That ‘70s Show has had plenty of celebrity cameos, many of whom went on to become A-List actors. Do
you recall seeing a former WWE wrestler on the beloved sitcom? A Die Hard Star?
What about everyone’s favorite live-action princess? Keep watching to find out more.
Two of the late Betty White's most iconic television roles are scheming,
hyper-sexualized cooking show host Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and
sweetly daffy Rose on "The Golden Girls." It was "That '70s Show," however, that gave the
TV legend the opportunity to play a character who was just plain nasty. She was Bea Sigurdson,
mother of Kitty and grandmother of Eric, who is accompanied by husband Burt when she makes
her first appearance, paying a visit to the Formans. Described by Screen Rant as, quote,
"immensely rude and downright cruel," Bea had no reservations about barking commands at
everyone. She took wicked delight in putting down her daughter and husband, Red,
at every available opportunity. She played Bea a total of four times on the series.
In one of those episodes, it's revealed that Bea's husband had died. This led to a dark fan
theory to emerge on Reddit. As the individual who cooked up the hypothesis pointed out,
prior to his death, Burt blew all their money on an ostrich farm before suffering
a fatal heart attack. This led the Redditor to surmise that Bea deliberately poisoned Burt
in order to collect on his life insurance policy.
While that was never confirmed nor denied in the show,
anyone who saw Bea in action would have to seriously consider it.
“I’m appalled!”
As Insider recalled, among the many screen credits of Seth Green — known for his roles in
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Family Guy," among others — are several guest-starring
appearances on "That '70s Show." Appearing in five episodes, Green played Mitch Miller,
editor of the high school newspaper and uber-nemesis of Topher Grace's Eric Forman,
serving to be a persistent thorn in Eric's side. That was particularly true in the
2003 episode titled "The Battle of Evermore," when Mitch and his dad
utterly destroy Eric and Red when they compete in a Paul Bunyan-themed father-son charity event.
Luke Wilson, known for his roles in such films as "Old School," and "Legally Blonde,"
is also a member of the "That '70s Show" family. As viewers will recall, he played Casey Kelso,
older brother of Ashton Kutcher's Kelso, in six episodes of the sitcom.
Casey was first introduced in the 2002 episode "Donna Dates a Kelso,"
in which the character returns to Point Place after a stint in the army. As the title suggests,
Donna reluctantly goes on a date with Casey. In a subsequent episode, jealous Eric confronts Casey,
who reveals his true intentions toward Donna are to use her and dump her. Reflecting upon
the sitcom's cameos, The Washington Post called Wilson's performance, quote, "great."
In Casey's final appearance, a few years later, he's now working as a gym teacher. When Eric is
denied his diploma because he failed physical education, he's forced to take summer school
phys-ed classes. They just so happen to be taught by Casey, who’s still bitter about being dumped
by Donna, Eric's current girlfriend. Casey winds up offering Eric a deal. He'll pass him,
allowing him to get his high school diploma, if he can successfully perform one single pull-up.
Kelso's big bro didn't show up in the last season of the series. As Screen Rant noted:
"His fate was left unknown,
[but his] disappearance was also likely connected to Wilson's busy schedule."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt had already established himself on hit sitcom "3rd Rock from the Sun"
when he guest-starred in the 1998 episode "Eric's Buddy." His character, Buddy Morgan,
is assigned as Eric's lab partner, and the two hit it off and become good friends. What Eric doesn't
discover until later is that Buddy's gay, and his feelings toward him are far more than platonic.
When Buddy finally tells Eric the truth and gives him a kiss, Eric is left completely stunned.
“Can you take me home now?”
That particular "That '70s Show" episode wasn't just funny and touching,
but was also groundbreaking. As Screen Rant points out:
"[It was] the first-ever kiss between two males on North American primetime TV."
Also according to Screen Rant, rumor had it that Gordon-Levitt's character was initially intended
to be a recurring one, but mixed reaction from fans reportedly led producers to scrap that plan.
