Top 20 Horribly Awkward TV Cameos

“The A-Team” (1983-87)
Can you think of a more awkward pairing than Boy George and this squad? “The A-Team” was a very popular show in the mid 1980s. It followed four Special Forces veterans who escape from a military prison, and work as mostly do-gooder mercenaries. Although comical in spots, it was constantly being criticized for its sexism and violence. Which is why the inclusion of Boy George was so jarring. In the show, Boy George wins over Mr. T.’s B.A. Baracus, and ends up performing to a bar full of tough, country-lovin’ good ol’ boys. We’re not sure, but we highly doubt that Culture Club is their kind of music. Can anyone say “ratings ploy?”

“Joan of Arcadia” (2003-05)
We’re not dogging will.i.am’s acting chops here, because he’s actually not half-bad. We’re just docking points for how unnecessary his cameo is. In the episode “Independence Day”, he appears as God, in the form of a Three Card Monte player, and gives Joan some advice about life, by using the card con as a metaphor. His inclusion in the episode is really unnecessary, as a regular actor would really do just fine, and it simply comes across as pandering to “Joan of Arcadia’s” teenage audience. That said, if you didn’t know who will.i. am is, you probably wouldn’t even know it’s anyone special.

“Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001)
The worst kinds of cameos are the obvious ones. Such is the case with Tom Morello appearing as Crewman Mitchell. In the scene, Mitchell randomly appears and gives Janeway directions. The two then share a brief, awkward conversation (complete with Morello looking directly into the camera) before Janeway walks away. Morello is a fan of “Star Trek,” and the son of series producer Rick Berman is a fan of Morello’s work in Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. The scene (which could have easily been cut from the episode) screams “we just wanted to hang out with Tom Morello for a day.”

“The Young and the Restless” (1973-)
It’s not too often you see pro athletes make cameos in television series, and even less so with soap operas. Here’s why. Wayne Gretzky is far and away the greatest scorer the NHL has ever seen, but his acting chops could use some work. Surprisingly enough, the character he played was supposedly a mob boss in the episode, but you wouldn’t exactly know it from Gretzky’s stiff and emotionless delivery. Even though it’s only a couple lines long, the whole scene feels forced and unnecessary, and Gretzky’s probably the least intimidating mob boss ever put to screen. We’re guessing it wasn’t long after this appearance that the Great One put his acting career on ice.

“Monk” (2002-09)
In the episode “Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike,” the garbage collectors of San Francisco go on strike, and Monk grows delirious from the smell of garbage. While single-handedly cleaning up the city, Monk tells his colleagues that he has solved the murder on his mind. As he explains, the real Alice Cooper is a collector of antique wing chairs and committed murder when he discovered that the head of the sanitation union had one that he wanted. While this is being explained, Alice can be seen snarling at the camera and caressing a chair. It’s very weird and very awkward, but then again, that’s “Monk” for you.

“The Adventures of Pete & Pete” (1991-96)
R.E.M. was all the rage in the early 1990s, and their popularity resulted in one incredibly awkward cameo from the band’s singer, Michael Stipe. In a special episode of “Pete & Pete,” Stipe appears as a “sludgsicle” vendor named Captain Scrummy. And while Stipe is a great singer, as an actor he’s . . well . . . . Look, we understand that “Pete & Pete” is intentionally corny and ridiculous, but there’s a difference between good corny acting and bad corny acting. This is the latter. Stipe makes some truly weird facial expressions, and his voice stays in a sleep-inducingly monotone throughout the entire scene. It’s surreal, but not in a good way.

“Hannah Montana” (2006-11)
If there’s a group of people who would appreciate a Larry David cameo, it’s Hannah Montana’s demographic, right? Larry David, creator of two of the most acclaimed comedies in television history – “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” – seemingly randomly appeared in the episode “My Best Friend’s Boyfriend,” playing the typical Larry David character. He certainly wasn’t bad by any means – in fact, he was quite funny. It’s just incredibly jarring seeing a comedy legend appear in a children’s show, and his brand of comedy doesn’t really mesh with that of “Hannah Montana”’s. David’s appearance allowed him to get his real daughters – who are big fans - on the show, but that doesn’t excuse the awkward pairing.

