As much as we love the glitz and glam of our favorite celebrities, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing them when the shield comes down, at their funniest and most candid.
And if there’s an interviewer and a camera around, you are guaranteed to witness precious and hilarious moments that are too good not to be remembered.
To that end, we have compiled a list of the funniest interviews featuring some of the biggest names from the film and music industry.
Keep reading to get a few chuckles!
Tom Cruise Couch Jumping, The Oprah Winfrey Show
No list about LOL-worthy interviews would be complete without the mention of Tom Cruise’s appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, so we might as well get instantly iconic moment out of the way first.
In one of the first videos to truly earn the adjective “viral”, the A-lister appeared on the show to promote his upcoming movie, War of the Worlds, but it quickly became apparent that this interview wasn’t going to be a routine appearance for Cruise.
It all started when the actor was asked about the budding relationship with fellow Hollywood star Katie Holmes. The actor’s gushing about his new sweetheart was accompanied by over-the-top fist-pumping, incessant giggles and seriously puzzled looks from Oprah, who quickly declared the star was “gone”.
Finally, in a moment that is now firmly embedded in the pantheon of pop-culture, the action star started jumping on Oprah’s couch, then vigorously shook Oprah, making the whole thing go from just slightly odd to fully bizarre.
The absurdity of Cruise’s appearance on Oprah caused a deluge of spoofs and parodies, which were shown on everywhere from YouTube to TV shows like Family Guy and Sesame Street.
Chris Pratt’s Card Trick, The Graham Norton Show
The Irish TV host Graham Norton is known for his uncanny ability to catch his guests at their funniest.
Not that it takes much for Chris Pratt to get to that point – the Guardians of the Galaxy star is already known for his goofy, down-to-earth persona.
In 2016, Pratt appeared on The Graham Norton Show with his co-star Jennifer Lawrence to promote the movie Passengers.
He decided to play a card trick with a fellow guest, musician will.i.am. He split the deck into three piles and asked the Black Eyed Peas singer to pick one card and show it to the host and the audience, without revealing it to Pratt.
The singer was then asked to shuffle the deck four times, after which Pratt would attempt to guess his card.
After much deliberation, Pratt proclaimed he would have four attempts to guess the card.
However, he failed each one, causing a thunderous laugh from the audience and fellow guests scrambling to salvage the trick.
The hilarity continued when Pratt asked will.i.am to outright say what the secret card had been (ace of hearts), after which he proceeded to ask the musician to give him a “magic fist bump”, placing several cards in his fist and knocking the rest of them out to reveal the correct card.
Needless to say, the almost-failure of the trick, coupled with Pratt’s LOL-worthy presentation, was enough to make everyone in studio burst with laughter.
Danny DeVito is a Little Tipsy, The View
Danny DeVito is known to be one of the funniest guys in Hollywood, so it should come as no surprise that his TV appearances would also cause some serious giggles.
The best example of this happened in 2007, when the pocket-sized actor appeared on one of America’s most beloved talk shows, The View.
From the get-go, it was pretty clear that the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star had had a few to drink, as he admitted himself (after allegedly partying the night away with George Clooney).
Soon enough, the interview took a political turn, although never losing its jovial tone.
DeVito channeled his best Frank Reynolds as he rambled on about the construction of White House, mocked former president George W. Bush and (attempted to) promote his upcoming movie, Deck the Halls.
In the heat of his ramblings, DeVito failed to realize that he was retelling the entire plot of the movie, causing the hosts to interrupt him before he spoiled it for the audience.
Appearing upset for a moment, fellow comedian Rosie O’Donnell offered DeVito a comforting hug and a chance to read the outro off the teleprompter (with some difficulties!).
Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling Can’t Stop Giggling, This Morning
Who knew a serious sci-fi movie such as Blade Runner: 2049 could produce such an amusing promotion tour?
Well, it happened when the two leading stars, Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, appeared on ITV’s This Morning show to talk about their upcoming movie.
It was clear that the interview was going to be packed with laughter from the moment when Gosling asked the host whether she was a fan of the original film, to which she answered flatly “never seen it”, causing everyone to burst in laughter.
The host continued her playful interaction with the leads, and the two couldn’t help by giggle along at virtually every question and comment that was shot at them by the interviewer.
The reporter had an especially hilarious back-and-forth with Ford, which caused his co-star to leave the set in protest (only as a joke, though).
Finally, the interviewer asked whether Ford was planning to appear in any of Gosling’s sequels, for example one for the hit musical La La Land.
If this ridiculous interview was anything to go by, we can only dream of how hilarious that film would be – as improbable as the prospect of it may seem.
Jennifer Lawrence Meets Jack Nicholson, 2013 Academy Awards
Jennifer Lawrence, Hollywood’s darling du jour, is known for her overly candid personality, which gets put on display every time a reporter catches her with a mic and a camera.
And one of her most precious moments happened during the post-Academy Award interview with George Stephanopoulos, in which she was originally supposed to talk about her Best Actress win.
However, while she was describing the feeling of her name being called out for the award, she didn’t notice a fellow A-lister, Jack Nicholson, sneak up from behind to greet the actress.
