Celebs' Awkward Encounters With Their Celebrity Crushes Explained
Yes, even celebrities have unrequited crushes on other A-list stars. Hailey Baldwin, for example, was a "Belieber" before she married Justin Bieber in 2018; fans unearthed a series of tweets she sent to the "Sorry" singer even when he was seeing Selena Gomez, per People. However, not many people end up walking down the aisle with their childhood celebrity crush like Baldwin did. Bieber even jokingly shared a photo of his wife on Instagram Stories in 2019 and wrote (via ET), "People always asked me if I'd marry a Belieber, well I did!"
While Baldwin's thing for Bieber led to wedding bells, the same cannot be said about other stars and their celebrity crushes. A number of A-list stars have shared cringeworthy and awkward stories about running into a fellow famous person they had a thing for, tales that serve as important reminders that stars are humans, too. Yes, even celebrities get the jitters.
Crush is the word for Hugh Jackman
It was love at first sight for actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness. The two first connected while filming the Australian series "Correlli," and sparks flew. Jackman was nervous to let his costar know his true feelings, but he took the plunge anyway. He recounted to People, "I said, 'I got a crush on you. I'll get over it, I'm sorry.' She goes, 'Oh? Because I've got a crush on you too.' I never in a million years thought she reciprocated.'" In 1996, the couple tied the knot and have been together ever since.
Although Jackman is a happily married man, he did reveal in an interview that he had a massive crush on Olivia Newton-John, who is best known for her work as Sandy in "Grease" alongside John Travolta, back when he was a teenager. The star shared with Magic Radio, "I had a poster of her on my wall. And if you find a photo of my wife at about the same age as Olivia Newton-John in like, 'Xanadu' or 'Grease,' very similar."
The actor added that he got to meet his teenage crush and made the mistake of telling her about his poster collection. "I blurted out the story and she was like, right," he said. "She totally was looking at me like: 'This is a stalker, this is my worst nightmare ...' So when you meet your celebrity crush, don't tell them.'"
Emma Stone's heart will go on
Emma Stone fell for Leonardo DiCaprio when he was a young 22-year-old starring as Jack Dawson in the epic 1997 film "Titanic." After Stone herself became famous, she got a chance to finally meet her childhood crush.
Stone won the Academy Award for Best Actress for "La La Land" in 2017 and the presenter was none other than DiCaprio. Stone shared on SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show" that while winning the Oscar was great, having it handed to her by Jack Dawson was an even greater experience. "I'd seen 'Titanic' seven and a half times in theaters. He was the love of my life. ... I was like, 'This is officially the most surreal moment of my life.' I could not believe it. I think he probably thinks I'm a little weird, 'cause whenever I see him, I'm kind of, 'Hey, how's it going?' ... He's very sweet though."
Stone isn't the only celeb who had a childhood crush on DiCaprio. Actor Amy Adams admitted on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" that she had eyes for him when he was on "Growing Pains," but those butterflies went away after she starred opposite him in "Catch Me If You Can." She shared, "Nothing really kills a crush faster than working with somebody. Not in a bad way! ... But you know, you get to know him, and it's not like the fantasy of the person anymore. ... Now it's Leo."
Sophie Turner is a Belieber
Sophie Turner had a very embarrassing moment when she met Justin Bieber. On "The Late, Late Show with James Corden," the "Game of Thrones" star shared that her first interactions with the Biebs were not only awkward, but she made a wacky gesture.
The actor said that she was with her now-husband Joe Jonas when the pair found themselves at a stranger's house in Miami. Bieber happened to be in the same house. Turner recounted, "I go upstairs and he's sat there shirtless in this dark room getting a head massage. And I was like, 'Oh my god! This is amazing!'" After saying hello to Bieber she "ran into the closet and cried for like, five minutes," but later emerged and rejoined Jonas and Bieber. Unfortunately, her second greeting wasn't so smooth. Turner caught Corden by surprise when she showed him the peace sign she threw up and how she stuck her tongue out at Bieber.
