Celebrity interviews don’t always go as planned—particularly when journalists and hosts ask hard-hitting questions and receive pushback from stars.
Over the weekend, X user @LowkeyEnergy_ asked the Twitterverse to share examples of celebrities gagging their interviewer, and users responded with moments that live rent-free in their minds.
Lady Gaga and Anderson Cooper
In 2011, Lady Gaga dodged a question about her genitalia during a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper. He specifically asked about rumors that she had a “male appendage” and was intersex—gossip she had been dealing with since as early as 2008.
Miley Cyrus and Joe Rogan
In 2020, Miley Cyrus appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, where the host played a clip of a performance by drag queen Kennedy Davenport. When Cyrus gassed Davenport, Rogan said, “They all do the same move. They drop down and do the splits,” Cyrus responded, “That’s what I think when I’m watching your shows too, you know, all the same stuff.”
Justin Bieber
In 2009, CTV News anchor Sandie Rinaldo interviewed a teenage Justin Bieber, asking if he thinks he’s a “product of marketing hype.” He replied that his success happened “organically” and that he gave others from his Stratford, Ontario hometown “hope.”
Lady Gaga (again)
In another viral moment with Lady Gaga, from 2009, the then-23-year-old was asked if she was “scared” that using sexual references in her music would undermine her work. She shut down the interviewer by replying, “I’m not scared. Are you scared?” and explained the double standard that if a man did the same, he would be considered a “rock star.”
Kate Bush
In 1985, Richard Skinner chatted with Kate Bush for the BBC show, The Old Grey Whistle Test, where he asked what she thought about Madonna’s “image” being marketed as a “sex symbol.” Bush wasn’t easily baited, instead replying, “I don’t know much about Madonna. I saw her on Live Aid and I thought she was really good.”
Whitney Houston and Diane Sawyer
In 2002, Whitney Houston sat down with Diane Sawyer, who asked candid questions about the singer’s weight. At one point, Sawyer pulled out a photo of Houston and said, “That’s not just thin,” to which Houston responded, “No. What is it, Diane? Tell me. Do you know?”
“It’s scary thin,” Sawyer said. “I can believe what you feel,” Whitney said. “But do you really know?” which prompted Sawyer to say, “No, you know.” Houston replied, “Thank you.”
RuPaul and Jimmy Fallon
In 2020, RuPaul appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where the host said, “This is the first time a drag queen has ever been put on the cover of [Vanity Fair].” RuPaul was astounded. “A drag queen?” he exclaimed. “I am the queen of Drag,” he said, correcting Fallon.