Top 10 Celebrity Interviews That Got Uncomfortably Desperate

WatchMojo

Sometimes even the stars crash and burn on camera! Join us as we examine the most uncomfortable, cringe-worthy, and desperate celebrity interviews ever aired on television. From bizarre antics to failed damage control, these celebs tried (and often failed) to make their case in front of millions of viewers.

Transcript

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.

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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.

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