Celebrities walking down the red carpet may seem like the most formulaic and routine part of any star-studded event, but the intense mixture of paparazzi, lots of famous people, and screaming fans can also make for the perfect opportunity to get a little crazy.
Whether what happens in front of the cameras is a ridiculous intentional prank or an unintentional interview gaffe, the results are often equal parts unexpected and hilarious, with celebrities displaying a fiercely funny and refreshingly honest side we rarely get to see. If you're eager to see just how weird and wonderful Hollywood's A-listers can get, you'll love these 30 funniest red carpet moments ever. And for more side-splitting awards show moments, check out the 30 Funniest Awards Speeches Punchlines.
1 | Tiffany Haddish Jumping the Velvet Rope to Meet Meryl Streep
Leading up to the 2018 Oscars, Tiffany Haddish told anyone and everyone that she planned to meet Meryl Streep at the awards show. And she made good on the promise, jumping onto the red carpet to befriend the acting legend—and pitch her a role in Girls Trip 2. For other unexpected celebrity match-ups, check out these 20 Unlikely Celebrity Friendships.
2 | Jennifer Lawrence Asking Josh Hutcherson About his Rash
Known prankster Jennifer Lawrence was eager to knock her Hunger Games co-star, Josh Hutcherson, off his game mid-interview, and she almost succeeded. As Lawrence passes by, she loudly asks Hutcherson if his rash is getting any better, and his embarrassed reaction and quick recovery are priceless. And for more collar-pulling on-camera moments, don't miss the 30 Most Awkward Celebrity Awards Show Moments.
3 | Amy Schumer Dishing on Her Designer Dress and OB Tampon
Amy Schumer is known for crude jokes and making light of supposedly serious celebrity events, but her response when Giuliana Rancic asked her what she was wearing at the 2016 Emmy Awards was still a jaw dropper. In addition to making mention of her Vivienne Westwood gown, Schumer also let it be known that she was wearing a tampon by the well-known designer, OB. For more jokes from Amy and other hilarious comedians, check out these 50 Amazing Jokes from Comedy Legends.
4 | Jared Leto Photobombing Anne Hathaway
Jared Leto was clearly in high spirits after winning an Oscar in 2014 for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club. In addition to passing around his Oscar at the Vanity Fair after party, he also created this iconic and hilarious moment when photobombing an unsuspecting Anne Hathaway. Of course, Leto isn't only known for his Oscar-winning performances, but also for being eternally youthful. To find out how old the unbelievably youthful actor actually is, take a look at these 20 Celebrities Way Older Than You Thought.
5 | Rashida Jones Responding to Being Called "Tan"
You couldn't blame Rashida Jones for being a little surprised and taken aback when one interviewer told her she looked "tan" and "tropical," seemingly assuming the actress was coming straight from the beach. In reality, Jones is the biracial daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton, and was simply rocking her natural skin tone on the red carpet. Jones' snappy and spot-on comeback to the uncouth question about her skin tone isn't so surprising when you learn she attended Harvard, however. For more familiar faces with big brains, check out these 20 Celebrities Who Attended Ivy League Schools.
6 | Britney and Justin's Wearing Denim
Britney and Justin may have created the most iconic fashion statement on the red carpet when they dressed in matching denim at the 2001 American Music Awards. It's still easy to laugh at the outfits today, and it's clear Justin isn't above it—on a recent interview with Australian talk show The Project, the singer admitted, "If you wear denim-on-denim, it will get documented." Of course, we should all go easy on them, since they were only 19 at the time, and we all do things we might later regret at that age.
7 | Jennifer Lawrence and Taylor Swift Sharing an Awkward Moment
Despite the fact they were already friends who sent each other "six-inch text messages" before the 2014 Golden Globe awards, things still felt a little off when Jennifer Lawrence crashed Taylor Swift's red carpet interview. When Swift tells Lawrence she wanted to write her a long message of praise about her performance in American Hustle, Lawrence responds, "Well, you didn't." For more surprising details about Taylor Swift, check out 20 Celebrities Who Were Born Wealthy.
