40 Unforgettable Talk Show Moments That Went Down In TV History

British billionaire Richard Branson appeared on The Colbert Report back in 2007. The owner of the Virgin brand was supposed to be plugging his Virgin American airline but Colbert concluded their chat before he had a chance to namecheck it. Frustrated, Branson shockingly chucked his mug of water at the host. Thankfully, Colbert had his revenge when he got a crew member to bring up a bottle of water and “accidentally” soak the business mogul.

When Conan O’Brien was effectively sacked by NBC in favor of a returning Jay Leno, he wasn’t too happy about it. But the red-haired funnyman got some payback by lavishly wasting NBC’s cash on a short sketch. O’Brien brought in a Bugatti Veyron — the world’s most expensive car — and put it in a mouse outfit. He also blared out the original version of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction,” all at a cost of $1.5 million!

When Kevin Hart appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he started making cracks about retired basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal. For one thing, he joked that O’Neal had nothing to do fill his time and was now resorting to “helping people in Home Depot.” Big mistake, as O’Neal was actually backstage and then entered the set to lift the tiny Hart up above his head!

Bill Murray was a Letterman regular and was probably one of the funniest guests he ever had on. Murray often appeared in costume and for the show’s 20th anniversary he pulled out all the stops. The actor arrived at the series’ New York studio in a white Rolls-Royce, dressed as Liberace in fur and a cape. Awesome!

The likeness between actor Will Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith is such that it feels impossible they’re not somehow long-lost twins. Anyway, back in 2014 the two doppelgängers were each brought on to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon for an amusing — and unexpectedly thrilling — drum off. Ferrell competed pretty well against a seasoned pro in Smith, before the rest of the Peppers emerged for a spirited rendition of Blue Öyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” Awesome!

Who can forget Tom Cruise’s infamous appearance on Oprah back in May 2005. Yes, we’re talking about the one where he leaped on the sofa like an excitable child. Oprah had begun asking Cruise about his romance with Katie Holmes and the Top Gun star got over excited and climbed on the couch while proclaiming his undying adoration of her. Peak cringe.

Christina Aguilera’s renowned for her powerhouse voice. And the “Genie in the Bottle” singer used every sinew of her celebrated vocal cords to deliver a memorable turn on Fallon. Aguilera was taking part on the amusing “Wheel of Musical Impressions” segment in 2015, in which random artists and jingles are paired together. She totally nailed it, most memorably providing a spot-on Britney Spears impression whilst singing “This Little Piggy” that had the audience in stitches.

Is there anything funnier than someone claiming they aren’t scared of something and then quickly revealing they’re totally terrified of it? We don’t think so and poor P Diddy fell foul of this on a taping of Ellen back in 2018. Diddy was adamant when talking to Ellen that he wasn’t frightened of clowns, when the host suggested she’d heard he was. Then, a clown duly leaped out of a giant box by his chair — and Diddy almost jumped out of his skin in fright!

Celebrated chef Giada de Laurentiis probably didn’t expect what was to come when she appeared on Ellen. The Food Network cook had just baked what she thought was some delicious focaccia alongside Nicole Kidman. But when the actress came to taste it, she complained it was “a little tough.” Awks! Perhaps de Laurentiis shouldn’t have been so condescending to Kidman while they were baking it, then.

The last few episodes of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson were always going to be emotional. And when they finally came, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Perhaps most memorably, in the penultimate edition, regular guest Bette Midler sang the king of late night TV a version of “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).” Carson fought back the tears and then Midler had to depart as soon as the track finished. Sob!

Harrison Ford had a period when he was sick of chatting about Star Wars. And the veteran actor played up to that during an April 2013 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show. The host allowed the crowd to ask Ford about those movies, before Chewbacca took the mic. What followed was a bizarre yet amusing exchange, in which the Han Solo star accused Chewy of, ahem, having an affair with his wife!

Here’s a behind the sofa moment courtesy of Oprah Winfrey. The TV giant was questioning then New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees on her daytime chat show back in 2010, when she made a serious faux pas. Thinking Brees had some lipstick on his face, Oprah remarked, “Who just kissed you?” and tried to wipe said mark off. Only problem was it wasn’t lipstick but Brees’ birthmark. Oh, Oprah!

When movie goddess Katherine Hepburn arrived on the set of The Dick Cavett Show back in 1973, she began making some strange requests. Basically, Hepburn wanted the whole set renovated for her appearance, moaning about the carpet, asking for furniture to be moved, and demanding the studio be repainted. Little did she know that Cavett was filming it all, though. An interesting behind-the-scenes look at a very demanding star.

Joaquin Phoenix’s February 2009 appearance on Letterman was excruciating to watch. The now Oscar-winning actor seemed to be on a different planet to the host, who observed that Phoenix’s appearance had changed drastically from his previous time on the show. Little did Letterman or the audience know, though, that Phoenix was acting spaced out and obnoxious for a reason — it was really just an extravagant bit of performance art.

