10 Times 'The Graham Norton Show' Was Almost Ruined by a Guest

The Graham Norton Show first premiered back in 2007, but you have to admit that it has stood the test of time. Hosted by Irish comedian, Graham Norton, the British comedy talk show has hosted some of the world’s most famous celebrities. Of course, you have Norton and his hilarious one-liners to carry on every conversation. But the show’s success largely relies on unpredictability.

The format of The Graham Norton Show brings together a pretty unusual mix of guests on its iconic red couch. From singers to comedians and even political figures, Norton is an expert at leading hilarious, unscripted interactions between his often polar opposite guests. However, as entertaining as he is, even he can’t salvage certain situations. Because the truth is, when celebrities come unprepared, they often do or blurt out something inappropriate. That’s when the lighthearted tone of the show turns into awkward silences and strained laughter.

10 Mark Wahlberg Being Drunk

Season 12

Ted star Mark Wahlberg has appeared on The Graham Norton Show multiple times, but one of his appearances remains notorious to this day. The American actor was accompanied by comedians Sarah Silverman and Michael Fassbender (Shame). Now, by no means am I saying that the talk show is family-friendly. But there’s a way to behave when you’re sharing a couch with other guests, but Wahlberg clearly did not get the memo. The actor was on the show to promote his 2013 thriller Broken City, but his over-the-top antics completely overshadowed his co-guests.

Turns out that the actor had raided the mini-bar before sitting down for the interview and by the time the cameras started rolling, he was completely drunk! Wahlberg’s behavior was unpredictable to the point where even Norton didn’t know how to handle him. The actor kept interrupting other people’s stories and even challenged Fassbender to a penis-measuring contest. The last straw, however, came when he got up and sat on Norton’s lap while stroking his face and chest. And you could practically see the horror on the host’s face. I don’t know what Wahlberg was thinking, but the whole thing was just painful to watch. And to top it all off, when Norton believed that Wahlberg was finally calming down, the host realized that he had fallen asleep while Fassbender was telling a hilarious story. How disrespectful is that?

9 Robert Downey Jr. Ignoring the Host

Season 10

You’d expect the man who plays Iron Man to be charming and charismatic in real life, but maybe Robert Downey Jr. is just a really great actor on screen. During a 2011 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Downey Jr. was the kind of guest that no one ever wants to host. He sat on Norton’s couch along with his costar Jude Law to promote their film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. And while seeing costars being friendly and interacting outside their characters is always great, it was evident that The Avengers star only wanted to talk to Law. For some reason, the actor paid little to no attention to any attempts Norton made to have a conversation with him.

Downey’s complete lack of engagement with Norton was awkward at first, but soon enough, it became downright rude. The MCU star would turn to Law and share inside jokes with him, while Norton tried his best to keep a straight face. The host tried to steer the conversation back several times, but Downey Jr. completely dismissed whatever he had to say. You really have to give Norton a lot of credit, though, because he handled the situation with professionalism. He subtly directed the focus away from Downey Jr. and started talking to Jude Law, who was far more responsive and engaging.

8 Johnny Depp Appearing on the Show Amidst Abuse Allegations

Season 22

In November 2017, Johnny Depp appeared on The Graham Norton Show to promote his film, Murder on the Orient Express. However, the timing was a little controversial, especially because it was shortly after his ex-wife, Amber Heard had accused him of physical abuse in 2016. This took away from the usually comedic tone of the show and the fans were left wondering why Norton agreed to having Depp as a guest in the first place.

What’s worse is that the host opened the episode with a monologue and talked about the surge of sexual misconduct allegations in Hollywood at the time. He referred to the Me Too movement as a “week of sleaze,” right before calling Depp on. And if you ask me, Norton’s choice of words was extremely insensitive. During the interview, Depp seemed to be in great spirits and avoided talking about the allegations against him. However, fans of the show were not happy with Norton platforming an alleged abuser and the comedian had to face a lot of backlash for his misstep.

7 Richard Gere Making Taylor Swift and Saroise Ronan Uncomfortable

Season 12

In February 2013, The Graham Norton Show featured an episode with guests Richard Gere, John Malkovich, Saoirse Ronan, and Taylor Swift. That’s a great lineup of guests if you ask me. However, Gere’s attitude towards Swift and Ronan made the whole thing extremely uncomfortable to watch. During the episode, the Speak Now singer recalled an embarrassing moment at the Golden Globes when she didn’t recognize Gere and asked him what he was doing at the event. And while she shared the story in good humor, it was obvious that Gere was offended. Rather than laughing it off with the young pop star, he chose to make snide remarks and create an awkward situation for Swift. Thankfully, she had Norton to rescue the day and steer the conversation elsewhere.

But that’s not even the worst part. Throughout the episode, Gere is seen placing his hand on Ronan's back and stroking it. This led the actress to grow visibly tense, and she slowly kept shifting away from him while trying not to draw attention to her discomfort. At one point, she quickly moved closer to Malkovich to put a big gap between herself and Gere. Honestly, seeing a celebrated actor like Gere behaving this way with younger stars was disappointing, to say the least.