Gordon-Levitt said of his "That '70s Show" guest spot in an interview with The Advocate:
"Oh, I was totally proud of that, and I still am. It was a great bit, and it got a great reaction.
More than anything else, though, I remember that it was written very well,
because the emphasis wasn't on it being gay but on making sure the scene worked and was
funny. It was great that it showed people it was just a normal thing."
Betty White wasn't the only legendary star of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" to
guest on "That '70s Show," with Mary Tyler Moore herself appearing in three episodes
as TV talk show host Christine St. George. Jackie lands a job working for Christine,
only to discover the sweet and smiling persona she exudes on the air is the polar opposite of
her actual personality. As Moore told USA Today, she was thrilled to be able to play
a part so different from her iconic "Mary Tyler Moore Show" protagonist. She told the newspaper:
"[Mary Richards was] ladylike and wholesome and welcoming. [My character was] just
the opposite ... Christine St. George is a very self-centered woman, a tad psychotic."
Mila Kunis, who acted opposite Moore in those episodes, gushed:
"She will try anything. She's very gung-ho."
Meanwhile, USA Today also pointed out one special aspect about Moore's appearances
that viewers likely wouldn't have known. Her scenes were filmed on the same soundstage where
she shot "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" way back in the actual '70s. Returning to that same stage
and performing for a live audience, she told USA Today, definitely brought back memories. She said,
"It's the sound of laughter. That's what I miss more than anything."
As "That '70s Show" progressed, Eric and Donna had decided to get married.
In preparation for the wedding, they underwent some pre-marriage therapy from Pastor Dan,
played by Billy Dee Williams. What made the episode so funny was that Eric wound up bonding
with the clergyman over their shared love of "Star Wars." It was made all the more hilarious
that the guy playing Pastor Dan also portrayed Lando Calrissian in the sci-fi film franchise.
That comes into play in one scene where he gives the almost-married couple a theology
lesson about the sacredness of sex within marriage. Pastor Dan's explanation, however,
leads Eric's thoughts to lay less with the Bible than with a galaxy far, far away. He says:
"I don't mean to bring up 'Star Wars' again.
This is a lot like Luke before he discovered the force."
Pastor Dan responds with, quote, "Exactly!" The meta is strong with this one.
French Stewart, best known for playing a wacky extraterrestrial on "3rd Rock from the Sun,"
upped the silliness factor when he appeared in a 2001 "That '70s Show" episode.
He was featured in a subplot about a contest held by the local radio station where Donna
worked. Kelso becomes hell-bent on winning the grand prize — a new van — by being the
competitor who can keep his hand affixed to the vehicle for the longest amount of time.
Determined to win, Kelso's plan to drive off in his new van hits a speed bump when another
gladiator enters the field. Daniel, portrayed by Stewart, has made it his life's work
to win similar radio station contests. No novice at this particular competition,
Daniel brings some psychological mind games to the contest that rise to a level at which poor
Kelso can't compete. For added authenticity, actor Howard Hesseman plays the radio deejay,
a sly nod to his role as record-spinning Dr. Johnny Fever in 1970s sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati."
Looking back at the role, Screen Rant determined that, in retrospect:
"Stewart's character is perhaps a little too weird for his own good."
At one point during the course of "That '70s Show," Fez landed a job as a shampoo boy at a
local beauty salon. In the 2004 episode titled "Mother's Little Helper," Lindsay Lohan guest
starred as Danielle, a customer at the salon who attracts the interest of both Fez and Kelso,
who each pull out all the stops to make an impression on her. As Lohan told MTV News,
her character found Kelso to be really cute, but also kind of a knucklehead. When Fez turns
on the charm by telling Danielle that she's a treasure worthy of worship, Lohan explained:
"She kind of switches it up and decides to diss Kelso and not
go out on the date with him and go out with Fez."
