Top 10 Celebrity Interactions That Gave Us Secondhand Cringe
#10: Emma Stone & Damien Chazelle’s Awkward Hug
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Award ceremonies are primed settings for awkward encounters among celebrities. Emma Stone experiences as much at the 2017 Golden Globes when she winds up in an unintentional three way embrace. During the event, the musical movie star is seated at the same table as “La La Land” writer-director Damien Chazelle and his partner Olivia Hamilton. When Chazelle gets up to accept the award for Best Screenplay, the others stand in order to congratulate him. Stone goes in for a celebratory hug at the same moment the director leans in to kiss Hamilton. After Stone pulls away, she appears to say “that was weird.” Yeah, that’s pretty accurate. Her face pretty much reflects how we feel.
#9: Drake Declares His Love for Rihanna
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Drake’s tribute to the Barbadian singer at the 2016 “MTV Video Music Awards” goes a little further than is appreciated. Before presenting her with the prestigious Vanguard award, the Canadian rapper gives a speech in her honor. He recounts the first time they met and showers her with praise. As he goes on, Rihanna, who’s standing off to the side, seems to grow uneasy with all the niceties. In a later interview with Vogue, she revealed that waiting through the speech was difficult for her. The music icon doesn’t like “too many compliments” or “[being] put on blast.” Apparently, the pair no longer have much of a relationship these days. She didn’t even address Drake’s confession of love, but we can’t forget it.
#8: Ellen DeGeneres, Nicole Kidman & Giada De Laurentiis Cook Together
This cooking segment from DeGeneres’ daytime talk show is one passive aggressive move after another. It brings together the host, actress, and chef for a lesson in making Italian food and rude remarks. De Laurentiis is a condescending tutor, notably putting her peers down for their supposed lack of cooking skills. Kidman handles the criticism with a forced smile and dirty looks. When it comes time for tasting, the movie star critiques the food and spits it out. The restaurateur blames the quality on the fact that it’s been sitting out for hours and claims she’s only there to promote her Food Network show. With awkward innuendos sprinkled throughout, this clip makes for an uncomfortable six minutes.
#7: Kim Kardashian, Ye, & Amy Schumer’s Red Carpet Moment
Who could forget this stunt, courtesy of Schumer on the red carpet for the 2015 TIME 100 Gala? In the presence of then-couple Kardashian and the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, the raunchy comedian tries to cause a scene by falling to the ground. Photographs show the pair walking away, unimpressed, without Ye even cracking a smile. Meanwhile, Schumer is left on all fours looking like a deer in headlights. The prank is probably intended to make people laugh, but it just makes us grimace. Fake falling isn’t everyone’s type of humor, but apparently it's right up Schumer’s alley.
#6: Katy Perry & One Direction’s Members Share Smooches
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Perry gets a little too personal with the band’s members at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. As the boys file on stage to accept the award for Best Pop Video, she leans over and puckers up to kiss them one by one. Niall Horan practically runs to plant one on her lips, with Harry Styles following suit. The rest of the members opt to kiss her on the cheek, though. Perry was 27 at the time, making her a fair amount older than the band members, whose ages ranged from 18 to 20. She referenced this age gap in a tweet following the event, offering to be Horan’s “Mrs. Robinson.” In hindsight, her eagerness wasn’t the best look.
#5: Madonna Kisses Drake
The Queen of Pop treats Drake, and us, to an unfortunately unforgettable surprise at Coachella in 2015. After joining the Canadian musician on stage, she goes in for a kiss, and we’re not talking about a little peck on the lips here. The smooch is so intense, it's pretty uncomfortable to watch. Drake’s disgusted look afterwards really certifies this interaction as cringy. He later clarified that his facial expression was one of “shock,” urging people not to read incorrectly into it. Nevertheless, a video of Madonna shows her giving advice to her past self that suggests she regrets the whole thing. You live and you learn!
#4: Olivia Munn Takes Taylor Swift’s Award
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While presenting Swift with the award for Favorite Country Artist at the 2013 People's Choice Awards, Munn makes a reference to a well-known moment from the singer’s past. Unfortunately, it’s more awkward than funny. Immediately after handing Taylor Swift the trophy, she takes it back, similarly to how Kanye West stole Swift’s spotlight and microphone, interrupting her at the 2009 MTV VMAs. The interaction with Ye is horrifying in its own right, but Munn's choice to joke about the matter is in poor taste, and she should’ve known better. She finally concedes, putting an end to the unfunny bit and allowing us all to breathe a sigh of relief.
#3: Ashley Graham Asks Jason Momoa to Dance
Ashley Graham makes a major misstep as a red carpet reporter at the 2019 Academy Awards, while chatting with Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet. Things become awkward when the model concludes her interview with the pair by asking the “Aquaman” star to perform a traditional Māori dance. The actor had previously performed the Haka at the premiere of his superhero film. However, that doesn’t mean he dances on demand. Bonet shakes her head in response to the question, implying that it's inappropriate. Momoa then gives a small yell before laughing uncomfortably. The question is arguably disrespectful, making the interaction tough to swallow.
#2: Jerry Seinfeld Denies Kesha’s Hug Requests
During a 2017 encounter on the red carpet, Kesha approaches Seinfeld to ask for a hug, only to be brutally shot down. Apparently, the singer is a big fan of the comedian, but he makes it clear he doesn’t know who she is. Seinfeld says no a whopping three times, and at one point physically steps away from the musician. Kesha leaves, clearly upset, while he laughs it off. We feel badly for the pop star, but we also understand Seinfeld’s hesitancy to hug a stranger. The whole thing is awkward, but both celebs have since joked about it online. Seinfeld posted a picture in front of street art depicting the moment, and Kesha referenced it in a 2021 TikTok.
#1: Dakota Johnson & Ellen DeGeneres’ Birthday Invite Debate
The actress and the comedian have had many awkward interactions on DeGeneres’s talk show, and it seems there’s a common birthday theme. However, this cringe-worthy 2019 segment takes the birthday cake. In it, the host accuses her guest of not extending her an invitation to that year's party, but Johnson quickly denies this. The actress says DeGeneres was in fact invited, and it's she who didn’t show. The conversation feels less like an interview and more like an interrogation. It doesn’t go well; we know it, and the actress knows it. Johnson saying that Tig Notaro is her favorite comedian is the awkward icing on top.
