Awkward moments — we all try to prevent them from happening, but they’re inevitable. A lot of us have many stories of cringe-worthy situations in our lives, some of which we can laugh about now that we’re older. Other times, there are embarrassing moments that will haunt us forever. Whatever the case may be, awkward moments are just so… well, awkward.
National Awkward Moments Day is today, March 18, and it’s a day dedicated to the remembrance of all things awkward and this includes those celebrity moments that can never be erased. Sometimes, it’s relieving to witness embarrassing celebrity situations in order to feel better about ourselves. After all, celebrities aren’t immune to being victims of awkward situations. On this National Awkward Moments Day, let’s remember a few unforgettable, awkward celebrity moments.
Jerry Seinfeld refuses a hug from Kesha
This celeb encounter has to be one of the most cringe-worthy, secondhand-embarrassment-inducing moments. Jerry Seinfeld was being interviewed on the red carpet at the David Lynch Foundation’s National Night of Laughter and Song at the Kennedy Center in June 2017, when Kesha interrupted the interview to ask for a hug. Seinfeld refused Kesha’s hug request three times before she walked away in disappointment. Seinfeld laughed awkwardly and said, “I don’t know who that was.”
The 30-second video is so hard to watch and just overall awkward AF. First of all, Kesha interrupting an interview to tell Jerry Seinfeld she loves him is odd. It was just bad timing; she could’ve waited until he finished his interview to approach him. Secondly, the look on Seinfeld’s face as Kesha opened her arms for an embrace was awkward in itself. This is a lesson to us all: Be mindful when approaching your favorite celebrity and immediately asking for a hug. They may not respond how you want them to. Brush it off, Kesha!
Jim Carrey’s “meaningless” rant at NYFW
E! News reporter Catt Sadler interviewed Jim Carrey at the Harper’s Bazaar ICONS party of 2017 New York Fashion Week, and he had a lot to say. Carrey described the event as “meaningless” and went on to rant about existential topics. He even claimed that Sadler and the “icons” don’t exist.
The entire interview, just like the Seinfeld-Kesha encounter, was overall awkward to watch. Sadler’s facial expressions and eye contact with the camera made it obvious she felt uncomfortable throughout Carrey’s rant. Although this interview may have been awkward for Sadler to do, she considers it one of the “most memorable” interviews of her career. After this interview, only one question is left to ask Jim Carrey – are you good?
Justin Bieber mocks the lyrics to “Despacito”
One of 2017’s number one songs is the Spanish hit “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi. The remix featuring Justin Bieber gained worldwide popularity. All eyes were on Bieber, who appeared to master his attempt at singing a track in Spanish. However, when he performed this song live he revealed that he didn’t actually know the lyrics he recorded in the studio. Instead of refusing to perform the song he clearly didn’t know, he chose to mock the Spanish lyrics using words like “burrito” and “Dorito,” which are not only far from the actual lyrics but are borderline offensive to Hispanics and Spanish speakers like myself.
The interaction between Bieber and the audience was just so awkward to watch. He clearly didn’t know what to sing so instead of continuing to butcher the lyrics, he turned the mic on the audience. He even encouraged one audience member to sing when he said, “you know the words.” Bieber, you may want to brush up on your (lack of) Spanish skills if you ever want the chance to collaborate on a song in Spanish in the future.
“La La Land” mistakenly won an Oscar instead of “Moonlight”
It must be hard knowing you received an award that actually doesn’t belong to you. That’s what happened to “La La Land” at the 2017 Academy Awards. Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong winner for the Best Picture category, reading “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight” as the true winner. The announcers were somehow given the wrong envelope to read, and they awarded the wrong movie for best picture.
During their individual acceptance speeches, the cast and crew of “La La Land” seemed genuinely happy and grateful to have received the award. When they were interrupted by the news that “Moonlight” actually won, they showed the true winner’s envelope to the camera. It was awkward for the cast of the losing movie to be on stage holding what they thought was their award. “La La Land” was told they could keep their Oscar, but instead, producer Jordan Horowitz said, “I’m going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight.’” Horowitz handled this debacle with grace and dignity. Much respect to you, Justin Horowitz!
Steve Harvey crowns the wrong Miss Universe 2015
Last but not least, who could forget one of the biggest mix-up of 2015? Miss Universe 2015 ended on an awkward but unforgettable moment, not only for the winner and runner-up, but also for the host, Steve Harvey. Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutiérrez and Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach held hands during the crowning moment of the Miss Universe 2015 pageant. Harvey read Miss Colombia’s name as Miss Universe 2015. She was then given her sash, flowers and crown. As Gutierrez cried happily and waved at the crowd, Harvey approached the stage looking embarrassed as he interrupted her crowning moment. Harvey apologized to Miss Colombia and named Miss Philippines as Miss Universe 2015.
The whole situation was an absolute mess –– Miss Colombia was wrongfully crowned, and Miss Philippines had her crowning moment basically taken away from her, as she was awkwardly crowned as the true winner. There’s no doubt that Miss Colombia was upset over the debacle, as were her fans. Her fans took to social media to claim that Miss Colombia was the true winner of Miss Universe. The lesson here is to make sure you can read the teleprompter if you’re awarding someone a life-changing title. The awkward moment was followed by many memes posted online making fun of Harvey’s embarrassing mix-up.
Of course, these are only a few highlights of many iconic embarrassing celebrity moments. This Awkward Moments Day, let’s be thankful that a lot of us aren’t in the public eye like these celebrities. Our embarrassing moments may or may not be available online for the world to see. If you’ve ever been in an awkward situation, just brush it off, laugh about it and remember that you didn’t mess up the lyrics to “Despacito” like Justin Bieber did.