Have you ever been on a date that you didn’t know about? Impossible, right? Well, it seems to have happened to Jimmy Fallon, who was informed by Nicole Kidman during her appearance on his show in 2015 that they once went on an unsuccessful date together. A mutual friend had arranged a meeting at his condo about a potential role for Fallon in Bewitched. But the comedian didn’t notice Kidman’s romantic interest in him and sat there playing video games. Fallon cried, “Did I date Nicole Kidman?! Was that a date?!” Erm, yes Jimmy.

Back during 2014 Daniel Radcliffe provided one of the most memorable moments on Fallon. The Harry Potter star firstly talked to Jimmy about his love of rap and how he memorizes difficult lyrics. The host then provided Radcliffe with a mic to much applause from the audience — and H to the P proceeded to seamlessly rap his way through Blackalicious’ notoriously difficult “Alphabet Aerobics!”

Kanye West’s proven no stranger to a rant over the years and the outspoken rapper lived up to type when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in 2016. The “Jesus Walks” hit-maker went on a long, rambling diatribe about everything under the Sun. West rambled, “Picasso is dead. Steve Jobs is dead. Walt Disney is dead. Name somebody living who you can name in the same breath as them.” Erm, okay, Ye, whatever you say.

By the time Jimmy Kimmel appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, rumors had emerged that the latter isn’t the lovable rogue he likes to present himself as. Kimmel highlighted this when the pair played Spill Your Guts or Fill Your Guts. He asked Corden to name a couple of the cameramen who were filming the show — and the British host couldn’t. Oops!

When Carrie Keagan appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, the conversation soon turned surreal and pretty blue. The Scottish-American host and his VH1 and E! presenter guest soon became engaged in what can only be described as some outrageously flirtatious dialogue. It has to be seen to be believed.

On a December 2017 edition of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the host asked guests Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart what they were like in high school. After Hart laughed about Johnson’s photo from that time — joking that he “looks like a detective who’s a DJ!” — Johnson quickly got his own back. He had a picture of Hart from when he was 16 but the pint-sized funnyman looked more like he was six!

Jerry Springer obviously saw some wild stuff during his time as a host of 'The Jerry Springer Show,' but arguably the strangest thing to come up was a man, who by all accounts seemed normal, sharing that he had, in fact, married a horse. Jerry later revealed that he never knew who his guests were before the show, so when the man came on and explained that his neighbors were having problems with his wife, Jerry naturally followed up with, "Let's bring your wife out." When a horse trotted on stage, Jerry thought the "wife" must have just fallen off. Only after his producers shouted, "No, no, that is his wife!" did the truth come out. Suffice it to say, Jerry's face says it all.

Twilight stars Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson appeared together on The Tyra Banks Show back in 2008. And the latter would get more than he may have bargained for. That’s because the host asked him to indulge his inner vampire and bite her on the neck! Though slightly taken aback, Pattinson obliged. Banks also greeted him with a terrible English accent. Cringe!

Matt Damon had long been on the receiving end of Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes, particularly one long-running gag that the host would continually “run out of time” ahead of Damon’s scheduled appearances. But the Bourne Identity actor got his own back on Kimmel in 2008. He roped in the late night host’s then-partner Sarah Silverman to sing about how she’d been intimate with Damon, in typical Silverman language. Kimmel didn’t look too happy!

Back in 1973 Johnny Carson inadvertently caused a toilet paper shortage in America. Yes, the king of nighttime TV referenced a fear begun by Representative Harold V. Froehlich, who’d claimed pulp paper was becoming increasingly hard to find. Carson made a gag about it but he ended up inspiring viewers to rush to the store and stock up. He later quipped, “For all my life in entertainment, I don’t want to be remembered as the man who created a false toilet paper scare.”

You might’ve forgotten that Tyra Banks had a chat show. But for six years from 2005 until 2011, she hosted the appropriately titled The Tyra Banks Show. The program had some infamous and cringeworthy moments, one being when animals were brought on set by zoologist Jarod Miller. As a porcupine entered, Banks got the frights, but in trying to clamber over the couch she only succeeded in falling over and knocking it on top of herself. D’oh!

Now, David Letterman’s arguably the most legendary of all the late-night chat show hosts. But that isn’t to say the now semi-retired funnyman hasn’t made some bad jokes and decisions over the years! One such occasion was in 1998, when Friends star Jennifer Aniston appeared on the show. Letterman said, “Forgive me if this is rude, I just want to try one thing,” before inexplicably putting her famous locks in his mouth. Aniston screamed in shock, quite understandably!

During oddball fitness guru Richard Simmons’ chat with Letterman back in 2006, the host quickly became annoyed. The guest was trying desperately to plug a food steamer, so Letterman took action. When Simmons began explaining the way it worked and pressed the “on” button, the steamer went up in smoke. Simmons jumped out of his chair and skin — but it turned out Letterman had set up a prank perfectly!

