The red carpet is a moment that many people, especially celebrities, look forward to. In addition to hoping for the trophy in hand, celebrities also take advantage of red carpet-opportunities to show off their best fashion outfits. It’s normal to see celebrities looking beautiful, being interviewed by news outlets, and posing for photos. However, there have been several instances where people have been caught in awkward situations. While some people laugh off the awkwardness, others are displeased when the unexpected ruins the moment.
Despite being celebrities, they are not immune to embarrassing blunders either. Therefore, the red carpet where these celebrities capture all the attention sometimes turns out to be nightmarish.
From clueless reporters to downright absurd celebrity behavior, let's take a look at 20 of the most clumsy moments some of our favorite stars have to deal with on the red carpet.
#1 John Travolta Kisses Scarlett Johansson (2015 Oscars)
Source: Getty Images
No, that's not Scarlett Johansson's wax figure. It was the actress who stood completely still - and visibly annoyed - as John Travolta grabbed her midsection and leaned in for a kiss.
#2 Bradley Cooper's Clingy Fan - Vitalii Sediuk (2014 SAG Awards)
Source: Dan Macmedan/ Getty Images
I also wanted to hug Bradley Cooper and never let him go, but you don't see me actually doing that. The actor seemed to have laughed at this fan ambush at the 2014 SAG Awards — before security prayed the man's legs off his feet. As it turned out, it was the infamous Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk.
#3 Amy Schumer Face-plants (2015 Time 100 Gala)
Source: Getty Images
Amy Schumer jokingly face-planted in front of Kimye on the red carpet but Kim and Kanye walked around her without a glance. Later, in an interview, Schumer said about her decision to dive in front of Kimye "…I saw Kim and Kanye standing there, just owning it, just being short and important. And I think falling is the funniest thing, so I dived in front of them." Epic.
#4 Stella Mccartney Almost Takes Down Rihanna's Skirt (2014 Met Gala)
Source: Nelson Barnard/ Getty Images
Rihanna attended the 2014 Met Gala with a white long-sleeved, cropped top with a stunning open back and a floor-length skirt with a full train and draping along the back. And when shooting, fashion designer Stella McCartney came to ripping RiRi's skirt right off her body with her heel.
#5 Sacha Baron Cohen Dumps Ashes On Ryan Seacrest (2012 Oscars)
Source: E!
Sacha Baron Cohen appeared on the carpet dressed as his character from The Dictator, accompanied by female bodyguards and an urn of "Kim Jong-il's ashes". Things got really weird when he "accidentally" spilled materials on Ryan Seacrest's Burberry suit.
#6 Jason Segel Gets Swept Up (2012 Oscars)
Source: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images
After Sacha Baron Cohen's stunt, someone swooped in to clean up—clearly unaware they were in the presence of (and blocking) thee Marshall Eriksen!! And Jason Segel's surprised expression is absolutely amusing! I know...I honestly can't believe it either, Jason.
#7 Jerry Seinfeld Turns Down Kesha’s Hug (2017)
Source: Youtube
Kesha approached Jerry Seinfeld at the David Lynch Foundation's "A Night of Laughter and Song" and asked to give him a hug. He turned her down. She asked again ("just a little one?") and he said "no thanks." It turned out that the comedian had no idea who Kesha was, and when reporter Tommy McFly informed him, Seinfeld said, "Okay, well, I wish her the best."
#8 Giuliana Rancic Asks Issa Rae What She'd Call Her Memoir (2018 Golden Globes)
Source: E!
In fact, Issa Rae already has a memoir, called "The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl". It was published in 2015...it was a New York Times bestseller.
#9 Megan Fox And Machine Gun Kelly's Tongue-touching (2021 Billboard Music Awards)
Source: Rich Fury/ Getty Images
OMG, Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly making out/licking each other on the red carpet. He told her during their first meeting "I am weed"? Yeah, it's only fair two of the hottest people on Earth are also two of the most awkward.
#10 Jessica Chastain And Oscar Isaac's Flirting (2021 Venice International Film Festival
Source: Stefania D'Alessandro/ Getty Images
Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain's relationship becomes strained at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival. I'm talking arm kisses, loving looks, face caresses...let's just say the tension was thick. If they hadn't both been married to other people, it would have been adorable.
#11 Debra Messing Drags E! While Being Interviewed By E! (2018 Golden Globes)
Source: E!