6 Harvey Weinstein Forcing His Way Onto the Show

Season 16

Before several women came out with allegations of sexual assault against film producer, Harvey Weinstein in 2017, he appeared on a 2015 episode of The Graham Norton Show with David Tennant, Olivia Colman, and Jessie J. While Weinstein didn’t really do anything inappropriate on the show, Norton has since then opened up about what went on behind-the-scenes. As reported by The Independent, Norton recounted that Weinstein essentially forced himself onto the show. It all started with him casually emailing Norton and asking to be on the show because he wanted to promote something.

Despite the episode being fully booked, Weinstein continued to bug Norton and attempted to negotiate his way onto the guest list. Norton claimed that his behavior was "chilling in retrospect.” The host noted that initially, he thought Weinstein was just determined, his behavior was reflective of his predatory nature that came to light a few years after his appearance.

5 Sinead O’Connor Being Inappropriate Toward Danielle Radcliffe

Season 10

Irish singer Sinead O'Connor is known for her controversial ways, so it’s no surprise that her February 2012 appearance on The Graham Norton Show raised a lot of eyebrows. O’Connor was seated alongside Harry Potter star Danielle Radcliffe along with Cuba Gooding Jr., and Omid Djalili. Now, the conversation was going pretty well until O’Connor decided to make a completely inappropriate comment about Radcliffe, who was 22 years old at the time.

Seated alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Omid Djalili, O’Connor made an offhand comment about bathing Radcliffe, who was 22 years old at the time. While she likely intended it as a joke, the remark landed poorly, creating an awkward atmosphere both on set and among viewers. The singer joked that she didn’t recognize Radcliffe with his clothes on because she regularly saw one of her children taking imaginary baths with him. Now, the singer might have meant this as a joke, but it definitely did not land the way she intended for it to. The young actor was taken aback and Norton had to step in to change the subject. But the uncomfortable tension lingered throughout the episode.

4 P. Diddy Talking About Prince Harry Attending His Parties

Season 8

Years before rapper P. Diddy came under fire for his questionable lifestyle, he was one of the biggest figures in the hip-hop world. During his appearance on a 2011 episode of The Graham Norton Show, he talked about his infamous parties. Of course, at the time, nobody knew what really went on during his Freak-Offs, so Norton, along with the other guests, took it all in good humor. Diddy claimed that he wanted Prince Harry and Prince William to attend his infamous parties.

According to the singer, both members of The British Monarchy had gotten into trouble when they were young, which is why he thought they would have a great time together. However, he clarified that since Prince William was engaged to be married to Kate Middleton at the time, he was definitely off the guest list. In hindsight, Diddy’s comment has somewhat of an ominous tone, especially when you realize everything he was forcing people to do at those parties.

3 Armie Hammer Making Fun of His Wife

Season 24

During a February 2019 episode of The Graham Norton Show, Armie Hammer appeared alongside Felicity Jones, Stephen Merchant, and Rob Beckett. In the middle of the conversation, Norton asked the Call Me by Your Name star about a Christmas gift exchange with his then-wife, Elizabeth Chambers. Hammer then revealed that when he had asked his wife what she wanted for Christmas, she had dismissed the question and told him not to worry about it. However, Hammer took her words too literally and decided not to buy her anything at all. Of course, she was not happy to find out about this on Christmas day. “I will never make that mistake again,” Hammer admitted.

Almost a year after Hammer’s appearance on the show, he and Chambers announced their separation in 2020. By 2021, Hammer faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct and abusive behavior, which he has continued to deny. However, the allegations led the fans to look at his seemingly harmless anecdote on the show from a different perspective. What might have seemed like a joke back then comes off as quite tone-deaf now. I mean, what kind of husband would show up to a family Christmas celebration with no gift for his wife?

2 Kevin Costner Being Snooty to Norton

Season 19

Yellowstone star Kevin Costner appeared on The Graham Norton Show back in 2016. But as accomplished as the actor is, it looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than on Norton's red couch. From the minute the interview began, he appeared unbothered and uninterested. While the rest of the guests answered Norton’s conversations and participated in the light banter, Costner just couldn’t be bothered.

As reported by Express, the host himself went on the record to talk about how uncomfortable it was to have Costner on the show. Norton claimed that the veteran actor was “snooty” and acted like he just did not want to answer any of the questions directed towards him. So in the end, Norton stopped trying to get him to talk and engaged with the other guests instead.

1 Robert De Niro’s Boring Stories Had To Be Cut

Season 14

Robert De Niro is one of the greatest producers Hollywood has ever seen. Let me tell you, though, the man does not know how to tell a story! De Niro might be a legend on screen, but when it comes to sharing anecdotes, he needs some major improvement. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Myers, Graham Norton went on the record to admit that De Niro has been one of the most boring guests to have ever appeared on the show. The host shared that on a 2013 episode of The Graham Norton Show, De Niro started sharing a story that nearly put everyone on set to sleep. The Godfather actor actually had to take a moment and question why he was telling such a convoluted story in the first place.

Norton confessed that he tried to gently move the conversation along just so De Niro wouldn’t feel embarrassed. But ultimately, the entire story had to be edited out since it was just too boring to make it to the final cut of the show. I guess you can’t have everything in life.

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