Top 10 Times Celebs Went Undercover

Charity work has never looked this intimidating. In 2015, Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted to scare up donations for his after-school program through a charity contest. He generated publicity for the competition by walking around Hollywood as the iconic T-800 from the “Terminator” franchise. Schwarzenegger surprises fans with his deadpan delivery and a few famous lines. The best part comes when he pretends to be a wax statue at a Madame Tussauds. Every time someone gets close enough to take a picture, Schwarzenegger “comes to life” and shocks them. His prank was not only hilarious, but also a great way to bring attention to a worthy cause.

As one half of a hip-hop duo with artist Macklemore, Ryan Lewis has shown that he’s an accomplished producer, musician, director and much more. Unfortunately, none of his talents can help him get recognized. When Lewis is sent out into the public with nothing more than a pair of glasses, no one seems to realize who he is or what he does. He has to pull out a photo of himself next to Macklemore repeatedly just to get recognized. Although we kind of feel bad for Lewis, it’s hard not to laugh at how easy it is for him to hide his famous identity, and he certainly seems to be having fun with the gag!

In 2013, Bryan Cranston took hiding in plain sight to a ridiculous level. While attending San Diego Comic Con, he donned his iconic Walter White outfit from the critically acclaimed drama “Breaking Bad”. In order to hide his identity, he threw on a realistic Walter White mask. According to eyewitness accounts, this meta disguise fooled fans until Cranston revealed the truth at a panel. Cranston later made things weird when he made out with the mask before passing it to his co-star Aaron Paul. Odd self-love moment and all, the costume was a deviously clever way for him to sneak around fans.

If there was an award for most creative incognito costumes, Adam Savage would probably win every year. The former “Mythbusters” host dedicates a lot of time to creating disguises that allow him to walk around cons unnoticed. It’s hard to choose which costume was his best, as he’s managed to pull off an impressive Totoro, hauled around C3P0 as a realistic Chewbacca and hilariously dragged a frostbitten Leonardo DiCaprio as the bear from “The Revenant”. Savage’s incredibly detailed costumes consistently blow us away from a distance, but if you follow his Twitter account and attend a few cons, you might just see him in person!

Whoever thinks Superman’s glasses are a bad way to hide his identity should look at this hilarious Demi Lovato prank. In the hidden camera series “Undercover Lyft”, Lovato pretended to be a Lyft driver named Samantha. Lovato’s fantastic sense of humor leads to plenty of jokes about her career and famous friends. At one point, she even callbacks to her Disney days with a “Camp Rock” sing-a-long. As each customer arrives at their destination, Lovato reveals her thinly concealed identity. We don’t know about you, but we’ll be looking more closely at our drivers the next time we catch a Lyft.

Gordon Ramsay’s culinary knowledge and coarse demeanor make him stand out in any kitchen. But he had to put those things aside to fool one of his ex head chefs, Maria. After putting on a fat suit and prosthetic makeup, Ramsay enrolled in Maria’s cooking class as the mild-mannered James. Although he pretends not to know what he’s talking about, he can’t help but show off his cooking skills. Despite Ramsay’s repeated attempts to be found out, his disguise is too convincing for his protegee and classmates. When he finally unveils himself, she is left stunned and nearly speechless by the covert visit.

A group of “Magic Mike” fans were promised a 3D screening of the sequel. Little did they know they’d also get a 3D experience with one of its main stars. In 2015, Channing Tatum initially met fans by pretending to be a marketing executive. As he asked hilarious questions about the “Magic Mike” films, his accent, fake goatee and balding cap were enough to fool the unsuspecting moviegoers. Tatum later revealed himself however, by thrusting himself into a routine with male strippers. We can’t tell if the crowd loved the movie or not, but their enthusiastic reactions prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were huge fans of Tatum’s surprise.

In 2015, Graham Norton teamed up with Adele to prank a group of the singer’s impersonators by inviting them to audition for his fake show, “My Adele”. While they prepped their outfits, Adele added facial prosthetics, changed her mannerisms and called herself Jenny. The impersonators had zero clue that they were standing next to the very person they were imitating. After they all had a turn onstage, Adele blew them away with her unmistakable voice. Once they got over their utter disbelief, she invited them all to sing along with her. This is one audition that these impersonators are unlikely to ever forget.

During 2011’s San Diego Comic Con, an “Amazing Spider-Man” panel was delayed by an eager fan in a cheap Spider-Man suit. All of a sudden, the suit is ripped off to reveal that said fan is none other than the movie’s lead actor, Andrew Garfield. In a heartfelt speech, he talks about how much Spider-Man meant to him growing up and why the character continues to inspire. Garfield’s gratitude and enthusiasm for the role shine through with every word. And to top it off, it was his first Comic Con ever! We don’t know if you can get a better Comic Con debut than Garfield’s amazing appearance.



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



The Kardashians Go Undercover

“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (2007-)






Lupita Nyong'o Morphs into a Ranger

San Diego Comic-Con (2017)





Henry Cavill Plays Guy Fawkes

San Diego Comic-Con (2016)

You might want to get some tissues ready. On “Undercover Boss”, superstar Idina Menzel put on a wig and prosthetic makeup to become the introverted Helen Gold. She then spent one-on-one time with three women with musical aspirations. Although Idina was able to hide her identity during a wedding performance and chicken suit telegram, she broke character to sing “Let It Go” for children at a hospital. After unmasking once, she revealed herself to all the women and gave each of them gifts to help make their dreams come true. In the end, Idina’s undercover work leaves us entertained, inspired and a more than a little emotional.