Celebs That Fell On Live TV
Have you ever been walking down the street and tripped on the sidewalk, or on your own feet? We've all been there, and the first thing we do is look around and see if anyone noticed our gaffe. Unfortunately for the celebrities on this list, their spills occurred on live television, broadcast for the world to see (and to watch over and over again).
Remember Jennifer Lawrence stumbling up the stairs and straight into our hearts at the 2013 Academy Awards? Pop star Katy Perry gave a whole new meaning to stage diving when she launched into a giant cake after a performance that produced a series of comedic falls. Madonna, P-Diddy, and Joe Jonas all took some nasty spills while performing at various awards shows, and Niall Horan of One Direction found the rough while caddying for Rory McIlroy at the Masters golf tournament. Not even the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, was immune to stumbling on live TV before delivering a sermon in Poland. Shaquille O'Neal proved the old adage: The bigger they are, the harder the fall when the 7-foot-1 giant nearly broke the set during a halftime show. Then there's Rami Malek, who won the 2019 Academy Award for best actor. He gets an honorable mention on our list because his spectacle occurred after the cameras stopped rolling, but let's take another look at some stars who have fallen on live TV.
Jennifer Lawrence falls into our hearts
Part of Jennifer Lawrence's allure is her Girl Next Door image. Despite her meteoric rise to fame as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" series, she has seemingly kept her feet planted firmly on the ground. Well, except at the 2013 Oscars. On her way up the stairs to collect her award for best actress for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook" at the 2013 Oscars, Lawrence tripped over her voluminous gown.
"You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell, and that's embarrassing," the 22-year-old told the crowd as she began her acceptance speech. A year later, the Louisville, Kentucky, native told W magazine that cake was the real culprit. "I kept thinking, Cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk. I thought, Why is 'cakewalk' stuck in my head? And then, as I started to walk up the stairs and the fabric from my dress tucked under my feet, I realized my stylist had told me, 'Kick, walk, kick, walk.' You are supposed to kick the dress out while you walk, and I totally forgot because I was thinking about cake! And that's why I fell."
Gravity would strike again a year later. Sporting a new tight hairdo and sexy red dress on the Oscars' red carpet, Lawrence had a mishap with a high heel and hit the deck, nearly dragging a friend down with her.
Madonna goes True (black and) Blue at Brit Awards
Ouch. Madonna took one of the worst celebrity tumbles of all time at the 2015 Brit Awards. While performing her song "Living for Love," a wardrobe malfunction sent The Material Girl flying backward down a set of stairs when she couldn't get her cape untied in time. But Madonna's been around the block, and as a true professional, the wicked fall didn't prevent her from finishing the song. Some in the audience even thought it was part of the show. "Consider the evidence — she fell on the lyric "I let down my guard, I fell into your arms" and was back on her feet to sing purposely "now that it's over, I'm going to carry on," the BBC reported.
The fall looked so bad that Madge had to let her fans know she was okay. ”Armani hooked me up! My beautiful cape was tied too tight! But nothing can stop me and love really lifted me up! Thanks for your good wishes! I'm fine! #livingforlove,” The Queen of Pop said on Facebook the following day.
Bill Murray's balance was a bit off on MSNBC
Bill Murray seems like he's a good time kind of guy. He's been known to show up randomly in places and have fun with fans. His high jinks with fans even inspired a documentary. So when David Letterman was preparing for his final show, Murray, who was Dave's first guest in 1982, wasn't going to let the moment pass him by without a little toast, sipping what appeared to be vodka straight from the bottle. Unfortunately, Murray had to take a trip over to MSNBC for an interview on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" after his appearance on Letterman's "Late Show."
Murray, who was admittedly a little tipsy, had a touch of trouble planting his butt in his chair, spilling backward as the show went to commercial. "I just did the Letterman show, then went to dinner, had oysters, rosé wine, red wine and duck — and red wine. The chair was not balanced properly, and I went down, and I hurt myself properly," Murray told O'Donnell (via People).
Shaq nearly brings the house down at halftime
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Thankfully, no one but the floor got hurt when Shaquille O'Neal took a big tumble during TNT's "Inside the NBA Halftime Report" in 2017. An errant cable snared The Big Aristotle — all 7-foot-1, 325 pounds of him — and sent him flying to the ground sans one shoe, along with an innocent television monitor. His co-hosts burst into laughter, and Shaq, being the self-deprecating good sport that he is, embraced his embarrassment, putting up $500 for the best meme of the incident. "I almost broke my damn leg," Shaq posted on Twitter, with the hashtags DowngoesShaq, and Shaqtinafall, a play off one of his halftime segments.
