A lot of people consider it the end of an era when Ellen DeGeneres recently announced
that her long-running talk show is finally bidding farewell after its 19th season.
“This show has been the greatest experience of my life, and I owe it all to you.”
For decades, talk shows have become a gold mine for the funniest, craziest, and most cringe-worthy
moments of our favorite celebs. And a lot of these moments have gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
Time for some unadulterated guilty pleasure as we revisit the 11 Most Awkward Talk Show Moments!
What’s up fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish and out-of-this-world fun facts!
Our top 1 TV moment quickly went fifty shades of embarrassing when the actress
called out the tv host’s bluff, so stay tuned for that!
#11:
Joaquin Phoenix on The Late Show
Before Joaquin Phoenix’s 2010 mockumentary “I’m Still Here” was finally announced,
people mostly thought the award-winning actor was spiraling out of control,
appearing to want to retire from acting and gearing up to become a hip-hop star instead.
So in 2009, when he appeared in the Late Show, Phoenix left both David Letterman
and the viewers scratching their heads in utter confusion.
DL: You don’t see movies like that anymore and I’m so gratified to see it, and you were terrific in
the film, I really enjoyed your work. JP: Thank you.
He even confirmed that he was quitting acting altogether,
although his reasoning was just a lot of, er, mumbling.
Kudos to Mr. Letterman for staying gracious and witty despite Joaquin’s bizarre behavior.
On his part, the Joker actor wasn’t having any of David’s jokes!
Especially the one about not inviting him as a musical guest for the show!
Phoenix never broke character until the very end, which prompted Letterman to make this comment.
DL: And Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t
be here tonight. JP: He’s funny,
he’s funny.
A year later, the actor went back to The Late Show and finally revealed that the
awkward interview was all part of an act for the Casey Affleck-helmed mockumentary.
If you thought that was bonkers, watch ‘til number one! Because
that interview will make you cringe so hard! #10: Jessica Simpson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
ED: Hey Jessica. JS: It’s very
exciting. I’m not pregnant on your show. ED: Are you sure you’re not pregnant
JS: Oh no. We got in IUDs, nothing is gonna get in that uterus.
When Jessica Simpson appeared on Ellen’s show in 2017, she seemed a little…
off. Like, intoxicated off. To the point of oversharing!
ED: And you have a mermaid party for her? Does that mean you actually had people in mermaid…
JS: silicone tails. JS: …like they
have to be carried if they have to pee, ‘coz I can’t pee on my children on the pool!
It got so bad that Simpson couldn’t even remember how long she’s been married!
Which led to an even more awkward moment.
J: 7 years now. Well, coming on 7 years. Oh actually, no. 7 years. That’s a long time.
I don’t know if I’ve ever had a 7-year relationship. Other than with a woman.
It came to a point that Ellen appeared more annoyed than she’s letting on. Her increasingly
passive-aggressive tone just burns through the TV screen.
Simpson later confessed that she was inebriated
during the interview and called it a “weak moment.” Lesson learned!
#9. Jane Fonda on Megyn Kelly Today
In 2017, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford appeared on Megyn Kelly Today
to promote their upcoming Netflix film about, well, ageing. Because of this,
Kelly thought asking Fonda about her very public cosmetic surgeries was fair play.
MK: But you look amazing, I’ve read that you said you’re not proud to
admit that you’ve had work done. Why not? JF: We really wanna talk about that right now?!
Oh boy, if looks could kill! Unfortunately,
Fonda’s dagger looks weren’t enough to keep Kelly from pushing the envelope…
MK: But one of the things people think about when they look at you is how amazing you look.
JF: Well, thanks. Good attitude, good posture. I take care of myself. But let me tell you why I
love this movie that we did, “Our Souls at Night”
After the controversial interview, a verbal war ensued between the 2 celebrities.
Are you #TeamFonda or #TeamKelly?
