10 Worst Celebrity Cameos In TV Shows

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https://screenrant.com/worst-celebrity-tv-cameos/

From Entourage to The Simpsons to Ed Sheeran's bizarre appearance in Game of Thrones, a look back on the worst celebrity cameos in TV history.

While TV celebrity cameos can often be a fun surprise, the worst guest appearances from famous faces seriously damage the shows that they crop up in. In theory, there is nothing wrong with an occasional celebrity cameo on television. Whether it is in a family sitcom or a darker drama, celebrity cameos can be a welcome Easter egg for longtime viewers. In some cases, celebrity cameos even manage to turn their episodes into fan favorites. If guest appearances are handled well, they can elevate an outing.

However, not all guest appearances are so fortunate. As evidenced by the many guest appearances in late-season Simpsons episodes, celebrity cameos can also be a cheap ratings ploy for shows that have run out of steam. Often, TV shows rely on celebrity cameos to keep viewers interested long after the show’s peak has passed. This was famously a problem for later seasons of The Simpsons but also cropped up in other long-running sitcoms such as Friends and Family Guy. However, even an unnecessary cameo would be better than the worst celebrity guest appearances ever.

10
Brad Pitt in Friends

By the late ‘90s, it was clear that Brad Pitt was more than a heartthrob. The actor spent the decade proving that he had serious acting chops as well as matinée star good looks, and Pitt’s string of critical and commercial successes showed that he was a bona fide blockbuster with credibility to spare. However, in Friends season 8, episode 9, “The One with the Rumor,” Pitt seemingly lost all of his acting abilities overnight. Pitt played Will, an estranged school acquaintance with a grudge against Rachel. A painfully unfunny role, Brad Pitt’s Friends appearance was a major misfire for the show and the actor.

9
Pete Wentz in One Tree Hill

To be fair to Pete Wentz, the Fall Out Boy lyricist’s initial appearance in One Tree Hill is fine. Wentz appeared alongside the rest of the band in One Tree Hill season 3, episode 4, “An Attempt to Top the Scales” when Fall Out Boy played a concert in the show’s small-town setting. However, the problem was that Wentz then appeared in two more episodes when Pete began dating One Tree Hill's heroine Peyton. This resulted in the bizarre sight of an internationally famous musician making pancakes for some high schoolers in one of One Tree Hill’s most misguided subplots.

8
Ed Sheeran in Game of Thrones

Even when Game of Thrones was the biggest show in the world, it was easy to see why the series rarely featured celebrity cameos. The knotty plot of Game of Thrones required that viewers were deeply invested in the immersive imaginary world of Westeros and bringing in A-list celebrities would have shattered the show’s verisimilitude. However, in Game of Thrones season 7, episode 1, "Dragonstone," the series threw caution to the wind by getting pop star Ed Sheehan to portray the Lannister soldier Eddie. The result was a cringe-worthy disaster that instantly pulled viewers out of Game of Thrones usually immersive setting.

7
Justin Bieber in CSI

To be fair to the Canadian pop icon, Justin Bieber is unafraid of mocking himself. Not only did the actor play a fictionalized version of himself in Zoolander 2, but he also appeared in CSI season 11, episode 5, “Shock Waves.” In this outing, the baby-faced singer was inexplicably cast as a bomb-toting terrorist. While his eventual death at the hands of the police did provide Bieber’s haters with a much-exploited .gif of the teen star being riddled with bullets, this role was still bizarrely misjudged. Bieber was far from threatening as a CSI villain and the part did little to enhance his burgeoning acting credentials.

6
Robert Downey Jr in Family Guy

Robert Downey Jr’s role as Lois’s brother “the Fat Guy Strangler” proved that, even around the time of Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, the star could still pick some duds. Since Family Guy features fewer celebrity cameos than The Simpsons, the show is still usually able to incorporate them into the series more seamlessly than Downey Jr’s awkward appearance. Unfortunately, Family Guy season 4, episode 17, “The Fat Guy Strangler,” proved that this isn’t always the case with an unfunny outing that dated terribly.

5
Donald Trump in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

By the time The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reached its fourth season, the Will Smith vehicle was beginning to run out of original ideas. As such, it was no surprise when The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air season 4, episode 25, “For Sale By Owner,” featured a transparently desperate celebrity cameo. However, the chosen celebrity was an unlikely candidate. Future US president Donald Trump gives a stiff, awkward performance as himself in the ‘90s sitcom, resulting in a lot of fawning and precious few laughs.

4
Paris Hilton in Veronica Mars

While Paris Hilton was never a strong thespian, the infamous heiress is at least aware of her public persona. As such, Hilton’s Supernatural cameo displayed some self-aware humor at her expense. In contrast, her role in Veronica Mars was simply an out-of-place misstep. Hilton played the student Caitlin Ford in Veronica Mars season 1, episode 2, “Credit Where Credit’s Due.” Luckily, the cult classic Veronica Mars moved away from this sort of stunt casting as the series continued.

3
Boy George in The A Team

Boy George played himself in an almost unwatchable episode of The A-Team that had no justification for his unlikely presence. The Culture Club frontman might seem like an unlikely addition to the eponymous lineup, but The A-Team season 4, episode 16, "Cowboy George," found a lazy excuse for his appearance. Face somehow accidentally booked Boy George a tour through numerous country bars throughout the US, and the sheer power of Culture Club’s music resulted in the patrons deciding the UK singer was alright in a surreal, corny sequence.

2
Elon Musk in The Simpsons

As bad as Lady Gaga’s cameo in The Simpsons, her episode at least made fun of her eccentricities and benefited from her acting talent. The same cannot be said for Elon Musk’s appearance in the long-running animated series. The Simpsons season 26, episode 12, “The Musk Who Fell To Earth” was a fawning embarrassment with no redeeming features. Unlike most successful celebrity cameos in The Simpsons, Musk isn’t mocked for his various controversies and scandals in this outing. Instead, the episode sees the Simpson family earnestly talk about how great the divisive businessman is for what feels like an eternity.

1
Michael Phelps in Entourage

Michael Phelps is perhaps the best swimmer in history and seems designed to excel at the sport. Unfortunately, the athlete is not much of an actor. Although there were countless celebrity cameos throughout the show business satire/wish fulfillment TV dramedy Entourage, Phelps had a walk-on role that stood as truly wooden. While the champion swimmer only had a momentary appearance in Entourage, it was still a painfully cringe-worthy part so bad that all photographic evidence of the moment has seemingly been scrubbed from the Internet.

[principehomura]

I really disliked Jerry Lewis on Mad About You.

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by principehomura

I really disliked Jerry Lewis on Mad About You.

i rarely watched the show but i do remember that nbc promoted the heck out of this cameo