00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable times
00:12a celeb tried hard and possibly failed to get their point across.
00:16As an early promotion for a stage documentary, Joaquin Phoenix turns this moment into performance
00:45it.
00:46He's deliberately playing a more aloof version of himself.
00:48As David Letterman dissects his guest, Phoenix hides behind the beard and sunglasses.
01:04Audiences didn't know what to make of this appearance before it came out as a stunt.
01:07The host mostly pokes fun at the actor for his self-serious and stubborn work.
01:12Looking back, you see glimpses of the Joker star trying to stay in character.
01:16His experiment didn't exactly pan out, beyond this curious piece of late-night history.
01:20As for getting people to see his movie, the leading man basically failed.
01:40Oscar winner Oliver Stone made a name for himself writing films like Scarface and directing
01:44Platoon.
01:45He's also known for diving into controversial topics, with this late-show interview focusing
01:49on his Vladimir Putin project.
01:51The director discusses having intimate access to the Russian leader, and even seems to defend
01:56the man.
01:57Drawing backlash from the audience, the guest and his lenient stance on Putin doesn't garner
02:01any support.
02:15Stephen Colbert gives the filmmaker a few chances to expand, but the latter's explanation feels
02:20oddly biased.
02:21The appearance puts Stone and his political beliefs in a complicated light.
02:25In retrospect, this comes off as an artist's weak attempt to placate a dangerous guy.
02:30Stephen Colbert's live election night, democracy's series finale, who's going to clean up this
02:37shit?
02:38On the night of the 2016 election, many Americans were going through a diverse mix of emotions.
02:52Jeff Goldblum tried to articulate his own feelings as a guest on the Showtime special.
03:10With host Stephen Colbert guiding him, the actor mustered up some inspiration through the panic.
03:15It's not entirely coherent, but it ultimately ends with a message of positivity.
03:33Goldblum might not have been the ideal candidate for that night's show, either.
03:37He can't get mad at somebody for working through their feelings on live TV.
03:40In his best attempt to make sense of the world, The Wicked Star proves that improvising a profound
03:45dancer isn't easy.
03:46If you know anything about Chet Hanks, you know how this interview will go.
04:14Z-Way uses her skills at needling the famous son for his worst ideas.
04:19These include thoughts about what accents he can and can't use.
04:23Talking about Jamaican patois, Hanks makes the segment awkward with his bold thoughts.
04:27He doubles down on his ability to say anything with whatever voice he deems fit.
04:40It's both shocking and somewhat hilarious in a dark way.
04:44There's something wild about the way he seems to fly in the face of good taste or self-awareness.
04:48The host milks the interview for all it's worth, setting up the man for a crazy appearance
04:52that you won't soon forget.
04:59He's a subject of controversy for all sorts of reasons, with a penchant for conspiracy theories.
05:17This made his segment on Piers Morgan's show even more insane.
05:21Alex Jones is full of energy, spouting off his beliefs about all things gun control and
05:25more.
05:26He completely turns the show on its head, too.
05:28Morgan can barely get a word in Edgeways, unable to control his guest.
05:32Jones doesn't do a great job keeping his cool either.
05:46At one point, he even employs a British accent.
05:53This was all before his more recent run-ins with legal troubles and viral moments.
05:58The Infowars host and his screaming became even more infamous here.
06:19Unafraid to speak his mind, Norman Mailer becomes the villain of this The Dick Cavett Show episode.
06:24The author tries to act tough, and flex his intellect for fellow guests.
06:29Unsurprisingly, the other on-screen talent isn't impressed, and neither is the crowd.
06:43This leads Cavett to make one of his best quips ever, leaving Mailer largely in the dust.
06:47While the writer reels from the verbal setback, he mostly comes off as a pedantic and annoying jerk.
06:59He could have saved himself on multiple occasions, but he seems more interested in showing off
07:03his ego.
07:04Gore may bring up everything, because the contents of his stomach are no more interesting than
07:08the contents of the stomach of an intellectual cow.
07:10After his time on Seinfeld, Michael Richards tries his hand at stand-up.
07:28One awful night on stage turned into a racist rant.
07:31He later joined Jerry Seinfeld's interview on The Late Show to apologise, but it only got
07:36worse from there.
07:37Richards appeared via satellite, and awkwardly tried to make his case.
07:40With the audience laughing, the actor was helpless to do anything.
07:46His career continued to dip afterwards, and the performer largely avoided the spotlight for
07:59years.
08:00For many people, he's still known as the guy who went from Kramer to a disgraced comedian.
08:05This appearance on an iconic talk show was doomed to fail, creating a bizarre moment instead.
08:15Back when people cared more about NFTs, celebrities seemed desperate to jump on the bandwagon.
08:32There's no better example of this than a soulless ad from Paris Hilton via The Tonight Show.
08:37Jimmy Fallon helps the guest explain the digital concept, but the audience seems bored of the
08:42ape artwork.
08:43It goes to show that most everyday people don't care about something so expensive and intangible.
08:55Hilton tries to be cool about it, but she and Fallon come off like two bad salesmen.
08:59We can only imagine what the producers were thinking when they tried to make this interview
09:03work.
09:08After being caught with a lady of the night, Hugh Grant went on an embarrassing press tour.
09:25This includes one stop at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
09:28You have to hand it to the actor for trying, but there's no getting around the scandal.
09:32He tries to make his case in the face of Leno's relentless jokes.
09:35Grant gives into the process, knowing ultimately that he's not wiggling out of this one.
09:52The presenter and the audience seem thrilled to be there, but it's clear that the guest
09:56still feels humiliated about his mistake.
09:59At the very least, we commend the Love Actually star for enduring the trial by comedic fire.
10:05The English press are far, far worse, aren't they, than the American press in this regard?
10:10Or maybe not?
10:11Well, no, they've never been famous for their restraint.
10:13Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
10:18about our latest videos.
10:19You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
10:22If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
10:28Given his controversial reputation, Lester Maddox makes a not-so-fun trip to this show.
10:47Dick Cavett allows the Southern politician to dig his own metaphorical grave.
10:52With guests like Jim Brown next to him, Maddox is outnumbered and eventually decides to leave.
11:05This also comes after some clever wordsmithing from Cavett.
11:08The host tries to get Maddox to explain himself, but things only get worse from there.
11:13After watching this segment, you won't be surprised to know the governor became a symbol
11:16of segregation.
11:17This desperate appearance even inspired the likes of Randy Newman to poke fun at it.
11:23So, did we forget another celebrity interview that reeks of desperation?
11:30Let us know in the comments below.
Comments