Read more on buzzfeed.com

13 Times Celebs Called Out Talk Show Hosts For Their Toxic Criticisms And Questions

Many talk show hosts — whether they’re on TV or radio — are known for being straightforward or blunt in their criticisms. However, when they claim they’re “telling it like it is,” they’re often just coming across as unnecessarily cruel.

TBS / Via giphy.com

Here are 13 times celebs called out talk show hosts for their toxic criticisms and questions:

1. THE INTERVIEW: Following the actor’s infamous Calvin Klein ad, Barbara Walters asked then-15-year-old Brooke Shields a series of invasive questions about her body and her sexual history.

ABC / Via youtube.com

Brooke Shields was widely criticized over the line “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing,” which was widely perceived as a sexual innuendo. However, she later told Vogue that she “didn’t think it was sexual in nature” and that “if they had intended on the double entendre, they didn’t explain it to [her].”

BROOKE’S RESPONSE: 40 years later, she told Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, “It’s practically criminal. It’s not journalism.”

ABC / Via youtube.com

2. THE INTERVIEW: In 2000, Barbara Walters antagonistically questioned Ricky Martin about rumors he was gay and tried to goad him into addressing his sexuality on air.

CTV / Via youtube.com

At the time, he replied that he felt one’s sexuality was something they should “deal with in their own way,” and he “didn’t feel like” confronting the rumors.

RICKY’S RESPONSE: 21 years later, he told People, “When she dropped the question, I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out. I was very afraid. There’s a little PTSD with that.”

CTV / Via youtube.com

He continued, “You can’t force someone to come out. But if you have an egg and you open it from the outside, only death comes out. But if the egg opens up from the inside, life comes out.”

BARBARA’S APOLOGY: She actually admitted she was in the wrong 11 years earlier. In 2010, she told the Toronto Star, “In 2000, I pushed Ricky Martin very hard to admit if he was gay or not, and the way he refused to do it made everyone decide that he was. A lot of people say that destroyed his career, and when I think back on it now, I feel it was an inappropriate question.”

CTV / Via youtube.com

3. THE INTERVIEW: In a 1981 interview with Katharine Hepburn — who famously broke societal expectations for women by only wearing pants — Barbara Walters asked her, “Do you ever wear a skirt?”

ABC / Via youtube.com

KATHARINE’S RESPONSE: She replied, “I have one…I’ll wear it to your funeral.”

ABC / Via youtube.com

4. THE INTERVIEW: When Johnny Galecki appeared on The View in 2010, the co-hosts asked him about the rumors of his sexuality that had “swarmed” him.

ABC / Via youtube.com

JOHNNY’S RESPONSE: On the show, he replied, “I’ve never really addressed those rumors because I always figured, why defend yourself against something that’s not offensive?”

ABC / Via youtube.com

5. THE INTERVIEW: When Carmen Carrera and Laverne Cox appeared on Katie in 2014, Katie Couric asked both women incredibly invasive questions about their transitions.

Disney–ABC Domestic Television / Via youtube.com

CARMEN’S RESPONSE: Cutting Katie off, Carmen shushed her and said, “I don’t want to talk about it because it’s really personal…I’d rather talk about my modeling stuff…and showing people that after the transition, there’s still life to live.”

Disney–ABC Domestic Television / Via youtube.com

She continued, “I still have my career goals. I still have my family goals…I want to focus on that rather than what’s down here because that’s been spoken about so many times, you know, in like, other interviews with other trans people. They always focus on either the transition or the genitalia, and I feel like…there’s more to trans people than that.”

LAVERNE’S RESPONSE: Deciding to use the moment to teach Katie about the harsh realities many trans people face, she said, “I do feel there is a preoccupation with that. The preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies trans people. And then we don’t get to really deal with the real lived experiences. The reality of trans people’s lives is that so often we are targets of violence.”

Disney–ABC Domestic Television / Via youtube.com

She continued, “We experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community. Our unemployment rate is twice the national average; if you are a trans person of color, that rate is four times the national average. The homicide rate is highest among trans women. If we focus on transition, we don’t actually get to talk about those things.”

KATIE’S APOLOGY: Five months later, she invited Laverne back to the show, saying, “Last time you were here, I got a lot of flack because I asked about the physical process [of transition]…I want to use this as a teachable moment for myself.”

Disney–ABC Domestic Television / Via youtube.com

Laverne replied, “It’s only a mistake if you make it twice.”

6. THE CRITICISM: In 2015, several Fox News anchors criticized Kendrick Lamar’s BET Awards performance, in which he rapped about police brutality while standing on top of a police car. Geraldo Rivera called it “unhelpful” and claimed that “hip-hop has done more damage to young African Americans than racism in recent years.”