While not as embarrassing, Turner also once shared her major crush on "Friends" star Matthew Perry. She told Twitter that before she settled down with Jonas, Perry happened to be working near her home and she regularly spotted him outside smoking. So, she bought a lighter one day and decided to ask him if he needed a light. Alas, the plan flopped because, as she recalled, "It was already lit." Sure, the scheme fell flat, but marrying a Jonas Brother isn't so bad.
Nicole Kidman's 'embarrassing' hangout
Jimmy Fallon, who has been happily married to his wife Nancy Jovonen since 2007, has been the object of many A-list celebrities' affections.
In 2015, Nicole Kidman appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" to profess that she had a crush on the host back before the two were married to other people, but felt that he did not share the same feelings. Thinking they were just hanging out platonically, Fallon ended up playing video games while Kidman was in his New York City apartment. The "Big Little Lies" actor shared, "It was bad. ... So after about an hour and a half, I thought, 'He has no interest. This is so embarrassing.'" As Kidman recapped what did and didn't happen that evening, Fallon made it clear he did not realize she had a thing for him. "I can't believe I dated Nicole Kidman, this is fantastic," he joked.
Fallon appeared to miss out on dating another major star when Kate Hudson told the host in a virtual chat in 2020 that she "would have totally gone there" if she knew of his intentions after working on the film "Almost Famous" in 2000 together. On a previous "Tonight Show" episode, he revealed that he believed he and Hudson might have had a shot, but unfortunately, she went on to date and later marry The Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson. Hudson and Robinson split in 2007 and as of this writing, is engaged to Danny Fujikawa.
It's always been Rach for Cole Sprouse
Actor Cole Sprouse was just a kid when he played Ben, David Schwimmer's character Ross Geller's son in "Friends." Sprouse was in a few episodes of the hit sitcom and though he was pretty young at the time, he remembers just how enamored he was when getting to work alongside Jennifer Aniston who portrayed Rachel Green. And honestly, who wouldn't be?
He shared with the New York Post in 2017, "I had a really, really hard time working with Jennifer Aniston because I was so in love with her. I was infatuated. I was speechless — I'd get all bubbly and forget my lines and completely blank. It was so difficult." Sprouse who is now recognized for his role as Jughead Jones in "Riverdale" also stated that he still gets called 'Ben' by fans. "I was only in seven episodes, but it's funny how people are recognizing me for that because my brother and I have been working since we were 8 months old," he shared, adding, "People can call me 'Ben' on the street and I will turn around. It's a funny little process."
Sprouse also talked about his celeb crush to "Today," adding that things got a little embarrassing at one point. "I remember there was a cameraman who was like, 'Little boy's got a crush,' or I forget what they said. Of course, I turned bright red. But I do remember feeling like I fell in love,'" he gushed.
Nick Cannon tried to click with the queen
In January 2022, Nick Cannon announced on his talk show that he and model Bre Tiesi, who he called "the next mother of my child," were expecting a baby boy. This is the first child for the model and the eighth for Cannon. The comedian is a father to twins Moroccan and Monroe, who he shares with ex-wife Mariah Carey; Golden and Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell; twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with Abby De La Rosa; and Zion with Alyssa Scott. Zion died at just 5 months in December 2021 after Cannon revealed that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, per Page Six.
Before the "America's Got Talent" host expanded his family, he shared a throwback photo on Instagram with one of his early celeb crushes. According to E! News, the since-deleted snapshot showed Cannon shaking hands with Beyoncé. "#TBT Even in the 90's I was always shootin my shot!!! @Beyonce was looking at me like 'Little Boy Please!!' Cannon captured his photo, adding, "In my teenage days I used to stalk Destiny's Child! LOL Poppa Knowles was not feeling me at all!!"
Cannon's moves didn't quite work on Queen Bey, but his charm did work on some other famous ladies in the past including Christina Milian, Kim Kardashian, and model Selita Ebanks, per Cosmopolitan.
Pink's 'awful' moment with her crush
Pink is known for her edgy look and tough-girl exterior, but when it comes to meeting her celeb crush face-to-face all that seems to fade away. When the songstress was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in 2016, she told the host about meeting actor Johnny Depp for the very first time while at a record store. During their conversation, Pink brought up his film "Alice Through the Looking Glass," however, when she said "Alice," Depp assumed she was telling him about meeting Alice Cooper.
