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Sometimes fame really does go to their heads! Join us as we count down the most hilariously out-of-touch celebrity moments caught on live television! From shocking award show blunders to jaw-dropping talk show confessions, these stars proved that wealth and fame can seriously cloud one's judgment. Did you catch any of these cringeworthy moments as they aired?
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00:00Enough, enough! That's why I stopped doing the car shows!
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the moments celebrities showed an amusing lack of awareness
00:10on live television.
00:11We'll also be including instances that were recorded live to tape and broadcast in their entirety.
00:16You're kidding me, right?
00:18Number 20. Will Smith's Post-Slap Standing Ovation
00:21The feed goes silent, and so does the audience after Will Smith takes a swing at Chris Rock on stage
00:28at the Oscars.
00:30The 94th Academy Awards had already become infamous thanks to Will Smith's shocking behavior.
00:34In one of the most shocking moments ever aired, Smith walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock for making a
00:39joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
00:41Clearly shaken and unsure how to proceed, Chris responds the best way he knows how, with another joke.
00:49That was, uh, greatest night in the history of television. Okay.
00:54Yet, a short time later, the night took another bewildering turn.
00:58When Will Smith won Best Actor for King Richard, the celebrity-filled Dolby Theater rose to its feet in a
01:03prolonged standing ovation.
01:05Live viewers watched as celebs applauded while Smith tearfully delivered his speech, declaring himself a vessel for love.
01:11To do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse.
01:17The dissidence was staggering, and to many, the industry's reaction to an actor who just assaulted a man on live
01:23TV felt completely detached from any semblance of reality.
01:27Number 19. Watermelon Drea.
01:29During an October 2015 episode of The View, then-co-host Raymond Simone sparked backlash while discussing unusual baby names.
01:36Can we take back racist and say discriminatory? Because I think that's a better word.
01:40Yes, it is a much better word.
01:41That's a better word, and I am very discriminatory against words like the ones that they were saying in those
01:46names.
01:46While explaining that she believed certain names could hurt job prospects, the former Disney child star offered a hypothetical example
01:52by saying,
01:53I'm not about to hire you if your name is Watermelon Drea.
01:56I'm not about to hire you if your name is Watermelon Drea.
01:59This is not gonna happen.
02:00The comment landed with immediate discomfort, as the invented name leaned into racially-loaded stereotypes.
02:06Naturally, the remark went viral, and was widely criticized as insensitive and wildly out of touch.
02:12Yep, what was meant as commentary about professionalism instead became a case of anything but.
02:17Number 18. Wendy Williams' Many Tone-Deaf Moments.
02:20Daytime TV thrives on outrageous commentary, but Wendy Williams managed to deliver a string of moments that felt particularly out
02:26of touch.
02:26In January 2020, Williams mocked rumors about Joaquin Phoenix's cleft palate during a segment, pulling her lip to imitate his
02:33scar.
02:34He's got this. He's got this. No, I find it to be very attractive.
02:39Weeks later, she sparked more outrage by ranting about gay men wearing women's clothing.
02:44I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through.
02:50And stop wearing our skirts and our heels.
02:52Days after that, she joked about the tragic murder of therapist Arnie Harwick, referencing Harwick's ex-fiancée Drew Carey by
02:59repeating his Price is Right catchphrase,
03:01Come on down.
03:02If that wasn't enough, in July 2021, Williams mocked the death of TikTok star Swaby,
03:08asking her audience if they even knew who he was before announcing he had been killed.
03:11He's 19, and he was murdered Monday morning.
03:17Yeesh.
03:18Number 17. Adrian Brody's Questionable Award Show Behavior.
03:21Okay, so winning an Oscar is plenty exciting, but Adrian Brody's 2003 acceptance speech veered into head-scratching territory.
03:29I hope that's a compliment.
03:30You see, the pianist's star pulled Halle Berry into an unexpected, overlong, and dramatic kiss,
03:36a moment dismissed at the time as playful spontaneity, but now widely viewed as crossing a line.
03:41I knew nothing about it.
03:42Okay.
03:43Can I say it for real?
03:44Yeah.
03:44I was like, what the f*** is happening?
03:47Jump ahead to the 2025 Oscars, and Brody delivered another odd spectacle.
03:51Before accepting his award for The Brutalist, the actor casually flicked his chewed gum to his girlfriend, Georgina Chapman.
03:58Who gamely sprung into action and caught it in her hands.
04:01He later claimed he simply didn't want to swallow it, but the move struck many as disrespectful, and frankly, more
04:06than a little gross.
