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Usually, celebrity interviews are well-rehearsed performances. The questions are often repetitive, the answers are usually polite, and everyone sticks to the script. But every now and then, an interviewer asks a question that is so invasive, so clueless, or so downright rude that the celebrity decides to throw the script out the window.
This is the glorious moment of the clapback, a verbal judo-flip that leaves the interviewer utterly speechless. Some of these have even become a make-or-break moment for someone’s carreer and most of them live on in meme-infamy. Let’s reminisce about the moments we had to pick our jaw up off the floor!
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I love that interview of Andy Murray where the interviewer is like (heavily paraphrased cause I don’t remember it exactly) “how does it feel to be the fist tennis player to get more than one gold medal” and he’s like “I’m pretty sure Serena and Venus have about 4 each by now actually”
Also Rihanna’s “what a disappointing question” simple but effective.
For years, Ellen DeGeneres was the queen of daytime TV, known for her friendly, lighthearted interviews. That all came to a screeching halt in 2019 during a now-legendary interview with actress Dakota Johnson. When Ellen tried to playfully call out Johnson for not inviting her to her birthday party, Johnson responded with a calm, devastatingly simple phrase: “That’s not the truth, Ellen.”
That was the answer heard around the world, and that quiet, factual correction was the first major public crack in Ellen’s “Be Kind” facade and is now widely seen as the moment that kicked off the downfall of her empire. It wasn’t a loud, angry takedown people are used to. It was a quiet, firm refusal to play along with a fake narrative, and it was glorious.
I will always have a soft spot for Twiggy when being interviewed by Woody Allen he asked her out of nowhere who her favorite philosopher was and she threw the question back at him about his favorite. He gave the basics but didn’t name a particular favorite.
It was obvious he was trying to make her look dumb but it backfired.
When Shailene Woodley was asked if she was hungry and she told the reporter no, the reporter told her that she was starving and Shailene told her that she should eat. It always takes me out, i think the reporter thought that she was talking to Jennifer Lawrence (didnt think it was necessary but s/ on that last line)
Also, Rihanna being asked if she was dating Ashton Kutcher and her saying “how disappointing was that question?”.
Also, also, ScaJo being asked about her diet during the avengers nfinity war press tour: “How come you get like the really interesting, like existential questions and I get the like ‘rabbit food questions?”
Also, also, also Jonah Hill’s response to being asked if he was still considered the fat guy even after losing weight: “do you have any other questions… that are smart?”.
A huge number of the most satisfying celebrity clapbacks come from female artists who are simply fed up with being asked sexist questions that their male counterparts never have to deal with. An iconic example is an infamous 2015 radio interview with Ariana Grande where she was having none of it. The DJs asked her to choose between her makeup and her phone. How original…
This question so mind-numbingly vapid she could barely hide her contempt. She shot back, “Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between?” Ariana is one celeb who has never been afraid of using their platform to call out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) misogyny that still runs rampant in entertainment media, turning a cringeworthy moment into a powerful one.
Adriana Lima while in her makeup chair for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show being asked “are you excited to eat after this?” And in her incredible accent going “you need to ask more smart questions”.
Press tour for the imitation game and the interviewer says Kiera looks a bit worn out and Benedict says “that’s not a very nice thing to say to one of the most beautiful women on the planet.” Kiera says “yeah, get lost!” So good.
I remember when Taylor was doing a radio interview shortly after the Kanye situation (him interrupting her at the VMAs) and was asked about it. She said she was not going to talk about it and he continued to ask about it and she straight up hung up on him live on air lmao.
While we love to imagine these clapbacks are pure, unfiltered moments of spontaneous wit, the truth is that many celebrities are highly trained for these exact situations. According to media training experts like Ruth Sherman, a huge part of a celebrity’s job is learning how to handle difficult, invasive, or off-topic questions.
They are taught how to “bridge” away from a bad question and pivot back to their talking points. So, when a celebrity delivers a perfectly polished, witty, and brand-safe shutdown, it’s often not an accident. It’s less of a street fight and more of a choreographed martial arts move, a pre-planned defense against a predictable onslaught.
“You’re going to walk away with more than a trophy tonight, I think, lots of men, ” – Reporter
“I’m not going to walk home with any men tonight, I’m going to hang out with my friends, and then go home to the cats.” – Taylor
This whole exchange was iconic lol
There’s a very short one with Cara Delavigne for Paper Towns (I think) where I thought her rudeness was warrented because the interviewers’ tone was off from the start and I believe they imply she couldn’t have possibly read the book.
When katy perry said she didn’t go to the dentist as a kid and the interviewer asked why and katy said “i was poor”.
And then, there’s the opposite of media training: Charlie Sheen. His infamous 2011 interview tour was not a series of clever clapbacks, it was a complete and total derailment of the entire interview format. This was the era of “winning,” “tiger blood,” and “Adonis DNA.”
He wasn’t pushing back against the interviewers as much as he was creating his own bizarre reality right in front of them, leaving them utterly stunned and speechless. These were unforgettable moments where the interviewer was simply trying to hang on for dear life in the middle of a beautiful, chaotic hurricane. The 2026 mind can’t even comprehend this kind of unscripted chaos.
