Are you sitting uncomfortably? 31 of the most awkward celebrity interviews...
From Grace Jones slapping Russell Harty to Cara Delevingne's Paper Towns interview, we remember those interview moments that made us gasp, cringe and cover our faces. Did they really ask that? Yes, they did. Here are the most awkward moments in celebrity interview history.
ITVTonya Harding
Piers Morgan is no stranger to awkward interviews, so when we heard disgraced figure skating champion Tonya Harding was going to appear on Good Morning Britain, it inevitably wasn't going to be a smooth-running. The 48-year-old, who attended the 2018 Golden Globes to support I, Tonya - the film in which Margot Robbie plays her - appeared on the show to discuss her past and the film. However, when Piers accused her of "playing the victim", she threatened to walk off.
"Maybe it suits you to play the victim, the victim was Nancy Kerrigan," Piers said, referring to the woman who was clubbed in the knees with a police baton by a man affiliated with Tonya and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly.
In response, Tonya said: "I respect you for trying to ask these questions, I'm here to talk about the future and what it means, my movie is going to help so many people, that it is OK to ask for help. So that's why I'm here."
She continued: "Thank you so much but I think I'm going to have to say have a good night."
Watch the full interview here.
Complex/ YoutubeBella Hadid
The most cringeworthy interview of this year came from a very unexpected celeb, Bella Hadid. The model rarely mentions anything other than her family and her career on interviews - so her faux pas was very unexpected. Featured in the series of videos Complex does, where stars (usually rappers) go shopping for trainers, Bella made some "comments" on Air Max 95s that went so viral it even became a meme. Aside from saying 'dope' and 'fresh' more than anyone should, the word 'homeboy' found its unfortunate way into her answers:
"You know, I'm cool with it, and I don't mind dirty sneakers, but they better be fresh, you know?" Bella began.
"If homeboy's coming through with these it's quiet. Yeah, no, it's quiet for him." - she talks pointing to trainers that are not Air Max 95s, then she sees them...
"But, like, if comes through in these, homeboy's gonna, like... get it."
Oh Bella why? Watch the whole interview here.
Rex FeaturesDionne Warwick
Good Morning Britain got super awkward when invitee Dionne Warwick shut down Susanna Reid for trying to ask questions about the late Whitney Houston - who was Dionne's cousin. Warwick was at the morning show to discuss the Dot Com children’s foundation benefit concert, where she will be performing. But things got a nasty turn when the presenter, Susanna Reid, seemed to be more interest in discussing a recent documentary on Whitney Houston - and Dionne accused Susanna of trying to “hurt” her:
“We’re not going to discuss that, OK? That’s a bygone conclusion,” she said. “We’re not discussing that, we’re here to discuss Dot Com ... First of all, this is a very personal thing,” she said. “Why would you guys even want to continue to hurt me like that? Because that does hurt? So let’s leave it there. Can we go on talking about Dot Com now?”
Ouch. Watch the whole interview here.
ITVJean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini
Cheryl's ex, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, had a little chat with Richard Arnold and it was so AWKS that even Susanna Reid said so! The French businessman was interviewed on the show, with Richard asking, "We know you through Cheryl – are you in a good place now?"
JB dodged the question, saying: "I couldn’t be more happier, it's my new venture, it started last night it went very well. It cannot be better!"
Pushing his luck, Richard went one step further asking him if he had a message for Cheryl and the baby? (eek!), JB looking noticeably uncomfortable and said said: "It's the 70th film festival - we might as well focus on the festival and making it the best possible, I want to make it count..."
Harry Styles
Harry Styles joins our list with a very recent, very awkward interview with BBC 1 Radio - well, awkward for him, for us it was quite delightful.
If you didn't remember back in 2012, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift were an item. And although Taylor is famously known for writing heartbreak songs about her exes, it was Harry Styles who took the mic to speak about their relationship. The lyrics of Two Ghosts, one of the tracks in his new solo album, says: "Same lips red, same eyes blue; Same white shirt, couple more tattoos".
Harry's fans were 99% sure the song was about Taylor, but finally host Nick Grimshaw was bold enough to ask for them: "What is this song about?"