Interestingly, that storyline mirrored what was going on in real life at the time,
when Valderrama and Lohan were a couple during a brief four-month period in 2004. She shared:
"It's very apropos. Because I am with Wilmer,
and ultimately, [no matter] who I was with [in the show], I'd end up with him."
Valderrama and Lohan ultimately split up later that same year,
with Valderrama's rep telling People that the two were, quote, "still friends."
During Dwayne Johnson's days as a pro wrestler with the WWE,
his fans could smell what The Rock was cooking, and that smell eventually wafted its way over
to "That '70s Show." While these days he is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet,
"That '70s Show" was his first official acting role in a scripted TV series. He played a pro
wrestler who gives Eric an autograph when he and Red sneak backstage after the match.
Making the appearance all the more special was the fact that
The Rock wasn't just portraying some random wrestler, but his own father,
pro wrestler Rocky Johnson. He sported a large afro and mutton-chop sideburns to impersonate
his dad during that era. Ironically, The Rock predicts his future in the scene.
"You know, I got a son,
and one day he's gonna become the most electrifying man in sports entertainment."
Sadly, the real Rocky Johnson suffered a fatal heart attack in 2020. The Rock wrote
in an Instagram post, accompanying a video of the eulogy he delivered at his father's funeral,
"You trail blazed and even harder, you changed people's harsh behaviors toward
a man of color. Paving the way for me, my family and generations to come."
In the 2005 episode "Misfire," Kelso is preparing to propose to Jackie when
a complication arises. As Kelso tells the gang,
"I just got offered the best job in the world. I'm
gonna be a security guard at the Playboy Club in Chicago!"
In a brief flashback, Kelso is seen in the office of the club's super-sleazy head of security, Vic,
played by Bruce Willis, to discuss a potential security gig.
While Willis only appears on screen for about two minutes, his brief cameo was made particularly
memorable due to his real-life relationship with Kutcher, which was more than a little complicated.
At the time, Kutcher was married to the "Die Hard" star's ex-wife Demi Moore, and
was stepfather to the exes' three daughters — the oldest of whom is just 10 years younger than him.
Kutcher's marriage to Moore ultimately crashed and burned amid allegations that he cheated,
which ultimately resulted in his subsequent marriage to his onscreen girlfriend Kunis.
Before Amy Adams hit it big on Hollywood's A-list with her star turn in Disney's "Enchanted,"
Amy Adams made a guest-starring appearance on "That '70s Show" in 2000. She was Kat Peterson,
a.k.a. the most popular girl at Point Place High. "That '70s Show" was only her third screen role,
following small parts on "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and "Psycho Beach Party." In the episode,
"Burning Down the House," Hyde has been having a sneaky romance with Kat. However,
he’s crushed when he unexpectedly bumps into her at a party and she publicly rebuffs him.
Adams dropped by a 2018 episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," whose other guest
that day just happened to be former "That '70s Show" star Ashton Kutcher. Naturally,
that led to Adams sharing her memories of working on the show so early in her career. She recalled:
"I was so nervous. These guys were so great,
so fun to work with, but so good at what they did and I was just, like, terrified."
According to Adams, adding to her nerves was the fact that she was such a big fan of the show.
She was so nervous in fact that she claimed she didn’t even talk to anyone off screen.
Jessica Simpson was more known for her music career and her MTV reality show "Newlyweds"
when she made her first foray into acting with a three-episode stint on "That '70s Show."
She played Annette, who made her debut in the 2002 episode "Going
to California," and had a brief fling with Michael Kelso — much to Jackie's chagrin.
Interestingly enough, long after the series ended its run,
RadarOnline reported in 2014 that Kutcher was brainstorming a comeback project for
Simpson that would pair her with his wife. However, as that source accurately predicted,
there was also a very high probability that the project would never come together. They said,
"Jessica has ZERO intention of ever acting again but Ashton
[was] convinced he'll get her to sign on if he finds the right project."
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