04:07And with that, he added another out-of-touch footnote to his award show legacy.
04:12Number 16, Shark Week Confusion.
04:14She came on, she goes...
04:15Today, today, I was like, alright, I don't want to, like, really sound stupid when I did this show today.
04:19They're like, so learn a little education on sharks.
04:22Consider this a science lesson gone sideways.
04:24During a 2013 appearance on Shark After Dark, actress Tara Reid attempted to discuss marine biology, only to accidentally create
04:31TB gold.
04:32Trying to demonstrate that she had done some research, Reid began pondering how whale sharks reproduce, wondering aloud whether the
04:38species could mate with whales, since whales are mammals and whale sharks are fish.
04:42Whale sharks? I'm like, oh, that must mean a whale and a shark have sex.
04:48No!
04:49Oh my god.
04:51Her rambling explanation quickly spiraled into confusion, as host John Wolfe and the panel struggled to respond.
04:56What started as a casual, educational chat about sharks turned into a painfully amusing example of a celebrity confidently explaining
05:03something they clearly didn't understand.
05:05To help her out a little bit, they don't know how a lot of the sharks mate, so...
05:08But not with whales, that's been ruled out.
05:11Number 15, Kanye Hijacked Saturday Night Live.
05:14Kanye West is no stranger to hijacking live broadcasts, right Taylor Swift?
05:19But when Ye served as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live in September of 2018,
05:23he turned the goodbyes into an impromptu political monologue.
05:26After the show, West grabbed a microphone and began delivering an uncomfortable speech praising President Donald Trump,
05:32while also wearing the now famous MAGA hat.
05:34The cast stood awkwardly behind him on stage, as he lectured the studio audience about politics and Hollywood's alleged pressure
05:40to conform.
05:41They bullied me backstage. They said, don't go out there with that hat on.
05:45They bullied me backstage.
05:47They bullied me!
05:49Although the speech didn't fully air in the original broadcast, footage from the studio quickly surfaced online, resulting in many
05:55eye rolls.
05:55There's so many times I've talked to, like, a white person about this, and they say,
06:00how could you like Trump? He's racist.
06:02If someone inspires me, and I connect with them, I don't have to believe in all their policies.
06:08Number 14, Spinning on a Pedestal.
06:11At the 2014 Primetime Emmy Awards, Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara found herself at the center of a controversial comedy
06:18segment.
06:19Our shows continue to have a meaningful impact around the world.
06:23So to demonstrate, we'd love for you to stand on this revolving platform.
06:27During the broadcast, Television Academy chairman Bruce Rosenblum delivered a speech about diversity and opportunity in television.
06:34The issue? He did so while Vergara stood silently on a rotating pedestal behind him.
06:38Television has and will always be about great storytelling.
06:42The bit was clearly intended as tongue-in-cheek, but the optics were rough.
06:46Especially as Rosenblum spoke earnestly about empowering women in the industry.
06:50The awkward visual became one of the night's most talked-about moments, for all the wrong reasons.
06:54Enough, enough! That's why I stopped doing the car shows!
06:58Number 13, Artist of the Millennium.
07:00I consider him the artist of the millennium.
07:02He's a true innovator who pioneered the art of music video, broke down countless barriers, and sold more records than
07:08any other artist along the way.
07:10So happy birthday, my friend, the king of pop.
07:13The 2002 MTV Video Music Awards gave viewers a welcome surprise when Michael Jackson appeared to accept a brand new
07:19prize, the Artist of the Millennium Award.
07:21However, the problem was that no such award existed.
07:24Yep, MTV had simply planned a birthday salute.
07:27The confusion likely came when Britney Spears casually referred to Jackson as the Artist of the Millennium in her introduction.
07:32If someone had told me that one day I would be getting, as a musician, the Artist of the Millennium
07:38Award,
07:39I wouldn't have believed it.
07:41Um, this is really amazing. I can't believe it.
07:45The king of pop likely interpreted the compliment literally, delivering a sincere acceptance speech,
07:49and even picking up a decorative prop beside his birthday cake as if it were the trophy.
07:53And with that, Michael Jackson's celebratory moment quickly morphed into unintentionally awkward TV.
07:59All the fans around the world, I love you. God bless you. Thank you.
08:02Number 12, Adele Dazeem.
08:04Follow this one under the strangest introduction ever given.
08:07During the 2014 Academy Awards, John Travolta stepped on stage to introduce the performance of Let It Go from Frozen
08:13by Broadway star Idina Menzel.
