The 25 Most Damning Celebrity Interviews

Celebrity interviews are supposed to be boring. These people are trained to maintain the mask, to give the most politically correct answers. Teams of individuals ensure that most celeb interviews are fluff, nothing but promotion for the celeb's latest project and fawning from the interviewer. But sometimes the incredible happens: the rich and famous person doesn't stick to their script and the best efforts of agents and PR teams melt under the studio lights.

Drunken tirades. Arrogant boasts. Sleazy pick-up lines. They're rare and captivating. Especially when caught on tape, as all of these interviews are.

Prepare to cringe and wince through the 25 Most Damning Celebrity Interviews.

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Written by Brenden Gallagher (@muddycreekU)

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Video Evidence: Tracy Morgan, 2007

Life imitated art when Tracy Morgan sat down for an interview with Robert Holguin and his El Paso, Texas, news team. Holguin was not prepared. From tearing off his shirt and slapping his belly as a "mating call," to insisting that at least one lady in El Paso was "going to get pregnant" while he was in town, Morgan did his best to blur the line between Tracy Morgan and Tracy Jordan, his character on 30 Rock.

Damn, we are going to miss that show. We want to go to there.

Video Evidence: Dustin Hoffman

Acclaimed actor Dustin Hoffman giggling uncontrollably about circumcision didn't hurt his career as much as some of the other behavior described here, but it did make for uncomfortable TV.

Apparently, Hoffman didn't know that cut meant "muscular," and took this interview off the rails when he spouted an impromptu monologue about a different definition of "cut" that he was, um, more familiar with.

Video Evidence: Danny DeVito, 2006

Getting drunk and talking politics isn't so unusual, and thus not particularly damning. Except when you're Danny DeVito. After a night of raging with George Clooney, the diminutive actor showed up for a taping of The View while still three sheets to the wind.

DeVito really put on a show, managing to cover everything from his White House sexcapades to his disdain for President George W. Bush. He even managed to kind of promote his new movie, Deck the Halls, even if only for about thirty seconds.

Video Evidence: Mike Tyson, 1999

There are so many clips of Mike Tyson discussing his world view, and each one would be the most horrible moment in any other celebrity's career.

This 1999 interview, a prelude to Iron Mike's first fight after biting off another man's ear during a match, is perfect because it offers a concise version of what it means to be Tyson.

First, sports anchor Russ Salzberg asks him about his concerns going into the match. Tyson is unconcerned, because he's "gonna kill this motherfucker."

As the quality of conversation degrades, Tyson offers the following words, and one can imagine that they must've looped in his brain often during his career: "Fuck it. It's a fight. So, whatever happens, happens."

Whatever happens, happens. It's a tautology to keep you safe and warm at night.

Video Evidence: Billy Bob Thornton, 2009

After Billy Bob Thornton spent the first chunk of this interview refusing to say much of anything, interviewer Jian Ghomeshi touched a nerve by attempting to use Thornton's acting career as a point of entry to discussing, well, anything at all.

The point of the interview was, ostensibly, to promote Thornton's rockabilly band, The Boxmasters, but the actor/musician only interrupted his standoffish silence to ramble about a monster magazine he used to read. He then became deeply offended when Ghomeshi suggested that he was "passionate about his music."

BBT went on to lecture his interviewer on how he shouldn't ask him about his acting career. Finally, he refused to play with the band for their obligatory studio session. Point made—you're an asshole.

Video Evidence: Drew Barrymore, 1995

In her younger days, Drew Barrymore was a real free spirit. During a 1995 Late Show appearance, she told the audience where to see nude performance art, discussed Steven Spielberg's thoughts on her Playboy spread, and flashed Letterman during an impromptu dance.

All good, right? Apparently Barrymore doesn't think so. When she returned to Letterman's couch in 2007, Dave took the opportunity to remind her of the old days. She replied, "Turning 32, I think I'm not a different person 'cause I'm certainly, you know, as wild and free-spirited as ever, but I'm just really glad I had that opportunity and got that out of my system." Letterman was bummed.

Video Evidence: Jon Stewart, 2005

Rarely does an interview result in the end of a show. In October of 2005, Stewart was slated to appear on Crossfire to promote his book, America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. As some of you may remember, the book was the last thing on his mind.

Instead, he used his time with Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala to savage their program. Stewart said, "[Crossfire] is hurting America. Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop. You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably."

By January, CNN had pulled the plug on Crossfire after more than 20 years on the air. This was one of those rare instances where the interview was damning for the interviewer.

Video Evidence: David Blaine, 2001

Word on the street is, David Blaine is quite the showman on stage, but those skills do not translate to interviews. Was his vacant Q&A on GMTV the result of narcotics or just a guy who doesn't like interviews?