8 | George Clooney Talking About Ryan Gosling's Hair
The often wry superstar George Clooney showed his silly side once again when asked on the red carpet what made his The Ides of March co-star Ryan Gosling so successful. With a straight face, Clooney insists it's all in the hair and wardrobe. And for more celebrity silliness, check out these 20 Celebrities Who Look Like Their Pets.
9 | Jerry Seinfeld Telling Kesha She Can't Hug Him
It isn't clear at first if comedic great Jerry Seinfeld is joking around when he tells pop star Kesha "no" when she asks to hug him on the red carpet. However, when he backs away from her, it becomes clear he's truly not going to give in to the embrace, and it produces a cringe-worthy and funny moment. Afterwards, Seinfeld explains he had no idea who the pop singer was. Seems like a reasonable enough guideline for deciding who can and can't hug us. And for more advice from the comedic great, check out these 24 Important Life Lessons Seinfeld Taught You.
10 | Kelly Clarkson Meeting Meryl Streep
When Kelly Clarkson appeared to have an off-balance moment of panic at this year's Golden Globe Awards, Ryan Seacrest was afraid she was falling down the stairs. It turned out the singer had merely spotted one of her idols, Meryl Streep and was now on a mission to meet her, making for an adorable and hilarious greeting.
11 | Angelina Jolie's Meme Leg
At first glance, it seems like an innocuous enough photo: Angelina Jolie posing on the red carpet, with one long leg exposed by the slit in her dress. But this moment from the 84th Academy Awards quickly morphed into the meme heard around the world, with imitators and photoshoppers making some of the funniest post-Oscar content ever created.
12 | Sacha Baron Cohen Spilling Ashes on Ryan Seacrest
The Borat star and consummate prankster is known for never breaking character and this was as true as ever when he showed up as his character, "The Dictator," at the 2012 Oscars. While talking with Ryan Seacrest, Cohen spilled an urn of "ashes" all over the interviewer's tux, and while we may have laughed at home, Seacrest didn't crack a smile the whole time.
13 | James Corden Photobombing Samantha Bee's Writing Team
Even though James Corden got his own writing award at the 2017 Creative Arts Emmys, it seems the talk show host didn't want to go the red carpet photo op alone. Instead, the Late Late Show host decided to barge into Samantha Bee's own winning moment, effortlessly blending in with her and her writing team in a sweet and smiley photobomb.
14 | Susan Sarandon, Shoeless on the Red Carpet
Even before she was known for her political opinions, Susan Sarandon was known for marching to the beat of her own drum. At the Lord of the Rings premiere she walked the red carpet shoeless, claiming it was in honor of Peter Jackson and the hobbits.
15 | Justin Timberlake Crashing Emma Stone's Interview
The art of the photobomb is a delicate one, and most photobombers keep a safe distance from their target so as not to ruin the surprise. This was not the method chosen by Justin Timberlake, however, when he got up close and personal with Emma Stone as she was being interviewed during the 2017 Oscars.
16 | Hannibal Buress Sending a Lookalike to the Spider-Man Premiere in His Place
Hannibal Buress managed to make a hilarious bit of social commentary when he paid an unknown actor to impersonate him at the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming. The fake version of Buress was interviewed multiple times on the red carpet, and no one seemed to notice that it wasn't the comedian and Spider-Man actor at all.
17 | Sandra Bullock Calling an Interviewer Out on Not Seeing The Heat
You can't blame red carpet interviewers for failing to see every movie they work the premiere of, but you can still make fun of them a little bit. This was what the comedic superstar Sandra Bullock did to one reporter at the UK premiere of her movie, The Heat, effortlessly calling him out and keeping it light all at once.
18 | Robert Downey Jr. Responding to this Reporter's Adorable Question
It's easy to imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to call out the names of the world's biggest movie stars and try to get them to answer your questions as new and nervous red carpet reporter. That explains why this interviewer used his one question to ask Robert Downey Jr. about his umbrella, and despite this dud of a question, the actor still created a charming moment with his response.
19 | Tommy Lee Jones Asking an Interviewer if He's Chewing Gum
Not all red carpet interviews are funny due to the sense of humor and charm of the celebrity being interviewed. Some are funny for more awkward reasons, as was the case when Tommy Lee Jones took a long pause on the red carpet before accusatorily asking one red carpet reporter if he was chewing gum.
