Times Celebs Laughed At Inappropriate Things

The saying goes that laughter is the best medicine — and there are scientific studies to back it up. But laughing during inappropriate moments is a whole other ball game. Sometimes people laugh when there is no humor to be had, an image that does not translate well on camera for those in the limelight. And while we may hold public figures to a higher standard, celebs are not immune to falling foul of a fit of giggles.

There are numerous reasons why celebs — and indeed the general public — would have their funny bones tickled at the most inopportune times. As social psychologist Alex Borgella told Vice, laughing at inappropriate things is often symptomatic of nervousness. "If you perceive a situation that seems like it's harmlessly violating some social or moral norm, for example someone loudly farting in the middle of a funeral, you're more likely to laugh than if you perceive a harmful violation of that norm ... or something harmless that doesn't violate any norms, like farting in a bathroom," Borgella explained. However, for some of these stars, even this analysis doesn't explain why they would chortle at the most unfortunate moments.

In something straight out of an awkward "Curb Your Enthusiasm" plot, some celebs have laughed during funeral processions, at other people's misery, and during serious court cases. We may never know the reasons for these guffawing gaffes, but their discomfiture endures. Here are the times celebs laughed at inappropriate things.

Pete Davidson is famed for his penchant for shock humor. Tan France, on the other hand, is renowned for respectful discourse and his affable English gent demeanor. Therefore, it's pretty safe to say that when these two dichotomous characters met, the results were awkward at best.

In 2019, Davidson was a guest on France's "Dressing Funny" series and he did not tone down his shock humor for the softly spoken "Queer Eye" host. Amid giving Davidson fashion advice and picking out suits for the gangly star, France asked whether the comedian's widowed mother was seeing anyone. Between taking gulps of a hamburger, Davidson replied that his mom was celibate, but that he was eager for her to start dating again. "Someone needs to get up in there and get that lady off my back!" he said. When Davidson made the shocking quip, a clearly gobsmacked France burst out into awkward laughter. "She might see this, Pete..." France warned, to which Davidson assured the mild-mannered Brit that he doesn't care and suggested that he should, ahem, pleasure his mom himself. Big yikes.

Cosmopolitan argued that Davidson may have taken his dark humor a tad too far with this surprising admission. Then again, this is the man who laughed about his own father's tragic death during the 9/11 attacks at the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber.

Before Russell Brand became Britain's answer to Joe Rogan, he was an edgelord comedian with a penchant for foppishly flirtatious interactions with women. So when Brand invited cheeky TV host Jonathan Ross onto his eponymous BBC radio show, his ladies' man schtick played out to millions of listeners. In a 2008 incident dubbed "Sachsgate," Brand and Ross made a prank phone call to elderly actor and national treasure Andrew Sachs, famous for playing Manuel in hit sitcom "Fawlty Towers." Per The Guardian, the troublesome twosome left a message on Sachs' answering machine, leading to Ross vulgarly declaring that Brand slept with the actor's granddaughter, amid giggles. The skit led to widespread condemnation and the duo were swiftly suspended from the BBC as punishment.

Sachs was incredibly hurt by the prank. "Brand and Ross were like two teenagers on the rampage, laughing at their own jokes, which is not something the best comics usually do," he wrote in the Daily Mail. "Their lewd banter was deeply hurtful for me, my wife, our daughter and our granddaughter." Following Sachs' death in 2016, his widow told the outlet that he never quite recovered from the prank.

Brand apologized for his actions, but in a bizarre bit of deflection, he criticized the Daily Mail's supposedly self-righteous reportage, noting that the paper supported Nazism. "What's worse – leaving a swearword on Andrew Sachs' answerphone or tacitly supporting Adolf Hitler when he took charge of the Third Reich?" he asked on his show, per The Telegraph.

The slap heard around the world, the surreal moment when Will Smith's palm collided with a stunned Chris Rock's face at the 2022 Oscars will no doubt live in pop culture infamy. Spawning countless memes and parodies, the incident sparked widespread debate about free speech and cancel culture. However, analysis of the footage suggests that Smith's reaction to the joke was initially risible as opposed to enraged, per Esquire. The soon-to-be Best Actor winner could be seen laughing heartily at Rock's quip that Jada Pinkett Smith, who has detailed her struggles with alopecia, resembled G.I. Jane. Regardless of one's feelings about what happened next, laughing at your wife having alopecia when she's sat right next to you probably isn't the wisest thing.