Shaq Daddy has made a habit of taking spills during the raucous halftime show, mostly at the expense of Christmas trees, like in 2011 and again in 2014, this time with a little push from co-host Kenny Smith. The Diesel isn't even safe while fake fishing, taking a spill out of his chair during the 2013 Playoffs.
Katy Perry takes the icing off the cake
While Jennifer Lawrence may have been thinking about cake, Katy Perry was face deep in it at the 2008 MTV Latin Awards in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the conclusion of her performance of her smash hit "I Kissed a Girl," Perry bellyflopped into a giant pink cake. Anyone who's been on a diet can tell you that cake frosting can be extremely dangerous, something that Perry found out the hard way, as her ensuing attempts to stand produced a Vaudeville-like series of stumbles and falls. The sexy singer could only laugh as she lay on the ground, and even a helping hand from her guitarist couldn't help Perry find her feet on the slippery stage.
"I watched it a couple more times and ... it was on purpose. She did it on purpose. It was all planned. I think she murdered it, man," then-boyfriend Travis McCoy told MTV News after the fact. That wasn't the last time Perry was associated with sugary confections. Check out this cupcake fight in 2009 and her cake-like dress at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
Diddy wipes out at BET Awards
The 2015 BET Awards were the culmination of a bad week for Sean "Diddy" Combs. Days earlier, Diddy was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly swinging a kettlebell at a UCLA football coach. (His son was a player there.) Although the charges were later reduced, and Combs claimed self-defense, karma appears to have nabbed a small measure of revenge against the hip-hop mogul. About halfway through an 11-minute performance celebrating 20 years of Bad Boy Records, Puffy fell straight on his butt through a hole in the stage. Combs didn't miss a beat, as fans and crew quickly got him back upright and right back on the beat.
"As I'm falling in the hole, it's actually ... time has slowed down dramatically," Combs told "The Breakfast Club" (per BET). "We talking about — it's like 10 seconds, I'm falling. I'm like, 'Yo, my name is Puff Daddy. I'm one of the coolest cats in the world. There's 35 million people watching. You about to be the guy that fell in the hole. No. No way, Sean.'" Yes way, Sean.
The One Direction they're referring to is 'down'
The boys from One Direction have a penchant for falling over during concerts. Whether it was puberty or basking in the glow of thousands of screaming teenage girls, the boys have had their troubles keeping their balance. The U.K. boy band even relived some of its finer falling moments on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2015. While it's mostly happened to all of them on stage in front of "only" screaming fans, Niall Horan brought his lack of balance from the stage to the golf course.
While caddying for professional golfer and fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy during the 2015 Masters Par-Three Challenge, Horan "buckled under the pressure" of holding McIlroy's bag as a live interview was about to begin. "I apologize to golf," Horan joked afterward (per The Independent). "I do perform to a lot of people but we were performing to their parents today! There was a lot of pressure. There's not 60,000 screaming girls here." Must be rough.
Meghan Trainor gets some company on the floor
Misery loves company. Laughter does too, judging by the reaction when Meghan Trainor hit the deck after performing her single "Me Too" on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in 2016. It wasn't an elaborate dance move that landed Trainor flat on her back. It was the complicated maneuver of grabbing the microphone. Fortunately for the pop star, Fallon isn't above laying down on the job to help a guest, taking a spot right next to the "All About That Bass" singer. "Of every single dance move, grabbing the mic is the toughest," Fallon said after the two shared a sweet moment of laughter on the ground. "Standing ovation for Meghan Trainor, everybody!"
That Fallon fall topped off a "most magnificent week" for the 2015 best new artist Grammy winner, even though she may have been a bit black and blue. "Haha I didn't feel it till hours later. I'm all good tho. Barely a scratch," she tweeted the following day.
The Pope stumbles in Poland
Not even the holiest of celebrities is immune to the occasional trip and fall. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, also known as Pope Francis, was preparing to deliver his first sermon in Eastern Europe in July of 2016. The head of the Catholic Church took a tumble in front of the crowd of more than 100,000 in Czestochowa, Poland, and millions more were watching on live television. The reason for the Pontiff's fall? Madonna ... No, not that one.