"I think it's pretty, like, self-explanatory," an uncomfortable Harry said, shifting in his seat. "I think, y'know it's about sometimes things change and you can do all the same things... and sometimes it's just different, y'know?"
The host went on two play the track saying: "OK, here we go. The one about Taylor Swift". And Harry screamed: "Aaah noooo!".
REX FeaturesKieron Richardson
Remember when Kieron Richardson from Hollyoaks went on to This Morning and basically gave a massive spoiler away about whodunnit on the show? Well, it was all FAKE.
A few weeks ago, in a conversation with Phil & Holly, the actor said he just "lost his job" after he accidentally hinted that his alter ego may be behind Amy Barnes' shocking murder on the show.
He said: "The performances are absolutely brilliant. Ashley who plays Amy Barnes is an absolutely fantastic actress.
"Even in my final scenes when I... no. Is this live? Have you got any jobs here? I might need one."
After his epic gaffe, Kieron asked: "Can I go?" before running off the set.
You can watch it here.
ANYWAY, turns out, he was just pulling our leg. Taking to Twitter to share a behind the scenes video from a few weeks ago in which he reveals his cunning plan.
Filming himself just ahead of going on air, Kieron says: "I am about to go on This Morning. 'I'm just winding everybody up because everyone thinks they've figured it out. I feel like I'm on some secret mission! It's going to be really good, really scary. I'm going to test my acting skills today!"
Youtube / Watch What Happens Live with Andy CohenNaomi Campbell
Fans of Naomi Campbell and Rihanna were left confused with rumours swirling that the pair have had a bust up. The supermodel was a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and the host decided to address the spat, which all started over a couple of unfollows. Cohen read out a viewer's tweet which called out the fact the pair had unfollowed one another on Instagram, asking on behalf of the fan: "Is everything ok between the two of them?"
"Everything's fine," replied Naomi. "I don't have beef, especially with black women that I think are powerful. We're out there doing the same thing, and doing the same struggle." It was all a bit awks. You can watch it here.
Vin Diesel
The latest in a long string of awkward interviews, Vin Diesel's encounter is a toe curler - and this time it wasn't because of an interviewer's probing. The actor took a liking to a Brazilian reporter and awkwardly starting coming on to her during an interview. She became clearly mortified when Vin started calling her "fcking sexy" and got onto his knees to creep towards her. Eeeek! The journalist, named Carol Moreira, started looking around at her crew for help, but there was no stopping Vin. Nearing the end of the interview, he stated, "She's so f**ing beautiful you can't even do an interview with her 'cause you're just like..." He continued: "Am I right or am I wrong? Someone save me. When did this turn into beautiful world? When did this turn into the most gorgeous girl in Brazil? When did this turn into I love you?"
Watch the full interview here.
TODAY ShowKourtney Kardashian
Kourtney Kardashian was recently a guest interviewee on Australian TV show Today Extra - but when Sonia Kruger and her co-host David Campbell asked her a question about sister Kim's robbery things got REALLY awkward...
When the question was asked, someone off camera began talking to Kourtney, at which point the reality TV star froze and didn't answer the question. For a really long time. When presenters asked "can you hear us?" multiple times with a blank response from Kourtney, David said: "I think she's totally blanking me on that question. She could just say her sister is fine! I mean I think we just said that you know we're very concerned, and we were on side and we hoped that everyone's fine, which I still do."
After the ad break, Kourtney came back and answered the question. We're all so confused.
Watch the interview here.
redeyehours/YoutubeEllie Goulding
Oh gosh, we can't deal with this. It's just too awkward. Ellie Goulding was on an Australian TV show talking about her new song for Bridget Jones's Baby and a question led to Ellie being asked if she pregnant with Prince Harry's baby. Yes, really.
Ellie replied: "I'm not having a baby anytime soon." The Presenter Carrie Bickmore then bluntly asked if she's having Prince Harry's baby.
"Not having a baby with Prince Harry either, yeah?"
Handling it like the pro she is, Ellie laughed: "Please don't make me go red. I'm bright red.
