Top 10 Celebrity Pranks

Game of Thrones’s Arya Stark is ruthless and wants her enemies dead. Maisie Williams is also ruthless, only she plies her trade in the pranking department. For this joke, which was done for Nylon Magazine, she pretends to be a store clerk at a hobby shop giving away free GOT merchandise. Without a disguise, avid fans quickly realize who she really is, but Williams is so committed to the bit, she never breaks character and starts to make them think otherwise. She tortures a stream of fans, making them act out scenes from the show and pretend to be dragons in order to earn their prizes. It’s silly, foolish, and Williams clearly has so much fun with it.

Kimmel may be the late night King of Pranks, but this time it’s Rihanna who pulls a fast one on the funny man. In one of her finest performances, Rihanna sneaks into Kimmel’s bedroom at one in the morning and, with the help of his own talk show crew, performs a live concert. Breaking the silence, Rihanna bursts into a rendition of her hit song “Bitch Better Have My Money,” complete with a light show and confetti. She tortures Kimmel, hitting him with pillows and flashing lights inches from his face, dragging him from his slumber. Kimmel’s confused reaction is fantastic, as he takes it like a sport, but not before letting off an expletive or two.

This one is a battle of two diabolical minds. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are both notorious for their pranks, but they reserve their best for each other. Clooney has placed a few innocent bumper stickers on Pitt’s car that read things like, “I’m Gay and I Vote” and “Small Penis On Board.” He’s also revealed that he had stationary made with Brad Pitt’s name on it, and sent fake letters to Meryl Streep. Pitt, meanwhile, has taken out full ads for Clooney boasting about being the sexiest man alive, and once tricked Italian film crewmembers into calling Clooney “Mr. Ocean” and avoiding eye contact with him. Those are just a few in this ongoing war we hope never ends.

A great comedian of the new generation, Bill Hader may have taken on his best role when he became Mike the Firefighter to prank a small New York high school. Donning a fake mustache, aviator glasses, and a full fire fighter’s jump suit, Hader spoke in classrooms and at an assembly, providing horrible safety tips and making kids stop-drop-and-roll. This prank ended with a wonderful twist, as Hader was actually fulfilling a student’s request, through the Make a Wish foundation, to prank the school. On the fly, Hader decided to dash the hopes of wise students, by having a decoy actor stage a big reveal, before running out and surprising the school himself.

A quick throwback to Drake’s Degrassi days reminds us he has at least some acting chops. In this sketch for Jimmy Kimmel Live, he employs them as he goes undercover to interview random people on the street. The topic of conversation? Drake himself. While he does receive a lot of love, the rapper is also known to take a lot of heat. Steering into the skid, Drake encourages his interviewees to diss him by cooking up outrageous fake stories about his ESPYS hosting and shenanigans at live performances. He’s quick on his feet and smart with his own disses, proving just how multitalented he really is. The final reveal is brilliant, leaving one street goer absolutely stunned.

If Jimmy Kimmel is the late night king of pranking, then Ellen is the daytime queen. She leaves no one unscathed, targeting celebrities that come on her show, but also using her guests to prank the unsuspecting general public. Some favorites include her tradition of sending her producer to a haunted house, and scaring Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet, despite his best efforts to stay safe. She has sent stars like Sofia Vergara and Dennis Quaid out to the public with hidden earpieces, who repeat word for word what she tells them. She’s even had David Beckham ask ridiculous requests of a massage therapist, and hidden in Taylor Swift’s dressing room to scare her. Famous or not, nobody is safe from the queen.

Teaming up with British comedian Graham Norton, Adele went undercover as an Adele impersonator. Sporting a fake chin and nose, altering her voice, and donning the moniker Jenny, Adele assumed the identity of a simple nanny who doubles as an Adele impersonator. Hanging backstage with a bunch of fellow impersonators, Jenny makes fun of Adele for taking so long on her next album, and complains about the lack of demand the artist. Jenny fits right in, and nobody suspects a thing, that is, until she steps up for her audition. After faking a near-nervous breakdown, Adele breaks out her real, instantly recognizable voice, shattering the illusion, and stunning the impersonators. It’s emotional and beautiful as she makes their dreams come true.

Rudd is one of America’s most beloved funny men, mostly because of his goofy charisma. It’s that very quality that makes him such a talented prankster, as he always maintains a persona of innocent ignorance throughout his bits. While he tormented Jason Segel throughout their “I Love You Man” tour, it’s his running gag with Conan O’Brien that scores as Rudd’s best prank. Still ongoing, every time Rudd promotes a new movie on Conan’s show, he has the host introduce a clip from the upcoming film, but rather than cutting to the expected clip, Rudd shows a scene from the 1988 ET rip-off, Mac and Me. Without fail, Rudd always plays it cool, while Conan is caught once again.

The Governator has pulled off a few pranks in his day, like when he pretended to be a gym trainer, and he always kindly does so in the name of charity. This time, raising money for after school programs, Schwarzenegger went back in the make-up chair to suit up as his most famous character, model T-800, The Terminator. First he enjoyed walking the streets of LA spitting classic lines from the franchise at tourists, and even having a showdown with an Arnold impersonator. The real comedy gold comes at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, where he pretends to be a wax statue, before coming to life and terrifying unsuspecting museum goers. He has a great time, and all for a good cause.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Jason Sudeikis Makes a Friend of Jennifer Aniston

Taylor Swift Surprises Keith Urban Dressed as Kiss

General Aladeen Spills Ashes on Ryan Seacrest

Borat proved Sacha Baron Cohen fully commits to whatever ludicrous stunt he’s pulling, and this is no exception. For this prank, when he is awarded the Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy at Brittania Awards, the presenter, a kind old woman, gives Cohen the actual cane from Chaplin’s film, City Lights. Cohen graciously accepts, but things go south when, in the middle of an impersonation of Chaplin’s dancing, the cane snaps and Cohen pushes the presenter off the stage. Cohen tries to revive the woman as she’s lying lifeless on the ground, before he gives up and returns to give his acceptance speech. The crowd goes from horrified murmurs to laughter when they realize Cohen has pulled yet another one of his signature tricks on them.

Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the best celebrity prank? For more outrageous Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.