"I was looking at (an image of) the Madonna, and I forgot the step," Pope Francis told reporters afterward, per The Telegraph. In true Catholic fashion, the 79-year-old Pontiff understood that falling is sometimes part of his religion, and you have to just go with it. "I let myself fall, and this saved me," he said. "Because if I tried to resist it, I would have gotten hurt." The Pope was not injured and continued to deliver a rousing sermon. "The homily showed that the pope has strength and this strength he gets from the people," said Czestochowa Archbishop Waclaw Depo (per the New York Daily News).
A little blood can't stop Joe Jonas
Being a heartthrob to millions of adoring fans can have its pitfalls, but as they say, the show must go on. When Joe Jonas took a spill breaking through a glass door at the 2007 American Music Awards, he wasn't going to let a little blood stop him. The 18-year-old and his brothers had girls rushing the stage as they began their hit song, "SOS," but the middle brother and his tambourine dropped to the floor, and his left hand incurred a nice little slice after bracing the blunder. The JoBro didn't miss a beat, springing to his knees and rocking the house.
"Just a little blood, but, whatever. Rock and roll," he said after the show (per People). Joe's balance hasn't gotten much better as he's grown older, according to an account on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" in 2019. "I have a 1-year-old that learned to walk six weeks ago, who I don't think falls over as much as you do," Corden quipped.
Miss USA Rachel Smith fell to her booty in the most graceful way
It's one thing to be considered pretty, but to fall and still look graceful? That's definitely talent in itself. After entering previous pageants, Miss Tennessee, Rachel Smith, was given the title of Miss USA in 2007. However, that wasn't the only title the Panama-born actor had hopes of taking home. That same year, Smith represented the United States in the Miss Universe 2007 pageant held in Mexico City.
As seen in the video above, Smith entered the stage in a low-cut, shimmery gown while flashing a radiant smile. While strutting her stuff, she slipped on the shiny floor and fell to her booty. Most of us probably would have been completely embarrassed and would have struggled to keep it together. With that being said, Smith handled the situation incredibly well and continued as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, reports suggested that her fall wasn't the only tragic thing she had to deal with. As noted by NBC News, she was booed by the Mexican audience. Even though it wasn't a personal attack against Smith and more for political reasons, that's definitely not the best energy to feel when entering a room.
Gemma Collins' legs 'nearly got cut off' at the BBC Teen Awards
Reality star Gemma Collins is the U.K.'s meme queen who we can't get enough of. Her smart business ventures and iconic quotes prove she knows how to keep us talking. However, her headline-making appearance at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards in 2017 was definitely not a calculated moment. When presenting "Love Island" with the best TV show award, Gemma got a little too excited when turning around and fell into a pit that had opened up for the winners to enter. As soon as Gemma fell into the empty space, a loud thump echoed in the arena. The microphone she was holding flew out of her hand before those on stage attempted to get her back up on her feet. As seen in a YouTube video filmed by a fan in the audience, it appeared Gemma fell straight onto her back. Shortly after the embarrassing moment, the former "The Only Way Is Essex" star acted as if nothing had happened and hugged the winners of the award.
During her appearance on "Shopping With Keith Lemon" in 2020, Gemma admitted she was terrified she had done some serious damage to herself (via The Sun). "My legs nearly got cut off and that's not a lie," she said, adding, "I fell on four of the Love Islanders, I nearly killed them and the cameraman started shouting 'we're gonna get her legs cut off, get her up!'" We're glad nothing serious came out of the incident!
Michelle Williams wasn't ready for this collapse
Destiny's Child has had many iconic performances throughout the group's career. From the Super Bowl halftime show to Coachella, there have been many unforgettable moments that continue to be referenced. One that doesn't seem to slip people's minds is the time they sang their single "Soldier" on "106 & Park" in 2004.
The iconic trio, made up of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, kicked off their performance by strutting their stuff while all holding onto one another in some way. Seconds into the intro of the song, Williams started to crumble and collapsed to the ground with worry on her face. Being the pros that they are, Knowles and Rowland continued while Williams was picked up by a man. Even though they didn't stutter, her group members did look down at Williams in shock.
During an interview on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2019, host Andy Cohen asked Rowland what was going through her mind when Williams fell. "Oh s**t," the "When Love Takes Over" hitmaker replied, adding, "And I have to get my girl up, but you have to keep going." Rowland continued by praising Williams for soldiering on after falling flat on her face.