#8: Jennifer Garner on Late Night with Conan O’Brien
There’s a lot of things you can call out Conan O’Brien for, but apparently,
not for his vocabulary! Alias actress Jennifer Garner learned this the hard way
during her 2003 interview with the talk show host.
CO: There was a time when you snuck into the room, to see…
JG: I sneaked into the room,
snuck isn’t a word, Conan. And you went to Harvard and you should know that. (laughs)
For a moment there, the Harvard-educated host doubted himself.
CO: You should know that I went to the Harvard driving school by the way.
They didn’t teach me much there. But I can parallel park.
But after the break, Conan came back with a vengeance,
and schooled Garner with a dictionary he “snuck” in under the table!
CO: I keep a dictionary down here and I just found it.
Just wanna look at… Oh what the hell! Look right here! Snuck! Past and past part of sneak!
Now that’s an epic comeback if I ever saw one!
#7: Kelly Osbourne on The View
Sometimes, even though we have the best intentions, the right words just
slip off of our tongue. Just like what happened with Kelly Osbourne in 2015.
While discussing Trump’s racist remarks against Latinos,
Osbourne had this to say in quote-unquote “defense” of the Latin community.
KO: And if you kicked every Latino out of this country, then who is going to
be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump? In a sense that, you know what I mean?
RP: Latinos are not the only people to do that. KO: Come on. You know I would never mean
it like that.
“Missing the mark” doesn’t even begin to describe that awful brain fart. But thankfully,
Osbourne saw the error of her ways and apologized immediately for her poor choice of words.
#6: Andy Dick and Ivanka Trump on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In 2017, comedian Andy Dick was charged with sexual harassment and misconduct
which happened on the set of the independent film Raising Buchanan. This opened a Pandora’s
box of his numerous misconducts in the past, including this groping incident during his
appearance in Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in 2007 where Ivanka Trump was also a guest.
AD: You don’t play up the glitter on your legs? JK: Andy please. Don’t touch Ivanka.
Kimmel was even forced to get off his seat to stop Andy from acting like his surname. Get it?
JK: (stopping Andy) Please don’t. Donald Trump will kill both of us.
#5: Nicole Kidman on The Tonight Show
This particular episode of The Tonight Show in 2015 might have been Jimmy Fallon’s most
embarrassing yet most endearing TV moment! Imagine blowing a chance to
date Hollywood royalty, Nicole Kidman! Try not to giggle at this awkwardly cute banter.
NK: I just remember that I liked you and he was like, not now. I’m married now.
(Jimmy gets confused) Not that way!
Imagine Nicole freakin’ Kidman admitting she once had a crush on you, but at that moment,
you were totally clueless! Apparently, a mutual friend set them up to meet at Fallon’s apartment,
with the TV host not knowing Kidman was crushing hard on him already!
J: Wait, what?!...
What are you talking about?! Did I date Nicole Kidman?!
Too bad, he was too busy pretending like everything’s cool and all that,
and like it was no big deal. You know,
it’s just Nicole Kidman, award-winning actress, hanging out in his apartment.
N: And so after about an hour and a half, I thought, he has no interest…
J: I had no clue at all. N:
Okay, so no chemistry. And I was like, maybe he’s gay.
I feel you man, I feel you. If it were me, I’d wish the earth with swallow me whole too.
#4. Patti LaBelle on The Tyra Banks Show
Grammy-winning soul diva and cookbook author Patti LaBelle showed Hungry Girl
Lisa Lillien who’s the boss when they both appeared on The Tyra Banks Show in 2010.
The segment had Lillien explaining her cupcakes, but served LaBelle some shade.
PL: This has paper on it. LL: Yeah, you can’t eat the paper.
PL: No. But you can touch them with your hands.
Oh, you didn’t just do that, Ms. Hungry Girl! Patti’s eyes clearly show she’s not impressed!
PL: What makes you think I think I can eat the paper, boo?