08:15Let it go, let it go. I am one with the wind and sky.
08:22But, instead of saying her name, Travolta confidently announced her as the wickedly talented Adele Dazeem.
08:28They said, oh, by the way, we've changed Idina's name to a phonetic spelling.
08:33I went, but, but, what, what, what do you mean? Go!
08:35The bizarre pronunciation stunned viewers and immediately became an internet sensation.
08:40Travolta later blamed the flub on phonetic cue cards, though even he seemed confused by what had come out of
08:44his mouth.
08:45Within moments, the internet exploded.
08:48What followed were memes, parodies, and even a Travolta-fy-your-name generator widget.
08:52The actor got a do-over the following year, but was criticized again, this time for being extra touchy.
08:57It just threw me a little bit.
08:59How many times a day?
09:00But now it's the best thing that's ever happened.
09:01Yeah, but now...
09:02Number 11.
09:03Sean Strickland's poorly timed tirade.
09:05It's really, uh, really gentrified down here.
09:07It's, like, white and boring.
09:10I like it.
09:11It's been nice.
09:12This was not exactly great corporate synergy.
09:14In February 2026, during a Paramount Plus and UFC media day promoting his fight with Anthony Hernandez,
09:20UFC fighter Sean Strickland delivered a rambling rant that instantly overshadowed the event.
09:25Instead of focusing on the upcoming bout, Strickland launched into controversial commentary about pop culture and sports.
09:32He used slurs, criticized the NFL, and made sexist remarks about women in sports.
09:37Making an attractive blonde girl and, like, everybody gives a f**k.
09:40Everybody gives a f**k.
09:42You get a little Laquisha down in Comden gets kidnapped or f**king Detroit.
09:48No one gives a f**k.
09:49I don't know, man.
09:50He also made crude comments about fighters.
09:52Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano during the press session.
09:55Ronda Rousey can fight.
09:56That b**ch can fight.
09:57She's an Olympian.
09:58Weird f**king Olympian.
10:00I mean, I think she lost a few fights to her ex.
10:02The awkward timing made the moment particularly tone-deaf,
10:05as the event was supposed to promote UFC's new partnership with Paramount Plus.
10:09Oof.
10:10Number 10.
10:10Toilet Racism.
10:12Sometimes, when a celebrity says something racist on a TV show,
10:15others on screen don't pick them up on it.
10:17Unfortunately for Kelly Osbourne, that didn't happen for her in 2015 on The View.
10:22As the group was discussing Donald Trump's immigration policy as he rose in polls,
10:26Osbourne chimed in with a tone-deaf comment she likely thought would inspire an applause break.
10:31If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?
10:37Immediately, her co-hosts called her out, causing Osbourne to frantically backtrack.
10:41I'm not part of this argument.
10:43I think what you're saying is that Trump himself probably relies on a lot of these people that he's insulting.
10:48The outrage from viewers was just as intense as she was forced to apologize publicly.
10:53In 2024, when looking back at the incident, Osbourne regretted her comments,
10:57calling it the worst thing she's ever done.
10:59I'm not okay that I hurt people's feelings, and it was my poor choice of words,
11:03and it doesn't reflect my opinion at all.
11:05Number 9. Cardboard Minion
11:07Kim Kardashian is well-known for being over-the-top when it comes to her excessive lifestyle.
11:12Even so, no one was expecting her to admit to one bizarre habit during her appearance on Jimmy Kimball Live
11:17in 2024.
11:18You have someone take the Starbucks sleeve off your coffee because you hate the sound of cardboard.
11:23And I, yes, that's true, and I hate the feeling.
11:25The host asked Kardashian about a variety of rumors, including that she has someone else remove the cardboard sleeve from
11:31her Starbucks order,
11:32which she confirmed.
11:33Apparently, Kardashian despises the feel and sound of taking it off, comparing it to nails on a chalkboard.
11:39Whoever I'm with, I just can't see it being done, or I can't hear it, and I can't feel it.
11:44So, she hands it to whoever she's with to dispose of it for her.
11:47Apparently, it doesn't extend to all cardboard, just the coffee sleeves.
11:51So, when the Amazon delivery driver comes, do you, like, run upstairs?
11:56This fear of cardboard that you have?
12:00Only on a coffee cup.
12:01Wow, all this stuff is true so far.
12:04Number 8. Space Sing-Along
12:06In 2025, the Blue Origin NS-31 mission, a trip involving several celebrity women, took off into space for 11
12:13minutes.
12:14Liftoff.
12:17New Shepard has cleared the tower.
