The Best Celebrity TV Cameos that Made Audiences Gasp
Celebrity cameos always keep TV series interesting. Something about seeing a famous person appear in a program with the traditional stars of the show makes it even more fun to watch.
Many celebrities make guest appearances on television, but some celebrity TV cameos deserve special mention.
1. Joe Biden — Parks and Recreation
As an aspiring politician, Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, idolized several politicians, but none more than now-President Joe Biden. As Vice President, Mr. Biden, Leslie had a man crush on her hero. Her awe of the then-VP shone through when she met him in person in one of the most awesome celebrity TV cameos.
2. Michelle Obama – Black-Ish
After meeting the Johnson parents at a fundraiser, the couple informs the rest of their family that former First Lady Michelle Obama will come to their house for dinner, and they're all uninvited. The fun ensues when the banned relatives pull every scheme imaginable to meet with her.
3. Cher – Will & Grace
Jack, played by Sean Hayes, has a lifelong love of singer and actress, Cher. He even owns a miniature Cher doll. Jack takes the doll to a restaurant and treats it like Cher sits with him. When the real Cher appears, he mistakes her for a drag queen, only realizing her true identity when it's too late in one of the most hysterical celebrity TV cameos ever.
4. Matt Damon – Entourage
Playing a fictional version of himself, Matt Damon hilariously demonstrated his ability to poke fun at his A-list actor persona. Damon celebrity TV cameos as an overly aggressive charity fundraiser berating Vince (played by Adrian Grenier) into donating to his children's charity makes for one of the best celebrity TV cameos.
5. Steve Wozniak – The Big Bang Theory
For a show that centered on all things wonderfully geeky, the guest appearance by Steve Wozniak took it to a whole new level. When Leonard, Raj, Howard, and virtual Sheldon are dining at the Cheesecake Factory, they spot the Apple cofounder at a different table. When virtual Sheldon rushes to the restaurant to get Wozniak's autograph on his vintage Apple II, he misses his chance thanks to a mishap in his apartment stairwell.
6. Prince – New Girl
When the late great artist Prince appeared on New Girl, it wasn't because the producers invited him on the show; his representative contacted the show requesting a cameo because he was a huge fan. Prince played a fictionalized version of himself, hosting a party with the main characters of New Girl as invited guests.
7. Britney Spears – How I Met Your Mother
As the hapless, lovelorn receptionist, Abby, in not one but two episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Spears proved her comic timing. Her celebrity TV cameos were impressed all the more, considering all of the turmoil happening in her life at the time, and marked the start of her comeback.
8. John Bon Jovi – Sex and the City
While sitting in the waiting room of her therapist's office, Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) meets Bon Jovi's character named Seth. Since she's broken up with Mr. Big (again), and making Carrie single and ready to mingle, so Seth quickly becomes the new man she's interested in.
9. Jamie Lee Curtis – The Bear
Jamie Lee Curtis puts on a one-woman show as the character of Donna Berzatto, the emotionally unstable mother of the main character Carmy. As seen in flashback, Donna loves to play the role of victim and family martyr despite all of the support her family offers. It's easy to see where the family dysfunction originates.
10. Danny Devito – Friends
Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica (Courteney Cox) hired a stripper for Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) bachelorette party. Instead of getting the expected young male model type of performer, they end up with Roy, an older, diminutive, out-of-breath dancer played by Danny DeVito in one of the most show-stopping celebrity TV cameos.
11. Stephen Hawking – Star Trek: The Next Generation
The famous cosmologist and theoretical physicist had a guest appearance as himself in holographic form. Hawking engaged in deep philosophical and scientific discussions and played poker with the android Data and fellow intellectuals Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton. Of all the celebrity TV cameos here, this one might have generated the most press.
12. Lady Gaga – American Horror Story
The presence of Lady Gaga in the anthology series American Horror Story acts as more as a series of extended celebrity TV cameos throughout the “Hotel” and “Roanoke” seasons. Her performance as The Countess in the “Hotel” season of the show won her a Golden Globe award for Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture for TV.
