Nikkie de Jager say , " Call me unenlightened , but I kind of expected to be welcomed with confetti cannons : ' Welcome toThe Ellen DeGeneres Show ! ' Instead , I was recognize by an furious intern who was a bit overworked . I was gestate a Disney show but gotTeletubbies After Dark . "
This post contains mentions of suicide .
There are plenty of reasons a famous person might appear on a talk show, from promoting a new project to sharing their side of a viral story. They’d reasonably expect professionalism, empathy, or basic respect from the host — but they unfortunately don’t always get it.
Here are 13 times celebrities opened up about their terrible experiences with talk show hosts:
1.On a 2024 episode ofThe Pit Stop,Trixie Mattelrecalled a terrible interview experience,appearingto reference her recent appearance onThe Zach Sang Show.
Here’s the full clip, with this part starting at the 7:05 mark:
This is the interview Trixie seemed to be referencing:
Here’s the full video, with this part starting at the 7:49 mark:
2.On a 2024 episode of theCancelled with Tana Mongeau and Brooke Schofieldpodcast, Brooke Schofield called out Zach Sang for discussing herbreakupwith Clinton Kane (whom she latercalled outas an alleged liar in a series of TikToks) on his show before she was ready for the situation to be public.
Brooke said that, at the time, her biggest fear was the story about her situation with Clinton coming out. After Zach spoke about it on his show with Tana, Brooke reached out to ask him to delete it from the episode because she wasn’t ready. She said that he ghosted her, kept it in the episode, and never apologized — but instead invited her onThe Zach Sang Show.
She explained that she felt “cornered” during the interview because there were seven cameras on her and said that Zach never texted her separately. So, when she saw him post about sendingFinneasflowers for no reason, she felt hurt.
Here’s the full episode, with this part starting at the 1:17:17 mark:
3.In 1999,TFI FridaypresenterChris EvansmadeVictoria Beckham, who was two months postpartum, get on a scale to prove she’d “bounced back” to her pre-pregnancy weight.
In 2022, she toldVogue Australia, “I’d just had Brooklyn and lost a lot of weight after. It happened to my mum after her pregnancies. It doesn’t mean you have an eating disorder. And he made me stand on scales and be weighed. Can you imagine doing that nowadays?”
Here’s the interview clip, with this part starting at the 3:23 mark:
4.When Mariah Carey appeared onThe Ellen DeGeneres Showin 2008, she wasn’t ready to share the news of her pregnancy with the public. Ellen, however, pressured her to drink champagne to “toast to [Mariah] not being pregnant” – coercing her into announcing her pregnancy.
In 2020, Mariah toldVulture, “I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath.”
Here’s the interview clip:
5.On a 2020 episode of the Dutch talkshowDe Wereld Draait Door, YouTuber Nikkie de Jager (aka Nikkie Tutorials) reflected on herThe Ellen DeGeneres Showappearance a few weeks prior. Translated to English, shereportedlytold host Matthijs van Nieuwkerk, “It’s really nice that you came over and said hello to me…She didn’t.”
A few months later, Nikkie told the Dutch magazine&C, “Call me naive, but I kind of expected to be welcomed with confetti cannons: ‘Welcome toThe Ellen DeGeneres Show!’ Instead, I was greeted by an angry intern who was a bit overworked. I was expecting a Disney show but gotTeletubbies After Dark.”
6.When Mel B appeared onThe Big Narstie Showin 2022, she name-dropped a few “dickhead” celebrities — includingThe Late Late Showhost James Corden.
Here’s the full clip, with this part starting at the mark:
7.In 2020, Erica Durance told theInside of Youpodcast about her experience in 2006 during her appearance onThe Howard Stern Show, which left her in tears.
Then, she brought up the “worst experience” she had on the show.
Watch the full clip of Erica discussing her experience below:
8.When Liam Neeson appeared onThe Viewin 2023, co-host Joy Behar kept derailing the conversation to bring up her crush on him.
Later, he toldRolling Stone, “I was in the dressing room drinking a cup of tea, turned the TV up, and I thought, oh, this will be great. They’re talking about gun violence in America, and I agree that it’s an American problem. I go onstage and join the ladies during the break, and I was congratulating them on this discussion. And then our segment starts, and it’s just all this BS with Joy [Behar] and Liam Neeson and having a crush, and I’ve known Whoopi for years and Joy a little bit, but I just wasn’t impressed. I’m uncomfortable in those situations, you know?”
9.When Maya Rudolph made her debut appearance on theLate Show with David Lettermanin 2009, he said her name wrong.
In 2022, she told theWall Street Journal, “I did not have a good time. He said my name wrong, and I just sat there, like,I grew up my whole life in love with you. And now my heart is broken. And I’m sitting here embarrassed and humiliated.I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t know how to come up with something funny to say. My public persona muscle wasn’t strong yet.”
10.In 1981, when then-15-year-oldBrooke Shieldswas under fire for her “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing” ad campaign, she sat down with Barbara Walters for an interview special. Barbara asked her invasive questions about her body and her sexual history.
In 2021, Brooke told theArmchairExpertpodcast, “It’s practically criminal. It’s not journalism.”
Here’s a clip from the Barbara Walters interview:
11.In 2000, Barbara Walters pressuredRicky Martinto address rumors about his sexuality.
In 2021, he toldPeople, “When she dropped the question, I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out. I was very afraid. There’s a little PTSD with that.”
Here’s a clip from the interview:
12.When then-20-year-old Cindy Crawford appeared onThe Oprah Winfrey Showalongside Elite Model Management founder John Casablancas in 1986, Oprah told her to stand up and show the audience her body.
On the Apple TV+ seriesThe Super Modelsin 2023, Cindy said, “I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard. When you look at it through today’s eyes, Oprah’s like, ‘Stand up and show me your body. Show us why you’re worthy of being here.'”
Here’s the full interview clip, with this part starting at the 0:53 mark:
13.And finally, in a 1996 joint interview withThe BirdcagecostarsNathan Laneand Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey brought up speculation about Nathan’s sexuality. Knowing Nathan wasn’t ready to come out publicly yet, Robin diverted the conversation with a joke.
In 2020, Nathan toldSunday Sitdown with Willie Geist, “I don’t think Oprah was trying to out me, but I said to Robin beforehand: ‘I’m not prepared. I’m so scared of going out there and talking to Oprah. I’m not prepared to discuss that I’m gay on national television, I’m not ready.’ And [Robin] said, ‘Oh, it’s alright, don’t worry about it, we don’t have to talk about it, we won’t talk about it.'”
MTV / Viayoutube.com