That Taylor’s trial was such a moment. I was so frustrated with the questions the guy was throwing at her, but she was SO GOOD at answering, she came there prepared and ready
«I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions—not mine»
she devoured.
during the promo for mad max fury road, tom hardy was asked: “as you were reading the script did you ever think, ‘why are all these women in here? i thought this was supposed to be a man’s movie?’”
and tom was immediately like, “no”.
At the end of the day, whether it’s a quiet, factual correction, a righteous pushback against sexism, or a full-blown unhinged monologue, we love these moments because they feel real. In a world of polished, pre-approved PR statements, a celebrity clapback is a glorious crack in the facade.
It’s a satisfying power shift, a moment where the person in the hot seat takes back control and reminds us all that they are not just a product to be promoted, but a human being who has finally had enough. And there’s nothing more entertaining than that.
What’s your favorite celebrity interview moment? Share them in the comments!
Reporter to tennis player Andy Murray at a post-match press conference (note Andy and Sam are male): “Andy, Sam is the first American player to reach the semi-final of a Slam since 2009,”
Andy Murray interjects: “Male player,”
Reporter: “I beg your pardon?”
Andy Murray: “Male player, right?”
“Yes, first male player, that’s for sure,” the reporter said, laughing at the error while Murray appeared unamused.
Context: Serena and Venus Williams, Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe are all US players who have qualified for Grand Slam semi-finals since 2009. Venus had just accomplished this a few days prior to the interview.
Anne Hathaway’s reaction to Jerry Penacoli’s “What is the ‘feline fitness regime’?”
Scarlett Johansson responding to… *checks notes*…. *Jerry Penacoli* about “whether or not she wore underwear for Black Widow”
Brie Larson at Cannes when somebody singled her out on a panel and asked what she thought of Johnny Depp’s film opening the festival and she just deadpanned “why are you asking ME that?”
She stayed pretty calm but I was surprised the guy asking the question didn’t burst into flames just from the look on her face.
Oh I love this topic, and you put forth very good examples.
One I can recall off the top of my head is Ariana Grande being asked what she’d take to a deserted island and the choices were make up items I think, so she retorted something like “is this what you think girls only think about?” Or something of the sort.
David bowie when interviewed by mtv. halfway through he basically turned the interview around and started questioning the mtv guy why mtv didn‘t play any black artists and how a lot of people would appreciate seeing black musicians on tv.
Not sure if this really counts, but there was a lot of fuss that Beyonce had lip-synched the national anthem at Obama’s inauguration in 2013. She was scheduled to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show a couple weeks later, so she [walked into a press conference], made everyone stand, then belted out the anthem. She ended with “Any questions?” Iconic behavior as per usual.
Anne Hathaway refusing to talk about her weight loss for Les Mis because she didn’t want to influence others to go to such extreme lengths.
Also, ScarJo getting asked about the Black Widow suit.
This one’s more for Latinos – but when an interviewer asked Juan Gabriel if he was gay & JuanGa responds “lo que se ve no se pregunta”, meaning ‘you don’t question what you see’.
That interview where the interviewer kept flirting with one direction and they were having none of it. Peak secondhand embarrassment, peak content.
I think it’s a little less known, but when Richard Ayode is interviewed (the same guy that interviewed Robert Downey Jr, who walked out), he bats away all the leading, controversial questions with a dose of good humour. It has me in stitches every time.
When Pedro refused to read those tweets about him on the Mandalorian red carpet. He was so nice about it but so firm that he wasn’t going to do it.
“I’m just here so I don’t get fined” is a direct quote from Marshawn of the Seattle Seahawks. He’s a great guy and was a BEAST (The Beast, even) of a player.
This one’s from a while back, Harrison Ford & Daniel Craig once did an interview with Entertainment Weekly where the interviewer kept prodding at Craig’s (recent, hush-hush) wedding to Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig called him out for trying to ignore his wish for privacy.
>*Interviewer: Well, you and Rachel Weisz did have a very private wedding. Why did you decide to get married that way?*
>
>Craig: This question answers itself. You said we had a private wedding and now you want to ask about the wedding. You are barking up the wrong tree. No disrespect, but if you think it through, that’s the reason we’ve said f— all on that subject. Because it was private.
>
>*Interviewer: That ring on your wedding finger, Daniel — what’s that made of? It looks almost like copper.*
>
>Craig: [*Smiling coldly*] Really. You just see a line in the sand and want to step over it.
The “I’m just here so I don’t get fined” was her quoting an actual football guy.
Tom Hardy when the interviewer was trying to get him to say if he was gay or not.
Anne Hathaway calling out Matt lauer for him chiding her about an upskirt pic of her taken without her consent, when she’s there to talk about Les Miz.
The lesson here is to stop asking women sexist questions solely because they’re women.
Hugh Grant just stonewalling this earnest interviewer’s questions at the Oscars. Some say he was rude and she was just doing her job, some say he’s a hero for not playing into the banal interview game anymore. I feel bad for her but to me it’s really funny how he just doesn’t care anymore
Also, Bradley Cooper in this NYT piece. The reporter was put off by him refusing to answer personal questions because he insisted his personal life didn’t relate to his work in A Star Is Born. He comes off a bit rude but similar to Hugh Grant, he just wasn’t willing to play the game, which I find fascinating. It’s a coldness that I don’t think female actors get the luxury of having unless they are asked overtly inappropriate questions.