BET / Fox / Via youtube.com

KENDRICK’S RESPONSE: At the time, he told TMZ, “How can you turn a song about hope and turn it into hatred?”

BET / Via youtube.com

When he dropped a new album two years later, Kendrick sampled the criticism on the first two tracks (“BLOOD” and “DNA”) then called them out in “YAH,” rapping, “Fox News wanna use my name for percentage.”

Aftermath/Interscope / Via youtube.com

He also called Geraldo out by name in the song.

7. THE CRITICISM: When Harry Styles posed in a dress for his Vogue cover, Candace Owens retweeted the image with the statement, “Bring back manly men.”

SME / Via youtube.com

HARRY’S RESPONSE: On Instagram, he shared a picture of himself eating a banana and captioned it, “Bring back manly men.”

HASAN’S RESPONSE: After teaching Ellen how to correctly pronounce his name, he said, “If you can pronounce Ansel Elgort, you can pronounce Hasan Minhaj.”

Warner Bros. Television Distribution / Via Twitter: @hasanminhaj

9. THE CRITICISM: When discussing Keke Palmer’s sexual intimidation case against Trey Songz, Wendy Williams tried to place the blame on Keke.

Debmar-Mercury/20th Television / Via youtube.com

KEKE’S RESPONSE: Confronting Wendy on her own show, Keke said, “I would have loved to turn on your show and saw you be a little bit more compassionate and less accusatory and ridiculing.”

Debmar-Mercury/20th Television / Via youtube.com

She continued, “We’re telling girls that it’s okay for them to be in weird and awkward and potentially sexually harassing environments and they should endure it and not say nothing about it.”

10. THE INTERVIEW: In 2001, Howard Stern bet Freddie Prinze Jr. a million dollars that his marriage to Sarah Michelle Gellar wouldn’t last. The host said, “In about 10 years, you’re gonna hunt me down and go, ‘Howard, I owe you money.'”

WXRK / Via youtube.com

FREDDIE’S RESPONSE: In 2016, he told AOL Build, “I did The Howard Stern Show when I was a young buck, and he was cracking jokes that, you know, me and Sarah were just sleeping together and we’d break up in a few years. He bet me a million dollars that we would break up in under five years…[looking directly into the camera] You have not paid that bet, young man.”

Mega / GC Images / Via Getty, Santiago Felipe / Getty Images

JAMEELA’S RESPONSE: Initially, she replied, “There is no cure for you being a pointless, boring, misogynist p**** sadly.” However, a week later, she blocked him on Twitter because “he’s using his platform ONLY to perpetuate the hateful emotional violence that leads to the nervous breakdown of young, vulnerable people. In and out of the spotlight.”

Jon Kopaloff / WireImage / Via Getty

She continued, “I expose his name to a new young audience when I tweet him, which endangers them.”

12. THE CRITICISM: On Twitter in 2018, Piers Morgan slut-shamed Little Mix for posing nude. Then, when Ariana Grande’s mom Joan called him out, he replied, “I’d just prefer they use their talent to sell records rather than their nudity. As your own daughter does…!”

Neil Mockford / GC Images / Via Getty, Amy Sussman / Getty Images

ARIANA’S RESPONSE: Swooping in to defend her friends and her mother, Ariana tweeted, “I use my talent AND my sexuality all the time because I choose to. Women can be sexual AND talented. Naked and dignified. It’s OUR choice. & We will keep fighting til people understand. I say this [with] all due respect but thank u, next.”

Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

She continued, “I look forward to the day you realize there are other ways to go about making yourself relevant than to criticize young, beautiful, successful women for everything they do. I think that’ll be a beautiful thing for you and your career or what’s left of it.”

However, a year later, her fans were confused when Piers tweeted to thank Ariana “for a great night” and she thanked him for “some laughs and some [very] productive conversation.” She explained that, after running into him in a restaurant, she decided to sit with him so they could have a discussion offline.

David Crotty / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images, Hollie Adams / Getty Images

She said, “I think some progress was made! Turns out face to face discussions are a bit kinder and gentler, even if you do indeed disagree.”

13. THE CRITICISM: For their “Strip” music video, Little Mix posed nude and inked their skin with insults people had used against them. Aside from the criticism he hurled at them on social media, Piers Morgan also ranted about them on Good Morning Britain, saying, “If men stripped off like that we’d be arrested but women do it and it’s ’empowering.'”

Syco Music / Via youtube.com

He also demanded a public apology from them after member Jesy Nelson called him a “silly twat.”

LITTLE MIX’S RESPONSE: On their LM5 tour, the band introduced “Wasabi” — which has lyrics directly referencing Piers — with the clip of him demanding a public apology.

Joseph Okpako / WireImage / Via Getty