12:18While this may have seemed like a milestone for them, it wasn't celebrated by more down-to-earth types.
12:24The trip was already criticized for cringy content in the run-up, the expense of it when most people are
12:29struggling financially and damaging the environment,
12:31resulting in it not being well-received by the public and even other celebrities.
12:35Think about how many resources went into putting these women into space.
12:39For what?
12:40For what?
12:41What was the marketing there?
12:42And then to try to make it, like, I'm disgusted.
12:45Literally, I'm disgusted.
12:46It got worse when footage came out of Katy Perry singing It's a Wonderful World in space,
12:51showing her set list for her tour, and treating the experience as a pivotal moment in human history.
12:56It's not about me.
12:56It's not about singing my songs.
12:59It's about a collective energy in there.
13:02It's about us.
13:03With all the backlash, Perry responded that she regretted the public spectacle of the mission.
13:07Number 7. Quarantine Jail
13:092020 was a rough year.
13:11After all, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to remain stuck in their homes during lockdowns,
13:16and unable to see family and friends in person.
13:19It says, be kind to one another.
13:21Here's another one, be kind to one another.
13:24Another type of mask.
13:25But fear not.
13:26Celebrities were there to remind everyone that they have it worse than we do.
13:29While filming an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show at her abode,
13:33the host made a thoughtless joke that enraged viewers already frustrated by everything.
13:37DeGeneres compared being in lockdown in her home to being in jail.
13:41This is like being in jail, is what it is.
13:43Yikes.
13:44People were livid that she was making such a comparison as she sat inside her large estate.
13:49Others pointed out that the virus was running rampant through prisons,
13:52making the comment even more distasteful.
13:53We know this is a very serious situation that we're all dealing with.
13:58Number 6.
13:59Tribute to Herself.
14:00In 2018, we sadly lost the great Aretha Franklin.
14:04In memory of the Queen of Soul, from one music monarch to another,
14:07the MTV Video Music Awards had the Queen of Pop, Madonna,
14:11do a tribute to Franklin as she presented the Video of the Year Award.
14:14Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life.
14:20However, instead of providing a moving speech about the legend,
14:24Madonna decided she would focus on her own music career and accomplishments,
14:27barely touching upon Franklin's life.
14:29I blurted out,
14:31you made me feel
14:34silence.
14:35You made me feel like a natural woman.
14:39Two French guys nodded at me.
14:43I said, you know, by Aretha Franklin.
14:46With all the backlash involving accusations that Madonna had given a self-indulgent speech,
14:51she responded that her words weren't even meant to be a tribute.
14:54So,
14:58you're probably all wondering why I'm telling you this story.
15:01There is a connection.
15:03Because none of this would have happened,
15:07could have happened,
15:08without Our Lady of Soul.
15:11Instead, she claimed she was asked to provide an anecdote about Franklin.
15:14Long live the Queen.
15:18Number 5.
15:19The Most Hardship Award
15:21When you think of people who have lived hard lives and kept pushing back,
15:24Paris Hilton isn't a person who springs to mind.
15:27However, for her,
15:28no one has had it tougher.
15:29Now when people look at me,
15:30they think that I'm something I'm not,
15:34just because of one incident one night.
15:35Appearing as a guest alongside her mom Kathy on Piers Morgan Live in 2011,
15:39the host asked her questions about her controversies,
15:42including the release of her intimate video and media scrutiny,
15:45which is a terrible situation to be in.
15:47It's something that's changed my life forever,
15:49and I'll never be able to erase it.
15:52However,
15:53after mentioning her thick skin,
15:54this sparked Hilton to state the phrase,
15:56Everything bad that can happen to a person has happened to me.
16:00Understandably,
16:01people who weren't multi-millionaires,
16:03and hadn't grown up in wealth like Hilton,
16:05weren't exactly feeling sympathetic.
16:07Number 4.
16:07Gay Pop
16:08In 2024,
16:10Jojo Siwa went from a child-friendly,
16:12colorful hair,
16:13bow-wearing performer,
16:14to a sparkly,
16:15glam goth rebrand,
16:16which was largely mocked.
16:18I was a bad girl,
16:19I did some bad things.
16:21While chatting with Billboard,
16:23she commented that when she was talking with a record label,
16:26she told them she wanted to create a new genre of music,
16:29gay pop.
16:29What's that?
16:30And I was like,
16:31it's like K-pop, right?
16:32But it's gay pop.
16:33People were livid at the implication that Siwa was seemingly alluding
16:37to being the first LGBTQIA plus person in pop music.