One of the most cringeworthy appearances on Letterman came courtesy of Crispin Glover. Yes, Marty’s dad on Back to the Future appeared on the show in 1987 — and both he and the host probably wished he hadn’t. Glover blathered and stuttered through a painful interview, before offering to arm-wrestle the nighttime TV legend. A bemused Letterman decided to walk off set, leaving Glover hanging. Oh dear!

Tyra Banks certainly did some weird or unintentionally funny stuff during her chat show years. But perhaps nothing was weirder than the episode in which she pretended she had rabies. Yes, you read that right. In this pranks episode, Banks literally got on all fours and started foaming at the mouth and barking. But she wasn’t done — the host then went into the studio audience and mimicked biting them!

Who was Conan O’ Brien’s worst ever guest? Well, according to him it was Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara. The grouchy filmmaker appeared on Conan back in 1996. O’Brien revealed on Dax Shepherd’s podcast that Ferrara “came on camera against his will,” telling the actor how Ferrara had tried to escape prior to the interview. O’Brien added, “Then he came out… and started yelling at me.” Yikes!

Remember when comedian Andy Kaufman and wrestler Jerry Lawler appeared together on Letterman in 1982? The feuding pair were perhaps unwisely invited on to bury the hatchet but almost ended up burying each other. “The King” struck Kaufman around the chops before Kaufman exited with a fiery rant. Was it all an act, though?

One pair who definitely weren’t putting on an act were the actor Burt Reynolds and comedian/TV host Marc Summers. No, the animosity between them was real and their appearance on Leno is notorious for its bad blood. Reynolds wasn’t amused by Summers making fun of his past marriages and duly tossed some water into his lap. The tense situation ended with them throwing pies at each other — yes, really.

It was February 2003 and Jennifer Garner was being interviewed by Conan O’Brien on his late night chat show when she came unstuck. Or should we say un-snuck. That’s because Garner insisted during their conversation that the word snuck — which O’Brien had just used — was made up. But sadly for Garner, Conan had a dictionary at hand to show it wasn’t. Unlike “un-snuck,” which we actually did make up.

Madonna’s 1994 appearance on Letterman’s gone down in infamy. The pop superstar sat smirking in her chair opposite Letterman during a super-awkward interview, smoking a cigar, turning the air blue, and making fun of the host. “You can’t get through a show without talking about me or thinking about me,” she tells him at one point. Grrr.

Tom Hanks appeared on Conan O’Brien’s new TBS chat show back in November 2010 but got an unwelcome surprise during his interview. The Forrest Gump actor was discussing the Pacific Ocean backdrop on the set with the host, when all of a sudden a whale breached the surface and splashed real water at Hanks. Still, the shocked Hanks didn’t complain and instead exclaimed, “That was amazing!” What a guy.

David Letterman had struggled for years to get Cher to appear on his show. Around four years, to be exact. He finally managed to get his way in 1986 — helped by paying the diva’s hotel bill. So, what was the problem all along? Well, Cher spelled it out to a shocked Letterman, saying she thought he was an idiot. Except she used a much less polite word than that. Ouch!

Back in April 1994 NFL star Jim Everett appeared on ESPN’s Talk2 show, which was hosted by Jim Rome. For some reason, the presenter found it funny to call him Chris Evert, after the female tennis player. But Everett wasn’t amused. He responded angrily, “You know what, you’ve been calling me that for about the last five years… But if you call me Chris Evert to my face one more time, we better take a station break.” Spoiler alert: Rome did — and Everett lifted up his table and went for him.

Ellen DeGeneres has gained a reputation for her elaborate Halloween costumes, perhaps being surpassed only by German model Heidi Klum. One person Ellen got dolled up as is Colombian actress Sofia Vergara. She was wearing the costume in question during a 2012 taping of the show, when Ms. Vergara herself surprisingly turned up. “You can't even tell which one is Sofia and which one is me,” boasted Ellen. Erm, yes we can, dear.

When Evangeline Lilly appeared on Conan in December 2014, she revealed a strange hobby: playing with people’s ears. Yes, the Lost actress told O’Brien that she had a real passion for large, dangling earlobes — and she had a play with the host’s and his sidekick Andy Richter’s. Erm, OK Lilly, whatever floats your boat.

One of Kanye West’s most infamous moments — and there are several — was stealing the moment from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Music Awards. But on Leno later that year, the rapper showed some genuine remorse. In fact, he said he wanted to say sorry to Swift in person and burst into tears when reflecting on how his deceased mom would’ve reacted to his behavior.

Arguably the most shocking talk show moment of all time was that Late Night With David Letterman episode in 2009, when the host revealed he was part of an elaborate blackmail plot. Yes, Letterman shocked the world when sharing the details, which involved $2 million being requested by CBS producer Joe Halderman to keep the host’s affairs with staff members quiet. Letterman belatedly apologized for his own behavior, too, the following week. Shocking!