Top 10 Times Celebs Shot Down Inappropriate Interview Questions

Journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy struck a nerve in this interview with Quentin Tarantino from 2013. The director went on the British network Channel 4 News to promote his film “Django Unchained.” However, the interview was tense from the get-go. Tarantino got defensive when he thought Guru-Murthy said the film was being trashed. The interviewer went on to ask questions about violence in movies, which Tarantino briefly entertained. But, when it was implied that violence in movies encourages violence in real life, the director passionately refused to answer. Guru-Murthy continued to try to tease an answer for Tarantino, who didn't bite. It’s obvious from the interviewee’s reaction that the reporter mishandled a delicate topic.

#9: Taylor Swift

Also in:

Taylor Swift's Top 10 Tips for Living Your Best Life

At the 2015 Grammys, Swift presented the award for Best New Artist and had three nominations of her own. However, one of her most memorable moments from the night happened not on the stage but rather on the red carpet. She had stopped for an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” when interviewer Nancy O’Dell made a strange implication. She brought attention to the singer’s legs before alluding to her potential house guests. Her line of questioning was uncomfortable and uncalled for. The cat mom has endured a lot of speculation about her romantic life. When given the opportunity, she didn’t hesitate to set the record straight.

One of the downsides to being in the public eye is having your looks scrutinized. It’s typically pretty rude to bring up a person’s weight, but that doesn’t stop interviewers from asking celebs about theirs. While visiting Georgia Tech in 2011, Jonah Hill sat for an interview with a small group of reporters. One of the people present brought up the fact that Hill had lost weight, and asked about his change in lifestyle. He responded to the question politely. However, he wasn’t happy with where the conversation went next. Another reporter chimed in and asked about the actor’s reputation in Hollywood, but the question was horribly framed. Without answering, Hill moved the conversation forward, but not before throwing in a small dig.

#7: Ariana Grande

Also in:

Ariana Grande Impressions VS the Actual Person

In 2015, the pop star put Los Angeles DJs Justin Credible and Eric D-Lux in their proper places. She was invited onto Power 106 FM for a conversation with the two dudes, but was disappointed by their shallow questions and misogynistic views. At one point the singer was asked to choose between makeup and her phone. She responded by making fun of the radio hosts’ knowledge of women. Throughout the interview, the DJs continued to express unfounded sexist ideas. They claimed that girls are unable to go without their phones and that men don’t use the unicorn emoji. Grande made her stance clear by addressing the double standards and calling for a change.

Not even superheroes can escape sexist questions. In 2012, Scarlet Johansson was doing press for the first “Avengers” movie. She appeared on “Extra” with co-star Jeremy Renner and had to field some pretty intimate inquiries from the host. Jerry Penacoli had the audacity to ask about the actress’s undergarments for her costume as Black Widow. When Johansson called him out, he failed to see why the question was so odd. She tried to point out the double standard, but it seemed to go over Penacoli’s head. Despite the invasion of privacy, the celebrity kept her cool for the rest of the interview.

#5: Jane Fonda

Also in:

Top 10 Times Jane Fonda Was the Greatest

Promoting their film “Our Souls at Night,” Fonda and her co-star Robert Redford appeared on “Megyn Kelly Today” for a conversation with the former Fox News host. In front of a live studio audience, Kelly awkwardly used complimenting the actress’s looks as a segue into asking her about plastic surgery. The interviewee was rightfully shocked and quickly turned the attention back to the movie. Fonda is an icon in the entertainment industry, for many reasons. She’s a performer, an activist, and the creator of a wildly popular home workout series. There’s a lot for her to talk about, so Kelly had no reason to bring up her past cosmetic work unprompted.

The businesswoman was asked a question that went over the line when she appeared on Shade 45’s “Sway in the Morning” in 2012. Interestingly, though, it wasn't the interviewer that pitched the prompt. Towards the end of the Sirius XM radio show, Conrad was invited to choose questions at random out of a hat. Sway seemed a little nervous when the former reality star pulled an objectively rude inquiry. However, everyone, including us, relaxed when Conrad gave the perfect response. Her purposeful misinterpretation of the question’s inappropriate meaning was a smart and classy reaction. Her answer demonstrated that she's ambitious and funny. Despite being confronted with an offensive question, the celebrity came out on top.

A week after the 2014 Super Bowl, the well-known action star was doing press for “RoboCop” and appeared remotely on “KTLA Morning News.” Entertainment reporter Sam Rubin tried making small talk and asked about the actor’s recently aired KIA commercial. The problem? The man in the commercial was actually Laurence Fishburne, not Samuel L. Jackson. The interviewee railed at the reporter, who definitely should have known better. Apparently, the two actors have been confused for each other for years, but usually by fans. Some interviewers try to defend their inappropriate questions, but this guy knew he had made a mistake. Honestly, it’s pretty embarrassing for Rubin.

#2: Anne Hathaway

Also in:

Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Anne Hathaway

Hathaway is a master of deflecting offensive interview questions. She remains composed and often responds playfully. She had no problem teasing Chris Van Vliet or Jerry Penacoli. But our pick shows her giving a more serious answer. Matt Lauer was co-host of “The Today Show” in 2012 when the “Les Misérables” star went on to promote her film. He began the interview by bringing up an incident during which a paparazzo was able to take an inappropriate picture of the actress. The host asked what there was to be learned from the event, so the actress gave him a lesson. She eloquently condemned the over-sexualization of women in society before bringing the topic back to the movie, where it should have stayed all along.

Question: when did it become acceptable for interviewers to ask guests about the state of their private parts? That’s what we were wondering after this interview from Katie Couric’s talk show. The former “Drag Race” contestant was invited to talk about her experience in the industry as a trans woman. When the topic of her transition came up, Couric jumped at the chance to ask about medical procedures. She explicitly inquired about Carrera’s privates. The model rightfully refused to answer and explained why. Her response reminds us of an interview with Laverne Cox. The actress said pretty much the same thing when talk show host Wendy Williams inquired about top surgery. Both clips are from 2014, so hopefully, interviewers have learned since then.