According to body language expert Judi James, who spoke to The Mirror, Smith likely reacted the way he did after seeing how upset his wife was. "Jada's head shake and pointed finger of warning suggested she was less able to dissolve into bouts of open-mouthed laughter like her husband," she argued, "and it was this contrasting form of response from the couple that really opened up when Chris Rock made his comment about G.I. Jane."

In another twist, Pinkett herself was seen laughing following the slap, per People. Later on, Smith referenced the incident in his acceptance speech, claiming that "Love makes you do crazy things." After a disciplinary hearing, he was banned from the Oscars for ten years, per The New York Times.

"The View" has had its fair share of controversial and heated moments. From Kelly Osbourne's questionable comments about immigration to Whoopi Goldberg asserting that the Holocaust was not about race, there's no shortage of drama when it comes to the long running talk show. Although Joy Behar is usually one of the less problematic hosts, she faced condemnation for making antiquated gay jokes.

In 2021, the hosts discussed football star Carl Nassib, who became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. After initially dismissing the significance of Nassib's coming out, claiming that it wasn't an issue in 2021, Behar made a crude sex joke about the NFL athlete, before bursting out into laughter, much to the horror of her co-hosts. She swiftly apologized, urging viewers to pretend she'd never made the joke. "I just long for the day when you can just be gay in the world, and it doesn't become a big deal," she reasoned, per The Advocate. "By the way, that inappropriate joke I made for daytime television? Scratch it. Make believe I never said it."

Behar was swiftly criticized for espousing outmoded rhetoric historically directed at gay men. "Of all the progress gay men have made since I came out. Our lives are still defined by anal sex 'jokes'," tweeted journalist Jon Nicosia, continuing, "My point was he came out *yesterday* I think it's ok to hold the 'penetration' jokes for another time." 

The #MeToo movement has led to numerous stars detailing their recollections of misconduct within the industry. Actors such as Olivia Munn, Uma Thurman, and countless others have come forward with their experiences of sexism and sexual assault in Hollywood. For the most part, responses to these harrowing stories were typically imbued with outrage. But when Sharon Stone was asked to address the matter, she had an unusual reaction.

Stone sat down for an interview with CBS Sunday Morning when host Lee Cowan asked her whether she'd ever experienced sexual misconduct in Hollywood. Per E!, Stone then laughed for a full ten seconds. "You're laughing. I don't know if that's a nervous laugh or, 'Are you kidding me? Of course I was' laugh," Cowan queried. It was an awkward laugh in response to a very difficult subject (Stone later responded that she's "seen it all" in Hollywood), but nonetheless appeared inappropriate considering the gravity of the subject matter.

However, Stone's own experiences of sexual misconduct in Hollywood may help to shed light on her inappropriate chuckles. As she wrote in her memoir, an extract of which was published by Vanity Fair, she had grown accustomed to sexual harassment in Hollywood, which is partly why she chose to leave the industry behind. "I think that I am not alone in processing some pent-up female rage ... I was forced to control it for so long, to keep it hidden as though it were my shame," she wrote.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a man who certainly isn't short on gaffes. From getting trapped on a zip wire while brandishing Union Jacks to forgetting his lines when giving a speech on national industry (and repeatedly uttering, "forgive me"), his appeal seems to be one of using humor and self-deprecation as a defense mechanism from political criticism, per The Guardian. And while this schtick has worked in the past, occasionally even Johnson misreads the room.

The war in Ukraine has caused unimaginable devastation and near-worldwide condemnation. So when Johnson's former ally and fellow politician Rishi Sunak gave a speech on Ukraine in parliament, the Prime Minister could be seen laughing, per Indy100. Sunak was discussing the plight of Ukrainians forced to hide in basements when the PM appeared to snicker. Subsequently, Johnson was lambasted for seeing the funny side of a horrific situation. Actor Kathy Burke tweeted her disgust at Johnson's noticeable chuckles, writing, "Apparently this is what they do in parliament, all parties, whatever the subject."

With both his party and the public growing increasingly weary of his japery, Johnson's days were soon numbered. After being exposed for breaking lockdown rules at the height of the pandemic, and, more recently, allegedly joking that party member Chris Pincher, who was accused of sexual misconduct, was "Pincher by name, Pincher by nature," he was eventually ousted as prime minister in July 2022, having lost the support of the majority of his Conservative party allies.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).