LL: No, you can’t eat the paper. No paper. Paper, bad. Cake, good.
You’re the one that wanted to eat the paper.
Wait, what is Lillien even talking about? Why would anyone want to eat
paper? Let her eat cake, Patti!
PL: I just made sure my hands were clean when I said to the audience
that there’s paper. I meant that I’m not touching the actual cupcake, boo!
#3: Madonna on The Late Show
Madonna’s appearance in David Letterman’s show in 1994 was the most
censored episode in talk show history, and perhaps as expected,
it also gave Letterman one of his highest ratings ever. Madonna giving Letterman her underwear
right at the start of the show certainly set the mood for their extremely flirty convo!
M: Wait a minute, aren’t you gonna smell them? (Letterman breathes heavily)
I gave them to you for a reason.
DL: I’ll take care of that later. It’s a lovely gift.
Well, it ain’t the Queen of Pop if she isn’t inviting a bit of controversy!
DL: But you like basketball,
where’s you interest in basketball? M: That microphone is really long.
The interview really didn’t go anywhere, and we didn’t learn anything new from the
Queen of Pop. Except maybe for the fact that Madonna apparently does watch Letterman’s show!
M: Listen, all you do is talk about my sex life on your show…
DL: What do you mean? Because we refer to you periodically, we make jokes about you…
M: You can’t get through a show without talking about me or thinking about me.
Madonna said the F word a total of 14 times, and even smoked a cigar during the interview.
But it was all the double entendres that kept the viewers glued to their screens.
M: his is the closest I’m ever gonna get to kissing you.
DL: We could certainly change that. But I don’t have to wait in line. It’s. joke, I’m sorry.
#2. Kanye West on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
In 2018, when Jimmy Kimmel had the multi-awarded rapper-slash-fashion designer over at his show,
it didn’t take long before the conversation turned political. Kanye after all,
is known for voicing his strong opinions. This question, however, threw the rapper for a loop.
JK: I mean, you have so famously and so powerfully said George Bush doesn’t care about black people,
makes me wonder, what makes you think that Donald Trump does or any people at all?
KW: (silent) J:
Why don’t we take a break, we’ll come back… (commercial break)
After the break, Kimmel asked West another question, which he probably regretted right away…
JK: Do you feel like your attitude towards women have changed since having daughters?
KW: Nah. I still look at PornHub… Kanye might not have a lot to say
about his support of Trump, but he does have quite some opinions about his porn.
J: What kind of stuff are you looking at? What categories?
K: Black is my favorite category… J: You don’t have to go into that
K: I mean, what’s the point of being Kanye West if you can’t. Let’s break down the categories…
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#1. Dakota Johnson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Not inviting people to your birthday can be quite awkward. Even worse is when
the uninvited person calls you out on it. But you know what’s even worse than that?
When that person who called you out for not inviting them was actually invited to begin with!
Confused? Well, that’s exactly what happened between 50 Shades star Dakota Johnson and Ellen.
E: How was the party, I wasn’t invited. D: Actually, no that’s not the truth,
Ellen. You were invited. Last time I was on the show, last year, you gave me a
bunch of * bleep * about not inviting you, but I didn’t even know you wanted to be invited.
And because Ellen is the type who hates being proven wrong,
the two went into a she-said/she-said.
E: This time you invited me? Are you sure?
I don’t think so. DF: Ask everybody.
Ask Jonathan your producer. Why didn’t I go?
And to make matters worse, when Ellen probed about Dakota’s surprise birthday guest,
comedian Tig Notaro, here’s what the actress had to say.
E: She’s hilarious. D: She’s my favorite comedian… other than you.
Bye! (walks out) I’m sorry.
So, which of these moments did you think was the biggest
cringe-fest? Let us know in the comments section below!
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Music-lovers, you’d wanna stick around because coming up,
we’re counting down the 10 Music Icons Who Have Never Won a Grammy!
‘Til then, stay funny, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!