20 | Joan Rivers Talking About her TV Crew
Joan Rivers had a gift for being sentimental and cutting in a single breath. This skill is on full display in this TV Guide red carpet clip where Rivers decides to honor, and simultaneously lambast, her TV crew, who can be heard laughing off-camera.
21 | Leonardo DiCaprio Getting an Awkward Hug
Having a stranger run out of a crowd, drop to their knees, and hug your waist certainly sounds like it could be terrifying experience. However, Leonardo DiCaprio took it in stride when a prankster managed to get his hands on the movie star as he walked the red carpet at the 2014 Santa Barbara Film Festival.
22 | Will Smith Recognizing a Cameraman from His Past
In a sweet, off-the-cuff moment, Will Smith interrupted a red carpet interview when he realized that he recognized the man filming him. Even though it was many years later, after having gone on to become a bona fide movie star, Smith realized the cameraman was one he had worked with on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
23 | Cardi B's Facial Expressions in This Interview
Cardi B is known for always saying what is on her mind, and she didn't fail us in that regard while being interviewed by Giuliana Rancic at the 2018 Grammy awards. In just a few minutes, Cardi B managed to make a hilarious comment about her Grammy night nerves, and an even more hilarious series of faces about herself as a child and her hopes for her honeymoon with fiancé Offset.
24 | Amy Schumer Bowing Down to KimYe
Kanye West has never been known for his sense of humor, and Amy Schumer's antics at the 2015 Time 100 Gala failed to make for an exception. Fortunately, Schumer throwing herself at the feet of West and Kim Kardashian did make it on camera. And though it didn't make Kim or Kanye laugh, it provided shock and amusement for the rest of the world.
25 | Benedict Cumberbatch Photobombing U2
Benedict Cumberbatch was clearly on the hunt for a prime photobomb opportunity when he made a beeline for U2 on the red carpet at the 2014 Oscars, successfully creating one of the funniest and acrobatic photobombing moments. He later explained to Jimmy Fallon that he did it as a favor for a friend who is an uber-fan of the band.
26 | Elisabeth Moss Giving Attitude to the Mani Cam
ShutterstockWatching clips of actresses being asked to walk their fingers down Giuliana Rancic's mani-cam it's clear that it's a little bit of an awkward experience. Elisabeth Moss brought this awkwardness to full-tilt in 2014 when she, not once but twice, flipped the bird to the mani cam on live television, to everyone, including Giuliana's, shock and delight.
27 | Courtney Love Throwing Her Compact at Madonna
Kurt Loder was undeniably one of MTV's best interviewers, and the lucky one who managed to capture this bizarre red carpet moment when Courtney Love attempted to get Madonna's attention by throwing her personal belongings at the Material Girl. Madonna didn't seem amused by Love's antics, but more than twenty years later, the video still is still one of the most iconic red carpets of all time.
28 | This Tense Mother-Daughter Moment Between Melanie Griffith and Dakota Johnson
You can't blame Melanie Griffith for not wanting to watch her daughter, Dakota Johnson, in the sex scenes of her Fifty Shades films. Unless, perhaps, you are Dakota Johnson. The mother and daughter had a tense and comical moment on the red carpet when they seemed to share differing opinions on whether or not Griffith should be comfortable watching her daughter on screen.
29 | Jennifer Lawrence Falling on the Red Carpet
No list of red carpet moments would be complete without one more mention of Jennifer Lawrence's ease and hilarity in front of the cameras. Even when she isn't creating the comedic moments intentionally, she still manages to get plenty of laughs, like when she fell on the red carpet at the 2014 Oscars.
30 | Jim Carrey Calling New York Fashion Week Meaningless
Depending on your view of fashion and celebrity culture, this interview with Jim Carrey during 2017's Fashion Week may have struck you as either profound or unhinged. Either way, it made for some awkward laughter to hear the actor explain that he showed up at the event because he wanted to find "the most meaningless thing" he could come to. And for more recent examples of wild celebrity behavior, check out these 20 Crazy Things Celebrities Have Already Done in 2018.
To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click here to sign up for our FREE daily newsletter!
