Another Top 10 Celebrity Audience Reactions
Script written by Nathan Sharp
#10: Tom Hanks
Top 10 Celebrity Audience Reactions
“77th Golden Globe Awards” (2020)
The 2020 Golden Globe Awards belonged to Tom Hanks. Not only was he the recipient of the honorary Cecil B. DeMille award, but his facial reactions were instantly gif-able and meme-worthy. The first one came after Ricky Gervais joked about Felicity Huffman making a licence plate in jail – aaaand cut to Tom staring at the stage with mouth agape. The second came after Gervais’s long rant about celebrity hypocrisy and political statements. While Gervais sipped his beer, Tom just sat there with a hilarious reaction that essentially said, “Well then!” And another celebrity with a strong reaction on the night has to be Jonathan Pryce, who looked pretty pissed off after Gervais made a Ronan Farrow joke.
#9: James Earl Jones
Top 10 Actors Who Almost Played James Bond
“66th Tony Awards” (2012)
It must be hard having the same first name as the actual winner! At the 66th Tony Awards, both James Earl Jones and James Corden were nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. Once the name “James” was read, James Earl Jones was visibly shocked, widening his eyes and opening his mouth in surprise. Various people have interpreted this reaction in different ways. Some think it is a look of disappointment and shock. Others think it was a look of surprise as he briefly thought that he had won without expecting to do so. Either way, it’s a hilarious reaction that many viewers were quick to point out and enjoy.
#8: Natasha Lyonne
“71st Primetime Emmy Awards” (2019)
The Internet really will make fun of anything. Viewers immediately recognized Natasha Lyonne’s bizarre way of clapping at the Emmys, as she essentially kept her fingers rigid and slapped her palms together. People on Twitter were quick to make jokes, and some even commented on its similarity to Nicole Kidman’s seal-like clapping from the 2017 Oscars. It’s all harmless fun, but seriously, what is with these celebrities not knowing how to clap!? Unfortunately, Lyonne failed to win for either Lead Actress in a Comedy or Outstanding Writing. But she still won the night in the Internet’s eyes. Just…not in the way she probably wanted.
#7: Martin Scorsese
“77th Golden Globe Awards” (2020)
We love it when celebrities go along with a joke. Case in point – Martin Scorsese at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. Gervais mentioned Scorsese’s infamous comments about Marvel movies being like fun but mindless theme park rides. He then asked what Scorsese is doing at theme parks, because he is too short to go on any of the rides. The camera then cut to Scorsese, who could be seen laughing in jest and saying “It’s true” to those around him. You see? At least some people were having a good time with Gervais! Granted, this was probably the least offensive joke Gervais told all night…
#6: Beyoncé & Jay-Z
Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Beyoncé
“57th Annual Grammy Awards” (2015)
That whole Taylor Swift-Kanye West debacle really left a mark, didn’t it? Once Beck beat Beyoncé for Album of the Year, Kanye West briefly leapt on stage and made towards the microphone, an obvious reference to the infamous Taylor Swift fiasco of 2009. Beyoncé took it in stride, simply tilting her head and seemingly yelling, “No, Kanye, no!” like a parent playfully admonishing a child. But Jay-Z was stressed when he saw Kanye approaching the stage, and all he could do was stare at his friend, open-mouthed in shock. It’s a great “Oh no, not this again” face, though when Kanye quickly came off, Jay-Z was all smiles and laughter again.
#5: Tori Kelly
“58th Annual Grammy Awards” (2016)
The following year’s Grammy Awards also had a fantastic reaction shot. However, it was perhaps misinterpreted and read into a little too much. While Taylor Swift was accepting the Album of the Year award for “1989”, the camera cut to Tori Kelly, who was sitting with a particularly sour or disgusted look on her face. Seriously, that look is like something you’d see in a teen movie when the bully is watching the hero win an award! Social media was quick to notice the look and speculate the reason behind it, but Tori later tweeted that she “loved every moment” of the show. Did everyone read too much into her face, or was Tori just spouting basic PR talk? You be the judge.
#4: Hugh Jackman
“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
And now for one of the most memed moments in award show history! And it belongs to none other than Hugh Jackman. While James Franco was accepting the award for Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and giving his speech, the camera cut to Jackman - and thousands of memes were born. Jackman’s expression is hard to gauge, as it’s seemingly stuck between confusion, bewilderment, shock, and speechless wonder. Some viewers thought he was shocked over not winning the award, but he was also seen clapping and smiling, so we don’t think that’s it. Either way, it was a hilarious and instantly gif-able face that completely took over the Internet.
#3: Rihanna
Top 10 Most Hilarious Rihanna Moments
“30th MTV Video Music Awards” (2013)
The 2013 VMAs are infamous for two reasons – namely, Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke. The duo performed a highly provocative rendition of “We Can’t Stop” and “Blurred Lines,” complete with a skin-colored latex outfit, foam finger, tongues, groping, and all the twerking you could imagine. The response was immediately hostile, but one only needed to look at the audience reactions to gauge the impending storm. Mostly everyone looked either disgusted or bored, although there was some cheering, but the best reaction belonged to Rihanna. She couldn’t look more unimpressed, as she sat there without moving or dancing, with a hilariously tranquil look on her face. We only see it for a second, but the utterly bored look speaks volumes.
#2: Brendan Fraser
Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Brendan Fraser
“67th Golden Globe Awards” (2010)
Sorry Natasha Lyonne, but when it comes to weird clapping, Brendan Fraser is the undisputed champ. While Martin Scorsese was earning an award, the camera cut to Brendan, who did a really weird clap that is simply beyond explanation. As you can imagine, the reaction was instantly memed, gif-ed, and remixed by the denizens of the Internet and quickly entered award show legend. He later explained on “Lopez Tonight” that he knew he was being filmed and essentially panicked somewhat, not knowing how to properly react. It was hilarious, but it’s also weirdly sweet, human, and relatable. No worries, Brendan! You do you.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Taran Killam
“2019 MTV Video Music Awards” (2019)
Chrissy Teigen
“70th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2018)
Taylor Swift
“30th MTV Video Music Awards” (2013)
#1: Willem Dafoe
“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
The 2018 Golden Globes landed right in the initial midst of the #MeToo movement. As you can imagine, the night was tense and rife with related jokes. And Willem Dafoe was caught in the middle when Seth Meyers riffed on this topic and asked, “Did you hear about Willem Dafoe?” Not knowing what Meyers was about to say, and shocked, Dafoe widened his eyes in wild and anxious befuddlement before realizing what was going on and then covering his mouth and laughing. Granted, we can’t fully tell from the timing of the cutaway whether Dafoe was actually playing it up at all or not, but he went full Green Goblin for a second there.