Hardcore fans of Blaine went as far as to insist that the reason he came off as beyond deadpan was that he was trying to hypnotize host Eamonn Holmes. Whatever the reason, when he showed the audience an eye drawn on his hand that he described as "protection from death," any illusions the public held about Blaine having his shit together were shattered.

Video Evidence: Farrah Fawcett, 1997

Fawcett gave a cringe-worthy interview to David Letterman in 1997. Those who grew up with her famous '70s pin-up poster were likely excited to hear that her interview was going to be sexual in nature. Unfortunately for those horny children of the '70s, the segment played as an exercise in discomfort rather than titillation.

At one point, she described in extremely weird detail just how incredible her gluteus maximus truly is. There are a few moments that go past mere hippie banter and into full-on "cry for help" territory. The few seconds where she stares at the set as though it were an actual skyline (4:06) have to be the low point.

Video Evidence: Lauren Conrad, 2008

What started off as standard late-night banter turns south for Lauren Conrad once Dave determined that the star of The Hills didn't have much to offer as a guest. When she started complaining about people she has problems with on her reality show, Letterman asked if, perhaps, she was the problem, and it was off to the races from there.

The best part? The sheer disdain in Letterman's voice when Conrad tells him that she's contracted to write three books.

Video Evidence: John Stamos, 2007

Drunken interviews can derail careers and damage marriages, but how often do they get you kicked out of a country? While on a publicity tour for ER, John Stamos managed to do just that after a 48-hour marathon of offending the Australian media.

Rather than discuss his television show, Stamos opted to complain about being asked to take the trip for free and mounted childish defenses against journalists who have attacked him. The former Full House star took particular offense to a reporter's claim that he didn't wear socks. And an offended John Stamos is just like a middle school boy—he claimed that he didn't mind the diss because the writer who'd done it had "a small penis."

Good job, Australia. Get Uncle Jesse out of there. Just don't give him back to us.

Video Evidence: Mel Gison, 2010

Mel Gibson had a tough time attempting his acting comeback in 2010. Edge of Darkness was the first meaty role for Gibson after a seven-year break that involved his notorious DUI arrest. While most reporters wanted to at least touch on his personal issues, Gibson wasn't having any of it. There exist a number of interviews where Gibson has reacted hostilely to these sort of questions, but this is the only one where Gibson called the interviewer an "asshole" (via satellite).

Video Evidence: Paris Hilton, 2011

Even sex-tape peddling reality stars are competitive. When Dan Harris asked Paris Hilton if she worried about the Kardashians and other upstart reality stars eclipsing her, she was not having it. After a few brief non-answers, Hilton stormed off the set. Though she would later return with some well-rehearsed answers, the damage was done, and we learned that even reality shows that aren't Survivor or The Biggest Loser can be a competition.

Video Evidence: Britney Spears, 2006

Motherhood brought crazy amounts of paparazzi attention down on Britney Spears. After a two year hiatus from dropping singles, it seemed like all eyes were still on her. This interview in particular showed the real damage done. Nothing new was revealed about the pop star—the head-shaving and baby-dropping had already told the world how rocky her life was. But this 2006 appearance forced viewers to look hard at the media.

It must've been difficult for anyone who covered Britney during this time to watch her tearfully ask to be left alone and not feel ashamed.

Video Evidence: Paula Abdul, 2007

Credit the Internet with making Paula Abdul look even more ridiculous than she did during this 2007 interview. First, though, watch the clip and ask yourself: "Is this person under the influence?"

Abdul insisted that any weird behavior was the result of having multiple audio feeds in her ear. Still, the Internet critiques raged. Adbul held her ground, claiming that she'd "never been drunk." If we were her, we'd admit to being high rather than admit to slurring, "Seattle had the best delusional people!" stone-cold sober.

Video Evidence: James Brown, 1988

The Godfather of Soul got himself into trouble on numerous occasions over the course of his long life. Brown was first arrested when he was sixteen, and was hauled downtown for the last time less than a year before his death in 2006.

His rap sheet included a high-speed chase, being arrested on stage, and assaulting an electrician with a steak knife. Throughout the late '80s and '90s, his trouble mostly stemmed from getting high and committing acts of violence against his wife. As this interview illustrates, Brown wasn't one to take the tack most celebrities do after they run afoul of the law and beg public forgiveness. It wasn't like he was going to stop anyway.

Video Evidence: Mariah Carey, 2001

Ice cream can be a cry for help. In her Glitter years, Mariah Carey had a bad case of crazy that landed her in the hospital, citing "emotional and physical breakdown." A week prior to her bout with exhaustion, Carey dropped by TRL unannounced with ice cream for the fans.