"I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn't believe in paying their female co-hosts the same as their male co-hosts," Debra Messing told E!'s Giuliana Rancic, referring to former E! co-host Catt Sadler. In December 2017, Sadler quit the network after knowing that her male colleague, Jason Kennedy, earned nearly double her salary.
#12 Jim Carrey Says Nothing Is Real (2017 Harper's Bazaar Icons Party)
Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/ Getty Images
If you want to see a red carpet reporter working hard for his money, look no further than Catt Sadler trying to rein in a very philosophical Jim Carrey. He admitted to going to Harper's Bazaar's ICONS party because "I wanted to find the most meaningless thing that I could come to and join". He continued by saying that nothing was genuine, not even himself.
#13 The Stair Conspiracy (2011 Cannes Film Festival)
Source: Anne Christine Poujoulat/ Getty Images
In 2015, the American musician Jason Derulo made headlines. Newspapers worldwide reported that Derulo fell down all the steps at the Met Gala. The image that barely showed Derulo's face became viral the next day. However, it turned out that it wasn't Derulo after all. In 2015, the singer told Radio.com about it, revealing, "My grandmother, she's 93 years old, she called me. She's like 'Are you alright? I heard you fell down the stairs.' I was like 'Grandma, I'm good. I ain't fall down no stairs!'" Guess people still didn't get the memo though, because he tried again in 2019, posting on Twitter: "Let's clear one thing up, that was NOT me at the #Metgala ?? y'all play too much, I was right on my balcony in Miami."
#14 Nancy O'dell Tells Taylor Swift She's Going Home With A Lot Of Men Tonight (2015 Grammys)
Source:
While interviewing Taylor Swift on the 2015 Grammys red carpet, ET’s Nancy O’dell actually told Taylor Swift: "You're going to walk with more than a trophy tonight, I think, lots of men." Taylor responded with perhaps the fiercest death stare of all time. "I'm not going to walk away with any men tonight," she said.
#15 Elsa Hosk's Earring (2019 Venice Film Festival)
Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/ Getty Images
The model had a "Kim, there are people that are dying!" moment when she stopped the presses—literally—to locate her lost earring. With high stilettos and an even higher skirt slit, you gotta appreciate the commitment.
#16 Terrence Howard's Philosophy Class (2019 Emmys)
Source: Youtube/ KTLA 5
While Professor Terrence Howard really enjoyed it, the actor's strange conversation with KTLA 5 at the 2019 Emmys confused everyone. Don't believe me? Try deciphering this gem of wisdom: "All energy in the universe is expressed in motion, all motion is expressed in waves, all waves are curved, so where do the straight lines come from to make the platonic solids?"
#17 Lil Uzi Vert Has A Strained Convo With Giuliana Rancic (2018 Grammys)
Source: Getty Images
Giuliana Rancic and Lil Uzi Vert weren't in the same spot at the 2018 Grammys, at least not in terms of their enthusiasm. The exchange went something like this:
Giuliana: How are you feeling?
Lil Uzi Vert: I'm feeling normal.
Fair enough.
#18 Melanie Griffith And Dakota Johnson Have A Mother-daughter Moment (2015 Oscars)
Source: Youtube
This cringe-worthy interaction began as small talk: Had Melanie Griffith seen Fifty Shades of Grey? She hadn't—and she noted more than once that she didn't want to, either. "Alright! You don't have to see it!” Johnson eventually snapped. The #momyoureembarrassingme exchange inspired many
memes.
#19 Jenna Bush Asks Pharrell About "Hidden Fences" (2017 Oscars)
Source: NBC
Jenna Bush Hager questioned Hidden Figures producer Pharrell about a fictitious film called "Hidden Fences" during their conversation. The untitled film combines the names of two nominated films, "Hidden Figures" and "Fences", both of which featured casts predominantly black casts. The next morning, Bush Hager issued an apology and Pharrell and "Hidden Figures"'s actors Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae accepted it on Twitter.
#20 Will Arnett Avoids Question About Amy Poehler (2013 Emmys)
Source: Getty Images
Post-separation from Amy Poehler, an ET reporter asked Will Arnett how he and his wife prepared for the event. Arnett responded, "I don’t really have a significant other… she doesn't exist." He ended the exchange on a
funny note, saying, "I'm excited, I can't wait to watch this back on YouTube all week."