16:41They also pointed out the history of LGBTQIA plus musicians,
16:44such as Elton John,
16:46Freddie Mercury,
16:47and Tegan and Sarah.
16:48Due to the backlash,
16:49Siwa claimed she meant she wanted gay pop to be an official genre of music,
16:53and she desired to be its chief marketing officer.
16:55Yes, there's so many gay pop artists.
16:57Oh my God,
16:58there's so many.
16:59Number 3.
17:00Having a Hard Time
17:00I appreciate that people are having a hard time.
17:03Me too.
17:04Yeah.
17:04I work for a living.
17:06If I had all the money in the world,
17:07I would not be here.
17:08In 2007,
17:10actor Whoopi Goldberg joined the talk show The View.
17:12In 2016,
17:14she extended her contract that was reportedly worth up to $6 million,
17:17on top of having had a high-paying Hollywood career.
17:20So,
17:21when she compared her financial stability to those with a lower income,
17:24it didn't land well.
17:25I'm a working person,
17:27you know?
17:27And my kid has to feed her family.
17:31In 2024,
17:32The View panel was discussing the theory
17:34that working-class voters chose Donald Trump for U.S. President
17:37due to struggling financially.
17:39Goldberg proclaimed she understood that people were having a hard time,
17:42as she was too.
17:43But the thing that's bothering everybody
17:47should not be the thing that
17:50puts 85% of other people in danger.
17:54After all,
17:55she doesn't have all the money in the world,
17:57so she has to work on The View.
17:59Understandably,
18:00viewers were baffled by the grossly out-of-touch statement.
18:03Number 2.
18:03Writer Blame
18:04You know what makes employees feel super good?
18:06When their wealthy boss chucks them under the bus in a public setting.
18:09Look, I'm just taking this all in.
18:11Let me look around.
18:12I'm taking this all in.
18:13I'm so excited to be here.
18:15Well,
18:15for writers who helped devise Joe Coy's opening monologue
18:18at the 2024 81st Golden Globe Awards,
18:20that's what happened.
18:21After bombing with one awkward and outdated joke after another,
18:25gathering groans from the audience,
18:27Coy needed to save himself.
18:28Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book
18:33about the Manhattan Project.
18:35And Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies.
18:39As well as mentioning only getting the hosting job 10 days before,
18:42he uttered that he only wrote some of the jokes.
18:45After a brief rant,
18:46he went further
18:47and claimed the ones people were laughing at
18:49were devised by him.
18:51Slow down.
18:52I wrote some of these
18:52and they're the ones you're laughing at.
18:54Look.
18:54Yikes.
18:55With all the backlash to that comment,
18:57Coy apologized to his writers publicly.
19:05Before we continue,
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19:31Number one.
19:33Pseudo-psychiatry.
19:34Tom Cruise has had plenty of interviews
19:36that haven't made him look great,
19:37but his one in 2005 with Matt Lauer on Today
19:40would have likely destroyed anyone else's career.
19:42I've never agreed with psychiatry.
19:44Ever.
19:48Before I was a Scientologist,
19:49I never agreed with psychiatry.
19:50And then when I started studying the history of psychiatry,
19:52I started realizing more and more
19:54why I didn't agree with psychiatry.
19:55The host questioned Cruise
19:57on his previous criticism of Brooke Shields
19:59for taking antidepressants
20:00to combat postpartum depression.
20:02So,
20:03Cruise stated his belief
20:04that psychiatry is a pseudoscience,
20:06despite the evidence to the contrary
20:08and the lives saved by it
20:10and other similar treatments.
20:11Here's the problem.
20:12You don't know the history of psychiatry.
20:15I do.
20:15Cruise went further
20:16by essentially comparing psychiatric medicine
20:18to illegal substances
20:19and claiming a chemical imbalance
20:21in the brain doesn't exist.
20:23But,
20:23but aren't there examples where it works?
20:25Matt, Matt, Matt.
20:26You don't even,
20:27you're glib.
20:28You don't even know what Ritalin is.
20:29This,
20:29mixed with other erratic behaviors,
20:31saw Steven Spielberg fall out with Cruise
20:33for many years
20:34and caused Paramount to split with the star for a while.
20:37Because I don't talk about things
20:38that I don't understand.
20:39I'll say,
20:40you know what?
20:40I'm not so sure about that.
20:42I'll go find more information about it
20:43so I can,
20:44I can come to an opinion.
20:46Did you witness any of these outrageously
20:48tone-deaf celebrity moments live as they aired?
20:50Share your reactions in the comments below.
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