And with that, Depp caught Pink and the Kimmel audience entirely off guard when he casually walked on set. Pink, whose face turned as pink as her hair, fanned herself after he left. "No way," she said. "That was awful you guys. This sucks. I do not get flustered. This is the worst day ever."
On the red carpet for Depp's Disney movie, Pink told ET about her awkward encounter with the actor on "Kimmel." "Unfortunately I met Johnny Depp," she said. "I had a moment with him earlier on Jimmy Kimmel and I can't speak around him. It was awful. So, I'm just going to keep my head down and just get in the seat, and hopefully, it gets dark really quick."
Drake confessed his feelings in front of the world
The 2016 Video Music Awards celebrated Rihanna's success in the music industry and fans got to see the songstress perform a medley of her hits, including "Don't Stop the Music," "Rude Boy," and "Diamonds." At one point in the show, RiRi was presented with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award by none other than frequent collaborator and on-again, off-again love interest Drake. In addition to celebrating her many accomplishments in music and fashion, Drake ended up professing his love for the singer. Understandably, it became the talk of the town.
The rapper declared in his speech, "She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22 years old. She's one of my best friends in the world. All my adult life I've looked up to her even though she's younger than me. She's a living, breathing, legend in our industry." Rihanna made a few funny faces while Drake praised her throughout his speech, and when it was time to hand over the prestigious award, she carefully dodged the rapper's smooch.
Although it appeared that the two were good friends, Rihanna told Vogue in 2018 that Drake's speech made her "uncomfortable," adding, "I don't like too many compliments; I don't like to be put on blast." She also told the publication that she and Drake "don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either. It is what it is."
Tiffany Haddish asked her crushes out
Tiffany Haddish isn't shy when it comes to declaring her love for her celebrity crushes. However, she hasn't had the best of luck when trying to take things a step further with them.
While playing with adorable puppies in a video for BuzzFeed, the "Like A Boss" actor was presented with a fan's question about crossing paths with celeb crushes. Haddish answered, "I have met my celebrity crushes. There are several, and when I met them, I asked them on a date, asked them if I could cook for them, asked them if I could rub on their bodies. They all turned me down." Before addressing her next question, Haddish named names: "Trevor Noah, Michael B. Jordan."
In 2018, during a "Red Table Talk" with Jada Pinkett Smith, Haddish revealed that Drake had asked her out on a date after she worked with him on his music video for "Nice For What." She shared, "I blocked all this time off, like shoot, I'm gonna get my mustache waxed, get my armpits waxed, got me a nice little dress. Then I'm like, 'So what time are we heading out? Are you sending a car? Where are we going' And he's like, 'Oh, man, my bad.'" Drake told her he had a family emergency to which Haddish said, "I could have made $100,000 today." While she couldn't land a date with the aforementioned celebs, Haddish did end up connecting with musician Common. The duo split after a little over a year in 2021, per People.
Niall Horan's memorable smooch
Niall Horan appeared stunned when Katy Perry shared that the former One Direction star gets a little too flirty with the singer every time they see each other. Although many people could admit to crushing on the "Teenage Dream" songstress, apparently Horan isn't one of them.
Perry told Australian radio show "Fitzy & Wippa," "He's always trying to like, get my number, to like, maybe flirt with me but I'm like, 'I could babysit you. I'm like your mom.'" Horan attempted to set the record straight on "The Project" (via People): "She's just finding any excuse now to just patronize me and go around spreading rumors about me. I just want to be your friend. I mean, she is talking like she is 55 years older than me. She is not that much older than me." (Perry is only nine years older than Horan.) Although it might have taken Horan aback, he seemed to be joking and later added, "I wish everyone could be friends with Katy Perry, she's hilarious."
However, when Perry planted a smooch on him at the 2012 VMAs, he didn't seem too upset. He told Cosmopolitan U.K. at the time (via MTV News), "It was amazing and very purple — she had purple lipstick on. I don't think there will ever be anything cooler than kissing her ... until I marry her maybe!" Guess it's pretty clear that Horan is over that kiss now.