“All-American Girl” (1994-95)
Look, we all know that Quentin Tarantino is one of the best directors of the past few decades. That said, everyone also knows that he isn’t the strongest actor, especially when he puts himself in scenes alongside titans like Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx. Quentin appeared in one episode of the short-lived ABC sitcom “All-American Girl.” Yeah, the constant Tarantino jokes were fun, but the dude was his usual fast-talking, awkward self. If that wasn’t bad enough, his on-screen chemistry with Margaret Cho was…well, they weren’t very compatible, let’s just say that. It’s weird to think that Tarantino went from “Pulp Fiction” directly to…whatever this was.

“Fuller House” (2016-)
Call it an awkward cameo for an awkward show. In “Fuller House’s” third episode, wittingly titled “Funner House,” the gang runs into Macy Gray at a nightclub. OK, let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Why Macy Gray? She may be a great singer and talent, but her last big hit was in, like, 1999. We don’t think the demand for Macy Gray cameos are very high. Our question is answered later in the episode, when Gray awkwardly plugs her new album, although the following dig at herself is admittedly quite funny. It’s the one redeeming aspect of this otherwise cringey and terribly-acted cameo.

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)
It’s Donald Trump. Need we say more? In the fourth season episode “For Sale by Owner,” the family is offered an exorbitant amount of money for their house by a mysterious buyer. This buyer turns out to be none other than The Trumpmeister himself. Donny T awkwardly appears to an incredibly lame and overly-scripted fanfare, including an exaggerated announcement, and Carlton fainting in excitement. Trump then awkwardly acts and prances his way around the set, delivering horribly-timed, monotone lines before leaving barely two minutes later. Come on “Fresh Prince,” you’re better than this.

“7th Heaven” (1996-2007)
Some musicians and singers beautifully transition from music to acting. And some don’t. Case in point: NSYNC’s Lance Bass, who appeared as Rick Palmer in an episode of “7th Heaven.” This was Bass’s first role in television, and it shows. His acting is painfully wooden and emotionless, and his line delivery is stilted, like he’s reading off a cue card just offscreen. This episode aired in January of 2000, the same month NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” debuted, and only two months before their most successful album, No Strings Attached, was released. This show was geared towards teens and preteens, hence Bass’s blatantly commercial cameo.

“Veronica Mars” (2004-07)
Paris Hilton has made numerous cameos over the years, (xref) like when she appeared as a goddess on “Supernatural.” And, as you can probably imagine, they have all been very jarring. Her most awkward cameo is arguably her appearance as Caitlin Ford in the second episode of “Veronica Mars.” Here, she is given an important role, but her character falls wicked flat. It seems incredibly out of character for the new show to do a cameo like this, and it reeks of network meddling. It’s as if UPN wanted to pander to its viewers, and was willing to jeopardize the quality and identity of its show to do so.

“Friends” (1994-2004)
We know we just said that we wouldn’t be taking acting ability into account, but holy cow is Jean-Claude Van Damme really not in his element here. Granted, he was never really known for his acting prowess, but rather for his fighting skills. Jean-Claude Van Damme appeared in the Friends’ Season 2 episode “The One After the Superbowl,” and that title is rather indicative of the episode’s overall quality. It’s clear that they wanted to capture as many demographics as possible, which included fans of football and of Van Damme who wouldn’t normally tune in to “Friends.” His awkward and chemistry-free inclusion felt like a relatively obvious ratings ploy.