13. Ricky Gervais – The Office
Gervais had a memorable two-episode guest role in the American version of The Office. As the star and creator of the original version of The Office that aired on British television, his appearance on the American version connected the programs. Gervais's cringe-style comedy highlighted the differences between the two series.
14. Kobe Bryant – Jalen vs. Everybody
ABC didn't pick up Jalen Rose‘s 2017 show after the pilot episode, but that doesn't stop it from having one of the best celebrity TV cameos. Basketball fans remember Rose played for the Toronto Raptors when Bryant, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, scored a career-high 81 points, a feat Bryant comically made sure to remind Rose of when they ran into each other at a restaurant.
15. Cindy Lauper – Gossip Girl
During its first run on the CW network, Gossip Girl had more than its fair share of celebrity TV cameos, including model, actress, and television host Tyra Banks, singer and actress Lady Gaga, and model Karlie Kloss. But the most prominent cameo came from singer and actress Cyndi Lauper, who played herself at the 18th birthday party for Blair Waldorf, played by Leighton Meester.
16. Robin Williams – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
The late comedian made a surprisingly dramatic turn in his portrayal of Merritt Rook, a sound technician who uses his talents to trick unsuspecting people into committing crimes. His motive – demonstrating how blindly following authority can be dangerous – stems from a deeply personal tragedy he experienced by doing just that.
17. Hillary Clinton – Broad City
Ilana, a volunteer for Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 presidential campaign, and her best friend Abbi meet the candidate in person. At the end of the episode, Clinton's cameo, filmed during her actual presidential run, is one of the most meta celebrity TV cameos in television history.
18. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Two and a Half Men
The former governor of California and actor's star turn in the final episode of the long-running series brought the laughs. Playing police Lieutenant Wagner, Schwarzenegger comedically summarizes the entire series, roasting the characters in the process while poking fun at his real-life persona.
19. Alex Trebek – The X-Files
Taking a lighthearted departure from its usual scary monster of the week premise, in the episode titled “Jose Chung's From Outer Space,” Agents Mulder and Scully investigate events related to a purported alien abduction. One of the two mysterious men in black, who are deliberately muddying the waters around the possibility of alien life, is portrayed by the beloved Jeopardy! host.
20. Martin Short – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Short, best known for his stint on Saturday Night Live and films like Three Amigos and Father of the Bride, went from being the funny guy everyone loves to an evil character on the long-running show. He played Sebastian Ballentine/Henry Palaver, a fake psychic who toys with the police by assisting in solving a young girl's kidnapping.
21. Christopher Reeve – Smallville
By far the most famous actor to play the iconic Superman on the big and small screen, Christopher Reeve, returned to the DC Comics universe, which made him a household name. Instead of playing the superhero this time, he portrayed Dr. Virgil Swann, a rich scientist who mentored Clark Kent, Superman's alter ego.
22. Julia Roberts – Law & Order
The Law & Order franchise had numerous celebrity TV cameos and guest stars over the years, but they upped the ante when A-list actress Julia Roberts featured prominently in the season nine episode, “Empire.” Roberts, the then-girlfriend of Benjamin Bratt, one of the stars of the series, portrayed Katrina Ludlow, a charity organizer who'll stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
23. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi – Supernatural
She became famous for her hard-partying antics in The Jersey Shore reality television show. But Snooki made an amusing appearance in the otherworldly drama, playing herself – as a crossroads demon – after being summoned by Sam and Dean Winchester. The brothers mused that Snooki being a demon made a lot of sense.
24. Stan Lee – Heroes
It wasn't unusual to see Stan Lee pop up in various movies related to superheroes. Still, it's a treat to see him on the small screen as he did during the first season of the show Heroes. He played a bus driver that went unrecognized as Stan Lee by Hiro (played by Masi Oka), despite being an avid comic book fan.
25. Dwayne Johnson – That '70s Show
Better known as wrestling champion The Rock, Johnson made a cameo as a wrestler. He played his father, professional wrestling legend Rocky Johnson. The best line is when “Rocky Johnson” predicts that his son will be a huge star in the future.
