Top 20 Cringiest Celebrity Interview Walkouts
#20: Gary Coleman
Former child actor Gary Coleman found himself a target of the tabloids in January 2010 when he was arrested on an outstanding warrant related to domestic assault. He subsequently appeared on “The Insider” in an attempt to clear his name, but was pelted with accusations of domestic assault by the hosts. In the course, he grows particularly hostile towards guest host Lisa Bloom, who seemingly refuses to listen and directly accuses him of assaulting his wife, despite his constant denials. They proceed to get into a fierce screaming match before Coleman storms out in a flurry of curses. The other hosts can do nothing but sit and gawp at the sheer pandemonium that is taking place beside them.
#19: Julian Assange
Getting an opportunity to speak to the man who probably knows more than most isn’t an opportunity to be squandered - but sadly, that’s what CNN ended up doing. During a 2010 interview, the journalist repeatedly asked Assange questions about his personal life, prompting him to threaten to walk if the questions didn’t stop. The interview was intended to focus on the importance of WikiLeaks, but quickly turned to inquiries regarding Assange’s past lawsuits. After repeated warnings that he would leave if the topic of conversation continued, Assange stayed true to his word and walked out.
#18: R. Kelly
Another Top 10 Cringiest Celebrity Interview Walkouts
Now this is an interview for the ages. While appearing on HuffPost Live, R. Kelly is told by the interviewer that his controversial personal life has been affecting his album sales and the way people interact with his lyrics. This does not please Kelly, and he tells the interviewer that she only has one more question. This results in an absolutely hilarious and surreal moment where the two talk over each other for a solid minute, with neither side being interested in what the other has to say. Of course, the interviewer has a point, because R. Kelly’s reputation HAS plummeted in recent years.
#17: Sarah, Duchess of York
Whatever Happened to Sarah Michelle Gellar?
Nobody likes being confronted with video evidence of them committing a crime - especially royalty. In an interview with the Australian version of “60 Minutes,” the Duchess didn’t seem to want to be there whatsoever. Snappy replies, eye rolling, and the demand that the camera crew delete certain segments of the recording made for an interview that was wild from start to finish. The final straw came when she was shown footage of her accepting a bribe for offering insider access to members of the royal family. With one more huff, the Duchess was out.
#16: Rita Ora
Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Rita Moreno
It’s not often that celebrities walk on the Associated Press, but here you have it! Rita Ora gives a rather innocuous interview with the Associated Press, and everything seems to be going swimmingly until the interviewer brings up Calvin Harris “not releasing some of her stuff,” causing Ora to politely smile and walk away. A discerning listener can also make out someone off camera saying something to the effect of “we’re not talking about anything personal,” and the fact that the interviewer was presumably warned about this makes the situation even more awkward.
#15: Paris Hilton
Sometimes, celebrities just don’t want to give up the spotlight. In the case of Paris Hilton, even the suggestion that her fame had run its course hit a sore spot for the notorious diva. As this ABC News interview went on and she was questioned if she felt threatened by the Kardashians’ newfound fame, Hilton became more and more… Hilton. Sarcastic laughter and clipped, short replies hinted that the TV personality had just about had it with her time in the interview chair. When the reporter asked, “do you want to wrap up?,” Paris spared him an answer and simply got up and left.
#14: LeBron James
A bit of context for this one. In game one of the 2018 NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavalier JR Smith made a monumental mistake, resulting in the eventual loss of the game. Teammate LeBron James was visibly peeved at Smith, and journalists couldn’t help but bring it up in the postgame conference. An ESPN reporter asked James what Smith was thinking when he made the error, resulting in a bitter back and forth. When pressed further, despite answering the question numerous times, James simply stood up, gathered his belongings, and left the stage amidst a painfully awkward silence. We’re going to go ahead and say no, he didn’t know what Smith was thinking.
#13: Bee Gees
Top 20 Awkward Celebrity Interviews
Before you bring a world-famous band onto your show, it’s probably best to brush up on at least a few of their songs. When “Stayin’ Alive” superstars appeared on Clive Anderson’s talk show in 1996, things were tense from the beginning. Singer Barry Gibb seemed to become especially annoyed with Anderson after the host mentioned he’d forgotten one of their hits from the past, and the pop star laughed before simply excusing himself and walking off stage. With a painfully awkward half apology, the rest of the band slowly followed, leaving the stunned host all alone. Was it something he said…?
#12: Jesse Ventura
Whatever Happened to Jesse McCartney?
In 2009, vet, wrestling icon, actor, and politician Jesse Ventura appeared on “Opie & Anthony”, only to spar with comedian Jim Norton over the topic of the American government and military. Norton continuously yells into the microphone while Ventura calmly tries to explain his situation and point of view. It eventually gets so bad that Jesse simply just sits back and stares at Norton, clearly frustrated with his stubbornness. Ventura leaves twenty minutes later, but even in the midst of physically walking out of the studio he and Norton can’t help but dig into each other. It’s wonderfully awkward, and it’s a miracle that it didn’t come to blows. Let's just say, Jim wouldn't have lasted long.
#11: Donald Trump
Top 10 Funniest Donald Glover Moments
CBS This Morning (2017) Ever since his election, there’s been friction between Donald Trump and the press – to put it mildly – and this botched interview with CBS was no exception. It began smoothly, things went south fast when the infamous validity behind the Obama wiretapping accusations were brought up. Apparently this was a touchy subject for President Trump, as only moments after the questioning began, he waved the reporter away and announced that the interview was over. To be quite honest, nobody was all that surprised.