"Why did I have a feeling that was going to come up? Naughty people!"
Ellie was linked to Prince Harry earlier this year - could her redness be a sign that something happened between the two? Crosses fingers
Watch the interview here.[/b]
Rex FeaturesGemma Arterton
Face palm moment - Lorraine interviewed Gemma Arterton on her TV show and went down the 'You're so normal!' route. Unfortunately, as the conversation carried on, it veered on to Gemma's size, and Lorraine asked her if anyone had asked her to lose weight for a role.
Gemma replied: "They wouldn't do it anymore, I wouldn't work on those movies. I'd run a mile, I would do it if it was necessary for a part but not just aesthetically."
But Twitter went wild, and didn't seem too happy about Lorraine's line of questioning.
Watch the interview here.[/b]
TodayPatrick Dempsey
We all know that language barriers can be cause for nightmares, but when Patrick Dempsey wrongly uttered an Australian colloquialism on Aussie morning show, Today, laughter and mayhem ensued.
Speaking about his knowledge of the country, the Bridget Jones's Baby star said he knew that 'traveller' meant beer that you travel with. Errr, has someone been pulling your leg, Pat? A 'traveller' is an erection that develops while on public transport, FYI.
Erupting into laughter, TV hosts Karl Stefanovic tell Patrick: “You’re not supposed to say that”. Confused, the actor replied: “What’s a traveller? Have I just alienated everyone in the country?”
Watch the interview here.[/b]
Rex FeaturesJenna Coleman
While being interviewed on This Morning for her upcoming series, Victoria (in which she plays the monarch), Jenna Coleman was left unimpressed by Kate Garraway's awkward line of questioning regarding another royal altogether...
Slipping in the cheeky question, Kate asked: "Talking about passion, there have been pictures of you and Prince Harry". She continued: "I'm assuming you were together for research, for the Royal Family?"
Jenna, who was clearly a bit perturbed by the question (rightly so - she's here about her role!) replied politely: "No, he is a friend of mine."
The atmosphere then got a little frosty, as Jenna thanked Kate and Ben Shepherd for their time.
Watch the interview here.
BBCDan Walker
Dan Walker of the BBC's presenting career has been put through the ringer during his Rio Olympics deployment.
First, his presenting slot was interrupted by a man urinating in the sea, then he was harassed by a Brazilian hen party live on air. And now? Well this has to be the most unfortunate yet...
While giving the Rio updates live from the city, when it became apparent that a couple were getting very frisky on the beach behind him. Awkward. Like a pro, Dan laughed and played it down, saying: "They're having a hug. They're reading a book... in a strange pose." Good save. Did Dan Walker annoy someone in a former life? Why are the Gods of live broadcast trying to punish him?!
Rex FeaturesChloe Mafia
People are cringing out about CBB 2016 evictee Chloe Mafia's interview with This Morning's Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford after Eamonn scolded her sexy Big Brother antics with Bear.
In the uncomfortable interview, Eamonn blasted Chloe, saying: "He is a controller and you fell for it. He controlled you." Chloe then tried to defend her romance, saying: "He did ask me to wait for him - we've got plans. He said we would go away for a few days when he gets out."Speaking about her now-infamous sexy toilet encounter with fellow housemate Bear, Eamonn berated "You appeared to be doing more than kissing," before saying: "You weren't having a wee. You must have had terrible constipation with all those groans." TMI... You're not her dad, Eamonn!
Rex FeaturesLouise Thompson
Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson had a bit of a cringe moment on live TV when she got a bit sweary on the family friendly TV show, Sunday Brunch.
Viewers at home found the interview fairly awkward when Louise was grilled by Tim Lovejoy about a future episode of MIC, and she accidentally said she was "pissed off" about something. Naughty naughty.
Getty ImagesPenelope Cruz
It was all smiles in this pre-interview photo with Penelope Cruz and Today Show host Savannah Guthrie, but that was before they started chatting about Penelope's "ugly feet". Face-palm.