Anne-Marie's left ankle now has its own fan club
In February 2022, British singer Anne-Marie performed at the BRIT Awards for the very first time. Even though it was always destined to be a career highlight for her, it will now remain a performance she will remember for different reasons. At the beginning of her set, the "Do It Right" hitmaker started to sing her collaboration with Little Mix, "Kiss My (Uh Oh)," at the top of a staircase. While walking and singing at the same time, Anne-Marie, who was wearing a pair of chunky shoes, appeared to have missed a step and slipped to the very bottom of the stairs.
What's most noteworthy about Anne-Marie's fall is the way she was able to compose herself. She didn't stop at all and continued singing the lyrics to her song. While in the middle of twisting her ankle, she still found time to swap the hand she wanted to hold her microphone in. Impressive!
Luckily, Anne-Marie didn't feel too defeated over her fall and took to Twitter to make a joke about the situation. "Didn't need my left ankle anyway," she wrote. It also seems her ankle now has its own fan club, as a Twitter account was created in honor of the performance. "Wow. Bit shaken up but I'm ok. Bit bruised but with a bit of ice should be fine xxx," its creator tweeted after the incident.
Joy Behar tumbled and missed her chair completely
It's one thing to slip or fall down some stairs, but it's a whole other situation when you completely miss the chair you intend to sit on. During the opening credits for an episode of "The View" in March 2022, Joy Behar tumbled to the ground shortly after entering the studio with her fellow co-hosts.
Seconds after making Sara Haines laugh with a comment, Behar attempted to sit down on one of the show's famous high chairs and unexpectedly missed her seat, resulting in Behar needing to be picked up by a man on set and her three co-hosts. "These chairs are dangerous," Sunny Hostin stated. "These chairs move — you touch it and you're on the ground," Whoopi Goldberg told the audience before Hostin added: "It's happened to all of us at one time or another."
Of course, Behar added some sense of humor to the situation and joked that she'd never had that happen to her in the 25 years of her being on the show. "Who do I sue?" she said while laughing.
Wendy Williams passing out as the Statue of Liberty was no stunt
Wendy Williams has been open about her health problems over the years. However, that doesn't mean her fainting on live television didn't come as a shock.
For an episode of her talk show — "The Wendy Williams Show" – in 2017, Williams was dressed up for Halloween as the iconic Statue of Liberty. When presenting a segment on a Halloween costume contest, Williams seemed very spaced out and couldn't focus on what she was saying. She soon stopped talking and looked directly at the camera lens with a glare. While trying to compose herself, Williams started to shake and passed out on the floor. The live audience immediately gasped at the unexpected moment while people on set ran over to support Williams. Due to her fainting, the show went to a commercial break. When it was time to come back on the air, Williams stated, "That was not a stunt" and explained the reason for her collapsing was because she was "overheated" in her costume. "I'm a champ, and I'm back!" Williams continued before being applauded.
After making headlines, Williams sat down with "Good Morning America" and revealed in addition to feeling hot in her outfit, she was told by the paramedics that she was "dehydrated" and went to her doctor to make sure she was in good health.
Peter Andre styled out his fall
British singer Peter Andre, also known for being the ex-husband to former glamour model Katie Price, performed his hit single "Behind Closed Doors" at T4 on the Beach in 2009 and ended up getting closer to the fans in the crowd than expected. While singing and walking on the edge of a staircase, Andre got to the bottom and accidentally wrapped one leg behind the other on the edge of the stage, which resulted in him falling directly in front of the crowd at the barrier.
It's all good, though, as the thousands of screaming fans didn't seem to care and reached their hands out to Andre in the hope they would be able to touch the former "Strictly Come Dancing" contestant. Andre styled it out and made it seem like it was all part of the plan by interacting with the adoring fans. With that being said, he quickly jumped back onto the stage and finished his performance.
Maybe high heels aren't for John Barrowman
British-American actor John Barrowman proved that high heels aren't always the easiest shoe to wear. For a 2016 episode of "Loose Women," the "Doctor Who" star took part in a challenge set by the show to see how men handle wearing heels. During a short promo for the upcoming episode, Barrowman sat in the middle of the panel and showed off his red stilettos by kicking them up on the desk. While leaning back on his chair, Barrowman fell backward and had everyone in the room either gasping or laughing.
A member of staff immediately ran onto the set to make sure he was fine, while the rest of the panel couldn't believe what just happened. Barrowman got back up with a smile and continued to show off his footwear. This time, he avoided sitting down and did it standing up. "I think that proves high heels are pretty challenging," Kaye Adams declared.