Celebrities have a life that we all envy. The glamor, the glitz, the limelight, and lifestyle — all this and more adds up to quite a life. And anyone who has followed their favorite celebrities, even if it’s only through something as easygoing as their social media accounts, knows just how amazing their lives seem from the outside. Yet, even the most successful celebrities have met their nemesis at some point. No, we are not talking about their competition or even their slide from stardom. What we’re talking about are those nasty interviewers who somehow manage to squander away a perfect opportunity to ask the right questions and move up a notch in their careers, and instead, ask potentially career-ending questions! As part of our list of 10 times celebrities and viewers felt like punching the living daylights out of an interviewer, we bring you some of the nastiest celebrity interviews. Some of these are one-liners that are downright insensitive to full-fledged interviews where the interviewer just doesn’t get the hint! Oh, and when you make your way down to the top of our list, we have an entire series of these disappointing interviews. Whether they’re carried away by the moment or simply wish to make headlines, some interviewers sure know how to make the wrong moves on the other side of the camera and mic.
10. Lil Nas X
Sometimes, all it takes is one snide comment to bring it all down, and that’s exactly what happened at the 2021 MTV VMA Awards. A show that has every celebrity worth their salt walking up the red carpet in iconic outfits, Lil Nas X upped the fashion quotient by sporting a flamboyant pastel purple ensemble that sure made headlines. The Atelier Versace outfit was one of the best the event had seen and still has fans bowing down to Lil Nas’ sassy and daring style. But it sure looked like one particular interviewer had a somewhat different opinion. Jamila Mustafa, interviewing Lil Nas about his outfit, had a rather cold reply to Lil Nas’ ever-so-confident and adorable, “I’m happy. I look good.” A statement that would otherwise bring a “Hell, yeah!” or at least an “I completely agree!” Mustafa turned things around and took off in a completely different direction, Responding with a, “Listen, I’m not gonna say I’m hating on the ‘fit, but let’s move on, OK?” Mustafa soon began drawing the ire of fans. And they were not just Lil Nas fans either! Anyone who had an opinion soon began voicing their protest against the interviewer and support for Lil Nas. As far as one-liners go, this statement from Mustafa sure gathered her more flak than some full-fledged interviews!
9. Tom Hardy
An interviewer or not, Tom Hardy isn’t a guy you’d want to mess with, and yet, there have been times when interviewers have tried to take on the Legend star only to be stared down. In some cases, despite repeat warnings from the star, the interviewer refuses to back down, and this is when it all goes downhill for the man asking the questions. In one such interview that doesn’t quite seem to be the interviewer’s fault starting off but soon escalates to just that, Tom Hardy’s cool reply seems even more cold-blooded than an all-out punch from the fighting actor. The deep silence and the long pauses from the actor before a rather cold “Thank you” only seem to add to the drama. It tells you how even seemingly calm answers from Tom Hardy can sometimes send shivers down your spine! This one you got to watch to believe!
8. Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande is cute, bubbly, and is known to be extremely polite to interviewers. Yet, there have been times when the popular singer and performer has had to face some nasty questions that just don’t do justice to the fame and popularity she has garnered through a mix of talent and hard work. One such interview went down at the Power 106 Los Angeles radio station, where just about every question coming her way seemed loaded with sexist statements. To her credit, Ariana handled it all pretty well, and even though the interviewers didn’t quite see it, gave them quite a lesson in equality! From implying that her makeup would be important to her even in a life and death situation to doubling down on a slew of sexist comments, the interviewers sure showed everyone just what needs to be avoided when interviewing a girl, let alone a celebrity.
7. Matt Damon
Remember how young Matt Damon shut down a snobbish college upstart with a knowledgeable and smackdown answer? Oh, don’t worry, this is not a real-life situation but the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting we were referring to. But the reason we brought it up was that Matt Damon is just that intelligent in real life too. At a rally supporting teachers’ demands for better pay, Matt had turned up to support the teaching community and, of course, in support of his mother, who has also been a teacher for several decades. While the general air during the event supported the hardworking teaching community, one particular interviewer decided to go the other way and made the mistake of asking Matt a relatively insensitive question. Not one to back down, Matt went on to give the interviewer a thorough oratory dressing down, and soon enough, it was clear that this particular young lady had bitten off a lot more than she could chew!
6. Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevigne is one of those few actors that have made their way in from the modeling world and have yet managed to go beyond the cliched glamorous roles. One such movie was Paper Towns, where Cara paired up with Nat Wolff to give a rather endearing performance. But a brilliant performance didn’t seem to have any positive effect on a bunch of interviewers from Good Day Sacramento, who threw away a perfectly good opportunity to interview Cara the right way. And instead, they chose to make some snide remarks that went down well with neither Cara nor the audience. From getting her name wrong to implying that she hadn’t read the book that inspired the movie, it was indeed squirmy to see how one interviewer after another on the show managed to upset an already tired Cara.
5. Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway’s role in Dark Knight Rises may have been a forgettable one for her fans who have seen her in way more meaningful and impactful roles, but the one question that seemed to be even more uncomfortable than her Catwoman suit was just how she managed to fit into the skintight outfit! A question that Anne clearly didn’t enjoy answering, this one kept popping up during her press tour, and as much as she tried to answer it without sounding upset, it did leave viewers with some amount of distaste. It’s one thing to compliment an actor on her glamorous role casually and another to pester her with comments and questions that clearly cross the line. But that’s precisely what Anne Hathaway had to endure, and not just once either.
4. Scarlett Johannson
Talking about sexist questions and remarks, if there’s one actor who has had to deal with a slew of experiences on this front, it is none other than the brilliant and talented Scarlett Johannson. An actor known for her amazing portrayals in genres ranging from drama to fantasy, it is indeed surprising how interviewers often fail to see beyond the glamor quotient that Scarlett brings to the screen. What’s more surprising is that despite Scarlett’s obvious discomfort in answering these questions, the interviewing world still doesn’t seem to have got the memo! Even her fellow actors who share the screen with her in some of these interviews seem uncomfortable with the kind of questions that are being thrown at the Black Widow actor.
3. Quentin Tarantino
When Quentin Tarantino says, “And I’m shutting your butt down!” you know there’s something terribly wrong that has gone down! Always one to give elaborate and passionate answers to intelligent questions, there was this one interview that went downhill despite several attempts on the director’s part to salvage the situation. Touching the rather sensitive topic of slavery and how America was finally having an open dialog about the topic after his movie Django Unchained hit the screens to the implications of violence in his movies, Tarantino was repeatedly provoked by the interviewer Krishnan Guru-Murthy only to finally lose his cool. What’s particularly disturbing is how Tarantino repeatedly shuts the reporter down with a smiling yet clearly flustered reaction, but the interviewer simply refuses to give up!
2. Robert Downey Jr.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy’s interviewing skills make our list of unfortunate celebrity interviews again, this time going toe to toe with Robert Downey Jr. when all he should have been doing is asking questions that the actor was there to answer! The interview starts off well, with Downey Jr. answering instead of sidestepping a few questions that didn’t really need to go that deep into the psyche of the role the award-winning actor was playing. Things finally took the wrong turn when the Ironman questions began giving way to more personal questions that Downey Jr. tried his best to fend off. Despite answering a couple of questions, Guru-Murthy just doesn’t seem to back off, and finally, the usually cool and composed Robert Downey Jr. walks out of the room.
1. Britney Spears
Britney Spears has probably had one of the most rollercoaster rides in the celebrity world. The spotlight has been on her since she was a young girl, only just discovering overnight stardom and finding ways to deal with it, and has gone on to invade her privacy as a mother. Amidst all this, the singing superstar has managed to keep her cool most of the time. And even in the face of belligerent questioning and snide remarks has tried her best to play it down. There are times, though, where even viewers feel like the interviewer has taken things a bit too far. From downright silly questions to ones that break down every boundary of privacy, there’s an entire lineup in here that takes one wrong turn after another!
It’s Time to Shut Down This List!
Well, as much as we’d like to go on and on with our list, we certainly do not wish to join this clan of interviewers who do not know where to stop! Entertaining or not, there are some things that need to be shut down in time, and that’s what we’re going to do with this list before the celebrity in you walks out on us!
Follow Us
