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Top 10 Most Awkward Things Said by Celebs on Live TV

There have been a whole host of awkward things said by celebs on live TV, reminding us that not everything they say is thought about ahead of time.

By WatchMojoPublished 5 years ago 5 min read
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For those seeking words of wisdom, you have come to the wrong place. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the "Top 10 Awkward Things Celebs Actually Said on Live TV."

For this list, we’re looking at famous people who dropped a doozy in front of the entire television-watching world. Whether due to nerves or ignorance, these quotes are memorable for all the wrong reasons. Note that when we say “live,” we don’t necessarily mean immediately broadcast, but it could also be words captured in the moment and aired unedited.

Ambushed by TMZ for an impromptu interview, the Fast & Furious star tactlessly squashed a rumor suggesting the actress was set to replace Ryan Reynolds as the new Green Lantern. Greatly disappointing fans, Michelle Rodriguez essentially asserted that minority actors should not be attempting to land roles of traditionally white superheroes. At the time, Michael B. Jordan had already been cast as Johnny Storm in the new Fantastic Four, and the actress' comments were seen as counterproductive to the push for more diversity in Hollywood. Later on, Rodriguez released an apology video to clarify the controversial quote.

Transforming a triumphant moment into a tiny PR disaster, Loki would have been better off just saying thank you and walking off stage. Awarded “Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film" by the Golden Globes for The Night Manager, Tom Hiddleston wandered into a poorly-conceived tangent about a group of Médecins Sans Frontières‎ medics who had approached the actor during a stay in South Sudan. Satisfied with knowing The Night Manager provided entertainment for these brave men and women, Hiddleston clearly wanted to highlight the good humanitarian work carried about by these organizations, but ended up coming across as self-congratulatory. He would later apologize, citing nervousness as the reason he expressed himself poorly.

Mental health is always a challenging subject to address; here’s an example of how NOT to do it. In an article published by The Players' Tribune, Kevin Love opened up about a panic attack he experienced during a match between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks, only to be taken to task by Pete Davidson during a Saturday Night Live sketch. A comedian and actor diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Davidson trivialized—if not downright mocked—Love's episode and expressed an oddly elitist view on who should be allowed to discuss mental health issues.

Bad jokes are forgivable, but this one was just plain insulting. Primarily known for Disney's That's So Raven, Raven-Symoné implied there is a limit to acceptable ethnic names during an episode of The View, and jokingly showed support for workplace discrimination if a person happened to be called something like Watermelondrea. The outrage was so severe that both Raven and the actress' father saw the need to apologize through Facebook. The best thing to come out of this whole ordeal was the reply of Trè Melvin—aka Watermelondrea Jones—to Raven's reference.

More often than not, celebrity blunders tend to simply be hilarious; however, this moment was nothing short of heartbreaking. While he appeared on NBC's Today show to promote the upcoming Madagascar 3, the seemingly average interview took an awkward turn when Kathie Lee Gifford—who was clearly unaware that Martin Short's wife had tragically passed away in 2010—brought up the actor's marriage. Somehow, Short remained calm enough to play along with the host and pretend that nothing was wrong. Later the same day, Gifford send out an apology tweet and the comedian expressed no hard feelings.

Following the release of Sharknado, Tara Reid earned a guest spot on Shark After Dark and decided to use this opportunity to spread a bit of knowledge. To avoid coming across as ignorant, Reid conducted some research prior to the interview, but the actress clearly needed to re-read Wikipedia's entry on whale sharks. Stumped by the thought of a mammal and a fish doing the business, Reid unleashed a rambling monologue before seemingly concluding that—no—sharks and whales do not have sex. And who says TV can’t be educational?

#4: “Everything Bad That Can Happen to a Person Has Happened to Me” Paris Hilton

First world problems? No, this goes far beyond that. Evidently, Paris Hilton has endured everything bad that can possibly happen to a person. During an interview with Piers Morgan, Paris and Kathy Hilton discussed some of the positives and negatives associated with a celebrity lifestyle. When asked if privacy is a price worth paying for fame, Hilton spoke about the countless terrible things that had been said about the socialite over the years. Nobody's personal issues should be dismissed, but Paris' self-absorbed comment reeked of naivete.

Promoting War of the Worlds was apparently the furthest thing from this Scientologist's mind during an interview with the Today show's Matt Lauer. Tom Cruise is no stranger to controversial stunts, but the actor's rant on psychiatry was equal part obtuse and offensive. The Mission Impossible star labeled the entire field as a pseudoscience, blasted Brooke Shields for using antidepressants to help with postpartum depression, and declared there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance. Cruise's comments were so off-base and potentially harmful that the American Psychological Association had to publish a statement in response.

Good intentions can only take you so far. While appearing on The View, Kelly Osbourne countered Donald Trump's stance on immigration in arguably the most unintentionally racist way imaginable. Quickly taken to task by co-host Rosie Perez, Osbourne seemed to instantly regret saying anything and tried to backtrack. Unsurprisingly, the celebrity came under heavy scrutiny and Kelly took responsibility for the blunder in a Facebook post. Things were made even worse due to the fact that, just a couple of months prior, Osbourne had publicly criticized Giuliana Rancic for a similar insensitive comment.

Where to even begin? How about that time Kanye West crashed Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech? Or, when the musician abruptly announced that George Bush doesn't care about black people? While undoubtedly talented, the rapper/producer's antics tend to distract from the music, and Kanye cast a huge shadow after stating that slavery was a choice in 2018. Whatever the point might have been, West failed to express it in a way that made any sense. Kanye continued down this bizarre path during an awkward televised meeting with the President.

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