Jamie Dornan 'mortifying' confession
Hanging up posters of our childhood crushes and idols isn't anything to be embarrassed about, but having to tell that crush in person about kissing that poster every night before falling asleep sounds downright awkward. Actor Jamie Dornan had to do just that when he confessed to Liv Tyler that she was his ultimate crush growing up.
During a game of "Never Have I Ever" for British Vogue, Dornan revealed, "I had a black-and-white picture of Liv Tyler by my bed and I used to kiss it every night before I went to bed. And when I was in New York I met her, my friend knew this and said, 'Jamie, did you tell Liv about that time?' And I had to tell Liv Tyler to her face that I used to kiss a black-and-white picture of her every night.'" While this might weird out some, Tyler evidently was unfazed. "The Fifty Shades of Grey" actor recalled, "She was so lovely about it. But it was mortifying for me."
On an episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Dornan shared that he actually talked to Tyler on the phone about his crush. "She's like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe, like, that's the sweetest thing!'" he said. "I was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I'm having to deal with this and tell this woman that I used to kiss her face every night.'"
Keke Palmer's surprise guest
On her BET talk show "Just Keke," host Keke Palmer covered topics from love, fashion, and pop culture, and she interviewed famous faces like Raven-Symoné, Fifth Harmony, Brandy, and Karrueche Tran. To kick off her first episode, the former Disney star was in for a big surprise that she had no idea was coming.
In a clip from her show, Palmer shared how much she used to tweet about her celebrity crush, actor Michael Ealy. She gushed, "Honestly, Michael Ealy is so fine I just had to take a nap on him sometimes. Whenever I see a picture of him I just immediately knock out because he's too fine. And it really makes me sad because I did my first movie with him ever, which was 'Barbershop 2' and I was nine, so he'll never ever see me the way that I want him to see me." After spilling her guts on her star crush, Palmer looked behind her to see that Ealy was walking right towards her and holding a bouquet. Her reaction was adorable with the star even jumping on an audience member in disbelief.
While Palmer may not be dating her celeb crush, she's all set in the romance department. The actor officially introduced her boyfriend Darius Jackson to her Instagram fans while celebrating her 28th birthday in August 2021.
Dame Helen Mirren's unexpected smooch
Dame Helen Mirren did not hold back when she appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and planted a huge smooch on the host. While Colbert has been married to his wife Evelyn-McGee Colbert since 1993, he was happy to play along with the famous actor.
After leaving Colbert speechless with her kiss, she shared, "If I didn't do it then, I'd never get to do it, so you know, I have been dreaming of doing that for about, you know, 15 years. So, I just grabbed my chance. I'm sorry." Colbert then jokingly added, "That is one of the nicest greetings any guest has ever given me."
Colbert recalled his infamous kiss with Mirren when he appeared on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," explaining, "Helen Mirren came out and without any warning kissed me on the lips, passionately with her hand on the back of my head and everything has been downhill from then." Colbert then shared that he had also smooched actors Sally Field and Andrew Garfield. When Field kissed Colbert on his show the day after Mirren did, she joked, "I figured Helen did it, why can't I?"
Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves' 'healthy crush'
Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves have worked on four movies together with their first being 1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula." Having known one another for quite some time, it was cuteness overload when they sat down for an interview together and confessed their feelings for each other.
While chatting about their 2018 film "Destination Wedding" with ET, Ryder admitted to having a fondness for Reeves ever since they presented an award together at the Independent Spirit Awards in the '80s. She shared that she had a "pretty big, healthy crush" on the star, while Reeves chimed in, "I had a big, healthy crush on you, too." But, their crushes lasted for years when Ryder said that it was "still raging" and Reeves appeared to agree with the star.
Although Ryder and Reeves' adoration for one another might make fans' hearts melt, the duo is seeing other people. The "Stranger Things" star has been coupled up with her partner Scott Mackinlay Hahn since 2011, while Reeves is in a relationship with artist Alexandra Grant.