Top 10 Weird Interviews We Can't Stop Rewatching

Puppets Zig and Zag first appeared on Irish broadcaster RTÉ in the late eighties. They later moved to the UK show “The Big Breakfast”. The alien duo acted as celebrity interviewers, with some assistance from the host, Chris Evans. The late Robin Williams was one of their most memorable guests. In this madcap interview, the actor channeled the same child-like energy he brought to “Aladdin” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” But this time, the jokes were more risqué. The improvisations came quickly, and Zig and Zag kept the momentum going. The loud, colorful interview screamed nineties television. You’ll definitely have to watch it at least twice to get every quickfire gag and reference.

Red carpet interviews are often awkward. But when Sacha Baron Cohen is involved, you know things are about to get strange. At the 2012 Oscars, he came dressed to provoke, but also to promote his new movie. “The Dictator” was a satirical comedy that poked fun at past authoritarian leaders such as Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il. Baron Cohen co-wrote the movie and starred as the leader of a fictitious dictatorship. In his interview with Seacrest, he appeared in character and claimed to be holding an urn filled with the former North Korean leader’s ashes. He then proceeded to “accidentally” chuck them over Seacrest’s tux. It seemed like fun and games, but the interviewer wasn’t really laughing.

This former One Direction member is from Wolverhampton, England. But you wouldn’t think it by watching this interview about the 2022 Oscars. Let’s just say many were struggling to place his accent. His speed-talking didn’t help matters, either. It seems odd that Payne was asked about the Will Smith/Chris Rock controversy in the first place, as he had no connection to the incident. But he appeared to feel qualified to discuss the topic at length. After all, he met Chris Rock once, when he was younger. And One Direction did go to the premiere of “Men in Black 3.” Needless to say, the interview went viral.

Have you ever made up a story to make yourself sound more interesting? Robert Pattinson has. The problem with that tactic is that the weirder the story, the weirder you look when the truth comes out. In an interview on “The Today Show” in 2011, he told the host that he once witnessed a circus clown die traumatically. About a week later, Pattinson reportedly admitted to a journalist that he had made the whole thing up. The actor has since gained a reputation as a serial troll, with his best weird interviews garnering multiple hits. Still, that clown story is hard to beat, and we doubt it’ll ever get old.

Wendy Williams is known for shock interviews and on-air arguments. And as host of “The Wendy Williams Show,” she often got into spats with her guests. But her shade-throwing match with reality star Omarosa is the moment we could watch on repeat. Williams kicked things off by describing her guest as in a contentious manner. When the interviewee accused her of reinforcing stereotypes, the host made no real attempt to fix the situation. Later on, Omarosa and Williams went all-out in a back-and-forth where they came for each other’s appearance. And everything from nose jobs to wigs was on the table. There’s certainly some good entertainment value there.

In recent years, a conversation about David Letterman’s interview style and his treatment of female guests specifically has taken shape. Sucking on Jennifer Aniston’s hair and grilling Lindsay Lohan on her mental health issues are now widely acknowledged to be inappropriate behaviors. However, the unusual thing about his interview with Drew Barrymore is that she was making it weird too. The actress gave the host a table dance, and then proceeded to flash him. It was all carried out with a bundle of her characteristic charm, so you could almost convince yourself it was something that happens on talk shows everyday. But it definitely isn’t, which is what makes it so strangely unforgettable.

As weird appearances on a David Letterman talk show go, the most infamous is probably Crispin Glover, back in 1987. Dressed in a wig and platform shoes, Glover seemed strange and possibly distressed. However, when his movie “Rubin & Ed” was released in 1991, it was assumed that he had appeared on the late night show as his character. Glover has never confirmed nor denied that he was method acting, but the similarities to his movie persona led some to believe that was the case. As far we know though, the studio audience had no way of knowing the truth. With that in mind, their reaction, which was mostly uproarious laughter, seems a little insensitive.

Has a celebrity interview ever created as big a cultural shift as this memorable Charlie Sheen tirade did? Back in 2011, Sheen was among the highest paid television actors. But he was fired from “Two and a Half Men” following a string of bizarre interviews and tweets. His outbursts all played out in the public eye, with many questioning the recovering addict’s sobriety. The pinnacle of his erratic week in the media spotlight was this interview. He made “winning” an expression, talked about his “tiger blood” and basically became a meme before meme culture was even a big deal. About a decade later, Sheen described his infamous meltdown as “desperately juvenile.”

Allowing talk show guests to drink is risky. But on “The Graham Norton Show,” it usually pays off. Tipsy celebs are more likely to relax and have fun, creating some brilliantly entertaining episodes. But it is possible to relax too much. Mark Wahlberg’s memorable night on the sofa featured him getting up and going to sit on Norton. He also wasn’t afraid to interrupt and flip an audience member out of the red chair with abandon. Yes, it was funny, and definitely rewatchable. But we’d imagine it was also kind of annoying for the other guests. Wahlberg claims his behavior was pre-planned, but that doesn’t make the interview any less entertaining.

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

Morgan Freeman Falls Asleep
How Do You Conduct an Interview When Your Subject Has Dropped Off?

Barbara Walters Calls the Kardashians Talentless
Those Were Fighting Words

Cara Delevingne Seems “A Bit Irritated”
The Model Snapped Back at Awkward Interviewers

Harry Belafonte Is Sleeping
Here’s Another One Napping on the News

Madonna & David Letterman’s Controversial Exchange
The Notorious Interview Caused a Stir

There was a time when we thought of Tom Cruise as a pretty regular guy. That was before his appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. The actor was supposed to be promoting his new movie “War of the Worlds.” However, he got all hyped up once Oprah brought the conversation around to his personal life. She got more than she bargained for. Cruise was buzzing about his new relationship with Katie Holmes. It all culminated in that infamous couch jump. So, maybe it doesn’t look as weird in the context of the interview. But it ushered in the era of the new Tom Cruise, and it was also great TV.