“One Tree Hill” (2003-12)
Some musicians make a flawless transition from music to screen – think Will Smith or David Bowie. Others, like Pete Wentz, should probably stay in the recording booth. Wentz, the bassist and lyricist of rock band Fall Out Boy, appeared with the entire band in the One Tree Hill episode “An Attempt to Tip the Scales,” playing their song “Dance, Dance.” Fair enough. A scripted performance by a popular band is always a welcome addition to any teen-centric series. However, things get a little dicey when Wentz starts dating Peyton later in the season. He’s… not the greatest actor, and his forced inclusion feels more like fan-baiting than a worthwhile story addition.

“The O.C.” (2003-07)
Chris Brown appeared for a three-episode arc in the fourth season of “The O.C.,” which aired in 2007. Yes, this was before the Rihanna incident, when Chris Brown was a significantly less loaded name. But this O.C. cameo wasn’t very good nonetheless. Brown plays Will, an intelligent student who takes the rebellious Kaitlin under his wing as her tutor, and the two soon grow an attachment. It’s typical high school drama TV, but it’s brought down by Brown’s rather inadequate acting. He mumbles through his lines, delivers them as if he’s reading off a cue card, and conveys the same expression no matter the content of the scene.

“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2000-15)
Remember when Kevin Federline was a thing? Federline appeared in the season seven episode of CSI entitled “Fannysmackin’,” and it was every bit as embarrassing as you would imagine. He played Cole Tritt, the ringleader of a gang and in one scene, Federline being punched in the stomach after taunting Nick. This moment almost seems to be some form of wish-fulfillment, as Federline’s reputation was still in the dumps around the time of this episode’s initial airing, mostly for leaving the pregnant Shar Jackson for Britney Spears some time before. The question this cameo raises is why cast Federline when a more experienced actor could do better?

“The Secret Life of the American Teenager” (2008-13)
Was it really necessary to cast Bristol Palin, daughter of the often-mocked politician, Sarah Palin? We’ll answer that for you: no. With this performance, Bristol proved that she has no business or future in scripted television, delivering arguably one of the most uncomfortable performances in popular television history. Her line delivery is utterly robotic, and her facial expression never changes. It’s like watching a cyborg, or a video game dialogue sequence in real life. It’s so forced that you assume the character is supposed to be acting off, as if she’s setting up Amy to be murdered just outside the room.

“Baywatch” (1989-90; 1991-2001)
The ‘80s and ‘90s boasted some of the most iconic wrestlers in the history of the industry, such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Ric Flair. You know what else was popular in the ‘90s? Baywatch! And you better believe that the two were brought together. The result? One of the most silly episodes of television you’ll ever watch. The three wrestlers appeared in the episode “Bash at the Beach”, fittingly named after (and shamelessly promoting) the WCW pay-per-view event. The story revolved around Ric Flair challenging both Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage to a wrestling match to decide the fate of a youth center. We wish we were making this up.

“90210” (2008-13)
These two aren’t number one for the sole reason of their being Kardashians. Even Snoop Dogg was really awkward on 902010, and we love us some Snoop Dogg. (xref) To the Kardashians’ credit, they aren’t the worst actresses ever. It’s just a completely pointless and grating scene that serves no purpose other than to scream, “Look, we have the Kardashians on our show!” and to promote their sisters’ expensive and luxurious clothing line. Combine a cringe-worthy storyline, some could-be-better performances and shameless celebrity advertising, and you’ve got a godawful TV cameo for the ages.

“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2000-15)
Who. On. Earth. Greenlighted Justin Bieber to be in an episode of “CSI?” Oh, excuse us, TWO episodes of “CSI,” because… why not?! Bieber appeared in the eleventh season as Jason McCann, a serial killer and bomber. Yes, they cast Justin Bieber as a serial killer, and that was the moment when many fans would say “CSI” lost all credibility. Bieber’s acting is wooden at best, and his boyish appearance and squeaky voice is about as threatening as your kindly grandmother who bakes cookies. And then they shoot him, which, like Federline, was almost certainly scripted solely to go viral...