When chatting about Penelope's new film Zoolander 2, Savannah (randomly) decided to bring up the subject of feet. She said: "I don't even know how I feel about this. I think you said it, that you, despite what you look like... you've said you have ugly feet." With a confused look, Penelope answered with "no, no, no, no! I haven't said that. I'm OK, I'm OK with my feet. I haven't said that." Wish the floor would swallow you up, Savannah?Attempting to explain what she meant, she went on "because you were a dancer..." Penelope explained: "When you're a ballet dancer, you lose your toenails. You get used to throwing them away. You don't even feel it anymore." Bringing it back to her feet, Penelope said " I think they are OK," to which Savannah replied "OK, you think they are pretty?" "No, no. I think they are normal." PLEASE JUST STOP.
Watch the interview here.
Leslie Mann and Dakota Johnson
Funny girls Leslie Mann and Dakota Johnson were in a mischievous mood on the day that they were interviewed by WSVN reporter, Chris Van Vliet. When being interviewed about their new film [i]How to Be Single[i], they decided to shower Chris with compliments about his appearance, shouting to their team "Look, guys!", "Hot guy". They even went on to persuade him to remove his jacket and undo several of his shirt buttons so they could get a better view of his chest. Things got a little bit cringe when the reporter (who was loving it BTW) started unbuttoning to reveal his hairy torso. Becoming delirious after hours of press interviews and answering the same questions girls? Either way, we don't care, we love it.
Watch the interview here.
The Ellen ShowKourtney Kardashian
You can always rely on Ellen DeGeneres to ask the most awkward questions... and she certainly didn't fail us in her interview with Kourtney Kardashian when she grilled her about those Justin Bieber rumours. When Kourtney visited her show, she asked Kourtney if Justin ever helps out babysitting her three kids, Kourtney immediately broke out into a huge grin and started blushing. "We're friends. Yes," she told Ellen, to which the host replied, "You're smiling as if maybe it's beyond friends." "I've been smiling this whole time since I've been sitting here," Kourt retorted, before reaching for a glass of water. See the interview below, we reckon her face says it all... Watch the interview here.
Nicole Scherzinger
2015 hasn’t been a great year for Nicole Scherzinger – and to make it worse she had to endure an awkward interview with American TV host Wendy Williams. The singer looked on awkwardly as Wendy asked her about her split from the “really wealthy” Lewis Hamilton and how she had wasted seven “good” years on him. And the cringe factor continued, with Wendy adding: "I was saying, truth, because you're 37, this is a woman who spent seven years of her life breaking up and getting back together. Poor us because THEY can have babies whenever they want. Those are seven years you can never get back and he was really wealthy. I was rooting for you, girl. I'm sorry to hear about that."
Watch the interview here.
KTLASamuel L Jackson
Things didn’t go well for KTLA host Sam Rubin when he interviewed Samuel L. Jackson and confused him with another actor – Lawrence Fishburne. While reeling off his accomplishments, the host mentioned a Super Bowl commercial – something SLJ has never done but Lawrence Fishburne has. "I'm not Laurence Fishburne. We don't all look alike! We may be black and famous, but we don't all look alike!," the actor exclaimed.
Watch the interview here.
CBSCara Delevingne
Cara Delevingne had a notoriously awkward interview with the US TV Show Good Day Sacramento. Things got off to a bad start when the interviewers call her “Carla” but it gets worse – they ask her if she read the book that her film was based on, to which Cara replied sarcastically: “I kind of winged it”. It doesn’t get any better as the news anchors then question if she is tired and end the interview saying: "We'll let you go take a little nap, maybe get a red bull, how about that?"
Watch the interview here.
ITVChristoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz did not take it well when Good Morning’s Charlotte Hawkins suggested that as a double Oscar winner, he was above playing a James Bond villain. “Yeah I always do that,” he said sarcastically. “I always apply that precious measure.” Christoph then went on to impersonate himself, joking: “I am a double Oscar winner and even when I came in here, I thought, ‘Hang on, do I need to do that? I am a double Oscar winner!’” Watch the interview here.