#10: Jordan Belfort
Top 10 Funniest Jordan Peele Moments
Legally speaking, Jordan Belfort is convicted a scammer and fraudster who spent two years in prison for the same. You may know this because Leonardo DiCaprio played him in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Afte its release, Belfort sat down with “60 Minutes” reporter Liz Hayes. Throughout, Belfort grows hostile when Hayes discusses his victims and their restitution, but things get really wild once she asks if he is hiding money in Australia, leading him to scoff and prod Hayes to move on, but an offscreen voice cuts the interview short. Belfort proceeds to chastise Hayes from the sidelines, calling her disrespectful and telling her that she has “a lot of nerve” to ask the questions she was asking.
#9: Robert Pattinson
How Robert Pattinson Got Famous
Ryan Seacrest is no stranger to awkward moments, but this red carpet weird-a-thon with the “Twilight” star still makes us cringe. Chatting it up like old friends, the interview was going well until the radio host decided to poke at a taboo topic - Robert’s relationship with co-star Kristen Stewart. After an awkward pause, Pattinson’s PR manager decided that enough was enough and spirited the teen heartthrob away, with Seacrest sitting shunned. Too bad it didn’t keep the Robsten drama from blowing up all over the tabloids.
#8: Shannon Tweed
In June of 2011, Shannon Tweed and husband-figure Gene Simmons appeared on “Joy Behar: Say Anything!” to promote the new season of “Gene Simmons Family Jewels.” The interview was a little awkward to begin with, as Tweed kept repeating that she was sick of her relationship with Simmons and his philandering ways. After Gene joked about sleeping with over 5,000 women, Shannon rips off her microphone and walks out as Gene calmly asks her to return. Luckily, not too much damage was done, as Simmons and Tweed married just four months later and are still together as of 2020. At least the story has a happy ending! Perhaps one of several...
#7: Naomi Campbell
Diamonds, drama, cameras being punched - this sounds like an episode of “Real Housewives.” Backstage during Campbell’s charity fashion show for Haiti, ABC reporters decided to question the supermodel about how she allegedly received a large “blood” diamond from ex-Liberian president Charles Taylor. Apparently she wasn’t in the mood to discuss her jewelry, as she quickly cut the reporter off and said that she would not be discussing any diamond during the interview. Shortly afterwards, she stormed away, knocking a camera out of a producer's hand as she made a hasty exit.
#6: Kid Cudi
Top 10 Celebrity Interview Moments That Aged Badly
Nardwuar is an oddly-beloved, cult Canadian interviewer who uses an idiosyncratic personality and some truly impressive research to throw off his guests. His unorthodox approach typically results in bewilderment, and maybe even some acknowledgment, but it often gets him into trouble. Things were going quite well with Kid Cudi until Nardwuar showed Cudi some albums that his deceased uncle played on. Cudi is polite enough, but he quickly leaves without any fanfare or formal goodbye. He just up and walks out the door while Nardwuar chases him down the short hallway. Cudi couldn’t get out of there fast enough!
#5: Christine O’Donnell
When it comes to this notoriously sassy British TV personality, he has no issue putting his guests in the spotlight, whether it’s Kelsey Grammer or once-Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell. Known for being just a tad eccentric, O’Donnell didn’t disappoint with her reaction to Morgan’s questions regarding her views on gay marriage. At first dodging the question and then becoming angry at Morgan for his “rudeness,” the Senate hopeful announced that she’d given up another interview for this slot and that she was being pulled away, leaving us all in awkward silence.
#4: Justin Bieber
Top 10 Times Justin & Hailey Bieber Made Us Believe in Love
This entire interview is like something you’d see in “Lost in Translation.” Bieber appeared on a Spanish radio show in 2015 and immediately took umbrage with the format. As the interview was conducted in Spanish, a translator was required to both translate the host’s questions and the Bieb's answers. You can practically see Bieber’s eyes glazing over throughout the interview due to the glacial pace and terrible questions, which many people attribute to poor translating. After eight minutes of torture and some unnecessary personal digs, the hosts ask Justin to “break the internet” with some popular YouTubers, forcing Bieber to nonchalantly walk out amidst the hosts’ obvious excitement.
#3: Robert Downey Jr.
Top 10 Awesome Robert Downey Jr. Moments
The British journalist Krishnan Guru-Murthy has made awkward interviews his specialty. When “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. sat down with him in 2015 to promote the latest “Avengers” movie, we’re guessing RDJ wasn’t expecting to be asked about his political opinions, his relationship with his dad, or his past experiences with drugs and alcohol. After testily answering a few of the interviewer's questions, Downey tried to steer the topic back to the movie before deciding that it was getting “a little Diane Sawyer,” waving goodbye, and walking out.
#2: Joan Rivers
The late Joan Rivers was not to be messed with. CNN proved that the hard way. The interviewer, Fredricka Whitfield, is clearly doing that whole “I’ll attack you but I’ll pretend to be polite and act innocent” thing throughout the whole interview. She takes numerous pot shots at Rivers while continuing to feign friendliness, which includes laughing at Joan’s comments, but before long, she has had enough. Once Whitfield comments on Rivers' fur coat, she flies off the handle before calling the interview “negative” and storming off. Whitfield also states that Rivers kept her microphone on after the cameras had cut and let fly some rather, uh... colorful language. Something tells us Joan didn’t take kindly to the passive aggression.
#1:Whoopi Goldberg & Joy Behar
You know it’s bad when the hosts decide that they’ve had enough. Pit legendary Whoopi Goldberg against then-Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, and the gloves are bound to come off. A heated debate regarding the construction of mosques after 9/11 sparked an argument between the hosts that escalated quickly. After O'Reilly remarked, “Muslims killed us on 9/11,” both Behar and Goldberg decided they’d had enough and walked off. After a short cool down and an apology from O’Reilly, they returned, but we’ll never forget the stunned silence as the two TV titans figuratively left the building.