The Hollywood veteran introduced himself and complimented Lawrence on her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.
The two engaged in playful banter and, eventually, the big screen legend walked off, leaving Lawrence in a state of absolute shock and admiration.
Her genuine reaction that was contemporaneously caught on camera showed that celebrities can get just as star struck as common folks, making this interview equal parts heartwarming and hilarious.
Paris Hilton’s Jail Time, Late Show with David Letterman
We all know that the noughties were the era of glitzy socialites, paparazzi runs and seemingly never-ending DUIs.
And at its forefront was Paris Hilton, a celebrity heiress who herself had a brush with the law in 2007 for driving under the influence.
The same year, Hilton appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman to promote her new perfume, Can Can.
Even though the celebutant was probably expecting to talk about her fragrance, the snarky host was only interested in questions about her short stint in jail.
At first, Hilton was happy to play along, but after a while, she tried to steer the conversation towards her business ventures.
However, Letterman was adamant on keeping the topic focused on her offenses, which made the entire interview positively laugh-worthy.
At one point, someone from the audience shouted: “We love you, Paris!”
Without skipping a beat, Letterman asked: “Somebody you met in prison?”
Needless to say, the interview quickly became of the funniest TV moments of 2000s.
Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson Get the Giggles, Today
When the news about an all-female reboot of the popular Ocean’s film series, everyone was giddy with excitement.
What we didn’t know was that the star-studded cast would also provide us with a bunch of amusing moments during their promo tour.
And the most comical one was during Cate Blanchett and Sarah Paulson’s appearance on Today Show, where the two were supposed to talk about their upcoming movie.
For reasons unknown, the interview took a more jovial turn, as the co-start couldn’t help but crack jokes and giggle uncontrollably throughout the whole thing.
Their sense of humor was so infectious, even the host (and the backstage workers) couldn’t help but laugh along.
Ultimately, we didn’t get to hear much information about Ocean’s 8, but it sure did tickle our sides to see the two high-profile actresses act so candid and casual.
Courtney Love Interrupts Madonna’s Interview, 1995 VMAs
When you combine two stars notorious for their controversial media appearances, you are bound to get something outrageous.
This was exactly the case with Madonna and Courtney Love, who had an unusual encounter at the 1995 Video Music Awards.
The Material Girl star was originally giving an interview to Kurt Loder on the red carpet, when she noticed a compact flying in the air.
It was thrown by Courtney Love, who was looking to disrupt the event and cause some drama.
The Hole singer eventually climbed to the platform, where she decided to hijack the interview.
The conversation between the host and two musicians went on various different tangents, from astrophysics to shoes to animal cruelty, always laced with Love’s signature over-the-top antics we all know and love.
Nicole Kidman’s Failed Date with Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show
We already know we are bound to get priceless moments when the interviewer and the interviewee are buddy-buddies, but what happens when the the one who interviews was dating the guest… only he didn’t realize it at the time?
This happened when Nicole Kidman decided to show up on Jimmy Fallon’s show and, after much deliberation, proceeded to share hers and the host’s embarrassing history.
It turns out that, many years ago, Kidman contacted one of Fallon’s friends so he could set up a date between the two. Fallon didn’t quite understand the intention of call, thinking it was going to be about a prospective role in a movie with the Aussie star.
This is why, when Kidman showed up at his apartment, he didn’t bother wooing her (or cleaning up or preparing any fancy meals, for that matter). The whole affair ended up being pretty embarrassing for Kidman, who was hoping for a more romantic set-up. Finally, she left Fallon’s apartment and decided to not mention the story until that night.
And the best part about the cringe-worthy interview was Fallon who, as Kidman was retelling the story, looked as if he wished for the ground to swallow him up.
Luckily, the embarrassing tension was mended in a follow-up appearance of Kidman on the show, when she also brought along her husband, country singer Keith Urban, to poke more fun at Fallon’s past mistakes.
John Cusack Causes Confusion, Grace is Gone Press Junket
Sometimes, the source of hilarity in interviews are not celebrities, but the actual journalists.
An example of ignorance on the part of the interviewer can truly yield some priceless moments, as it happened when a film student sat down with John Cusack during the press junket for his 2007 film, Grace is Gone.
The awkwardness begins when the young reporter expresses her delight at the fact the she would be interviewing the actor whose movie, American Beauty, was being watched in her class on that day.
Realizing that the student was, in fact, talking about Kevin Spacey and not himself, Cusack was quick to correct her, politely pointing out that he didn’t star in American Beauty.
The interviewer, however, was adamant: “What’s the one with the rose petals? That’s not you?”
Once again, High Fidelity star had to reiterate that he did not appear in the movie she was describing.
Finally conceding that her interviewee was not actually Kevin Spacey, the journalist moved on, but the awkwardness caused by the cringe-worthy start of the interview lingered on.
From slightly cringey to full-on hysterical, these were some the most noteworthy interviews when it comes to the LOL factor. With the advent of social media and celebrities becoming more approachable than ever, we are positive there won’t be a shortage of entertaining celebrity appearances in the years to come.
*Featured image credit: Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban at the Academy of Country Music Awards 2017 at T-Mobile Arena on April 2, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV | © Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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