The normally unflappable Carson Daly was flustered by the scene, which began with Carey claiming that Carson was "her therapy," and escalated to a PG-rated striptease.

Right before a desperate cut to a commercial break, Mr. Daley said what everyone was thinking: "Mariah Carey's lost her mind."

Video Evidence: Ben Affleck, 2004

Interviewer Anne-Marie Losique may have found Ben Affleck's actions during this interview charming, but no one else did. If this sit-down is any indication, Affleck's awkward career space between Good Will Hunting and re-inventing himself as a director of distinction was spent pretty sleazily.

In this "interview," Affleck shamelessly hit on Losique, even affecting a shoddy French accent while propositioning her for sex. We get it, man—you just made Jersey Girl. Your life is a mess. Just, you know, keep it in your pants.

Video Evidence: Chris Brown, 2011

Sometimes, the interview is just the start of the problem. One of the most prolific scumbags in recent memory, Chris Brown was under the impression that certain topics were off-limits when he agreed to appear on Good Morning America. They weren't. Brown tried to shift the focus off of his legal troubles and onto his album, but to his attempts were futile.

That was far from the end, of course. After the interview, a backstage screaming incident escalated in a nasty way, resulting in Chris throwing a chair through a window. What. A. Guy.

Video Evidence: Gary Coleman, 2010

It's not often that you hear the words "waffle" and "fuck" within five seconds of each other. Unless, of course, they're strung together in the sentence, "I love fucking waffles." That word choice wasn't the only strange moment in this Gary Coleman interview from 2010.

Who can say why Gary Coleman came on the tabloid TV show, The Insider, but if it was to clear the air regarding accusations of spousal abuse, he didn't do a very good job. The late Diff'rent Strokes star did little to convince anyone that he wasn't prone to violent outbursts. For its part, The Insider did very little to make it look like it engages in legitimate journalism, as the segment felt as manipulated as a puppet show.

Video Evidence: R. Kelly, 2006

"When you say teenage, how old are we talking?"

There are many ways to respond when asked if you like underage girls, and most answers other than a simple no will hurt you. That is perhaps the worst response.

Rather than copping to or explaining away his alleged taste for statutory rape, R. Kelly retreated into paranoid claims that his hangers-on had vendettas against him. The highlight of these claims was Kelly's explanation that, while he fired his brother due to accusations he made regarding Kelly and illegal lovers, he would likely rehire him in the future.

Video Evidence: Vanilla Ice, 1999

Sure, it seemed like a good idea at first. MTV got some of your favorite comedians, including Jon Stewart and Janeane Garofalo, together to host 25 Lame, a special program conceived to retire the 25 worst videos in the channel's history.

The hosts didn't count on the pent-up rage bottled inside of some of the artists. Vanilla Ice, also known as Rob Van Winkle, not only destroyed his video with a baseball bat, but also took down the whole set.

Video Evidence: Tom Cruise, 2005

You may know Tom Cruise as an international superstar and member of the world's most star-studded cult. But did you also know that Tom Cruise is a student of the history of psychiatry?

During a 2007 interview with Matt Lauer, Cruise attacked Brooke Shields's use of antidepressants, speaking as an expert on pharmaceuticals (and keeping in line with the ideology of Scientology). He then went as far to attack Matt Lauer for his tacit endorsement of prescribing Ritalin to children. What's depressing is that this isn't even Cruise's most damning public appearance.

Video Evidence: Charlie Sheen, 2011

Charlie Sheen elected himself president of the Internet a couple years back when he responded to a cocaine scandal with a series of insane radio rants and assorted actions that got him removed from Two and a Half Men. In that time, he gave us "Tiger Blood" and "Winning."

Sheen also bequeathed us innumerable GIFs and memes during those few months of downward spiral. The original video is no less intriguing now than it was then.

There is not one ten second sound bite from this interview that any publicist could get behind.

Video Evidence: Tom Cruise, 2005

They called it the Couch Jump Heard Round the World.

Despite all the rumors, all the speculation, and all the divorces, this was the defining gesture of Tom Cruise's public image. The Jump led to increased public interest in Cruise's life, marking a clear turning point in the public's perception of Maverick, and ultimately cost him his deal with Paramount after 14 years of working with the studio.

When asked about the theatrics in 2010, during an Esquire interview, Cruise got at what might be the heart of his unhinged persona. He said, "I wanted the audience to be happy just like I wanted to make my sisters and my mother happy when I did those skits as a kid."

Cruise is just like Olive Garden, apparently: When you're here, your family.