Channel 4Quentin Tarantino
In this awkward interview, director Quentin Tarantino tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy that he’s “shutting your butt down”. An immortal put-down. It all started when Channel 4 News interviewer Krishnan asked about the link between violence in his movie, Django Unchained, and real life violence.
Watch the interview here.
Channel 4Robert Downey Jr
Krishnan Guru-Murphy came under fire again, this time from Robert Downey Jr. The actor got angry when Krishnan’s questioning turned to his personal life and much-publicised personal demons. The Iron Man star was asked to explain an interview he gave with the New York Times five years ago, in which he said: “You can't go from a $2,000-a-night suite at La Mirage to a penitentiary and really understand it and come out a liberal.”
Robert replied: “I could pick that apart for two hours and be no closer to the truth than giving you some half-arsed answer right now. I couldn't even tell you what a liberal is.” Krishnan went on to ask about his relationship with his father, at which point the actor got up and said: “I'm sorry, I really don't... what are we doing?” He then walked out, saying: “It's all getting a bit Diane Sawyer [referring to an American interviewer known for her penetrating interviews].” Watch the interview here.
ITVDaniel Craig
Daniel Craig didn’t see the funny side of things when he was asked to pout by interviewer Sarah Powell. He refused to pout and tells her she had better just “move on”. But unfortunately she moved on to asking why James Bond didn’t get naked in the new movie: "Has James Bond gone shy?" "He’s going shy now,” the actor replied.
Watch the interview here.
ShorlistRalph Fiennes
The Bond stars didn’t have a great time of it while promoting Spectre - Ralph Fiennes also had an awkward encounter. A journalist referred to the unfortunate pouting incident with Daniel Craig while interviewing the Brit but it didn’t go down well. "If I asked you the same question, what would you say?" the interviewer asks. “Would I pout?! Fuck off,” Ralph replies. Watch the interview here.
GettyJustin Bieber
Justin Bieber was not impressed by a Spanish radio station when they asked him to help them try and “break the internet” a la Kim Kardashian. The show’s hosts said that they had YouTubers lined up with “hundreds of millions of followers” and wanted Bieber to appear in the challenge too. But Bieber, who had appeared bored during the exchange, finally cracked, pulling off his microphone and walking out. He later told fans he was “feeling a little sick”.
WWatch the interview here.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence made a joke of the trend of awkward interviews during the promotional tour for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. The actress was being pranked by Ian Hecox but the joke was on him as she deliberately gave awkward answers, fed by her co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth as well as SMOSH fan Dylan Miceli-Nelson.
Watch the interview here.
Getty ImagesJoaquin Phoenix
No one was quite sure if Joaquin Phoenix’s 2010 interview with David Letterman was part of a spoof documentary the actor was working on – or actually real. Joaquin barely spoke and when he did, he slurred his words and refused to make eye contact. When Letterman stumbled over his words while introducing his new movie, Two Lovers, Joaquin said he was “doing fine” to which the interviewer replied: "Thanks. High praise coming from you." The audience seemed to find the whole thing hilarious and the actor said: "What do you have them on? What do you gas them up with?" Watch the interview here.
SkyPeter Andre
The last thing Peter Andre needed after finding out the night before that his wife Katie Price had married cage-fighter Alex Reid was a grilling from Sky’s Kay Burley – but that’s what he got in 2010. The presenter quizzed the star on his children and adopting his step-son Harvey. The interview moved from being merely awkward to emotional when Peter broke down in tears and asked Kay to terminate the interview. Kay received an onslaught of criticism from the interview and even Katie Price spoke out to defend her ex-husband. Watch the interview here.
GettyMeg Ryan
Awkward interviews aren’t a new thing though; Michael Parkinson famously had a tough time with Meg Ryan in 2003 when he asked her about acting and the publicity that came with it. After only a few minutes of talking, Meg tells Parky to “wrap it up”, which he does very speedily. Watch the interview here.
GettyGrace Jones
Things got physical during Grace Jones’ interview on Russell Harty in 1981. The Bond girl was unhappy when the host turned his back on her to interview another guest and said she was being ignored. “Maybe I should go right now,” she said before hitting Russell around the head.
Watch the interview here.[
