved from her slot on the ‘Dr. Phil Show’ and was about to make her mark as her own TV show host. From there, things only got more memorable as Tom started jumping up and down on her couch when talking about his latest love, Katie Holmes, even though he was supposed to appear on the show to discuss his latest movie. It certainly made an impact on the world.

Robert Downey Jr. walked out of an interview when he was asked about addiction

Actor Robert Downey Jr. has come a long way since his former days, but it appears he wants to leave a lot of his life in the past to focus on the present. At least, that was the case when he appeared in an interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy. The Channel 4 interviewer has a reputation for making people feel a little uncomfortable in discussions.

However, this went to a new level as Krishnan started asking Downey Jr. about his former battles with addiction and complicated relationship with his dad. That was enough to see the actor, who had already asked if he was there to talk about the latest movie or his personal life, get up and walk out of the interview.

Kanye West took complete control of his interview with Ellen DeGeneres

Kanye West has a reputation for being, well, Kanye West – and it doesn’t seem that’s set to end anytime soon. He appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show in 2016, where the host asks the rapper about the time he asked Mark Zuckerberg for some money. That quickly led to an unplanned rant that saw Ellen lose all control of the situation.

Even the seasoned host couldn’t get Kanye to stop, as he went on for six minutes about his thoughts on how great artists – himself included – could change the world. He likened himself to Walt Disney and Steve Jobs as Kanye turned away from Ellen and spoke directly to the cameras and audience. Things were even stranger as Kanye would switch between whispering and shouting throughout it all.

Russell Brand called out the hosts of Morning Joe in 2013

It’s no secret that Russell Brand has given some memorable interviews throughout his career. Still, it looked as though several people were on the star’s side when he appeared on ‘Morning Joe’ in 2013. Here, things seemed to start well, but they quickly took a turn when the show hosts began to talk about Russell in the third person, almost as though he wasn’t even there.

Six minutes into the interview, Russell appeared to have had enough, as he questioned if this is what the hosts “do for a living” and thanked them all for their “casual objectification.” Thankfully for Russell, he kept his composure as he called out the show hosts and hijacked the interview to ensure he was a part of the conversation.