20 Celebs Who Made Awkward Appearances in Music Videos Before They Were Famous
<p>Hey, they all had to start somewhere. Here are all the times celebrities made awkward cameos in music videos.</p>
Updated Nov. 18 2019, 2:13 p.m. ET
They might be A-list celebs now, but they all started somewhere, and for many of them, that "somewhere" was in a cheesy music video. From cameos to awkward background dancing, these stars prove that, hey, a paycheck's a paycheck.
1. Kim Kardashian was in Fall Out Boy's 'Thnks fr th Mmrs"
Over a decade ago when Kim was still just Paris Hilton's bestie, she appeared in a Fall Out Boy music video where she romanced a monkey. And if you think Kim is embarrassed about her music video past, she's not. She recently posted the video on her Snapchat last year.
2. Kim Kardashian (again) in Christina Milian's "Dip It Low"
That's also Kim in the background of Christina Milian's "Dip It Low," although it's unclear why Kim was even there. She doesn't dance or anything, just awkwardly stands in the background as if she wandered there by mistake.
3. Nicole Richie in Tamia's "So Into You"
A teenage Nicole can be seen in the background playing cards and flipping through a magazine. Considering Nicole's dad, Lionel Richie, wrote the song, he probably had a hand in making sure his daughter got plenty of screen time.
4. RuPaul in The B-52's "Love Shack"
The drag superstar pops up twice in the video in one of his first major performances. "[RuPaul] was already really working on his look, his star look,” B-52’s frontman Fred Schneider told Yahoo last year. “He got the line-dance going, that’s for sure!”
5. Jennifer Lawrence in Parachute's "The Mess I Made"
Before she became an A-lister, she played a generic girlfriend in a video for some equally generic band. Considering how hard she tries to look like she's in love with the lead singer, she definitely deserved that Oscar.
6. Channing Tatum in Ricky Martin's "She Bangs"
That shirtless bartender? Yep, that's him. He was only 20 years old at the time and pocketed a mere $400 for his brief appearance.
7. Drake in Trey Songz's "Wonder Woman"
A pre-Champagne Papi Drake pops up for a hot second in this 2009 video. Back then, he still hadn't shaken his nerdy Degrassi look.
8. Hugh Laurie in Annie Lennox's "Walking on Broken Glass"
That pale-faced, powdered-wig wearing suitor in the video? Yep, that's House's Huge Laurie. There's also a bonus John Malkovich at 0:31 in the video.
9. Angelina Jolie in Meat Loaf's "Rock´N´Roll Dreams Come Through"
The quality of the video isn't the greatest, but considering it'sa Meat Loaf video, you already know it's going to be dramatic and cheesy. In the video, Angie, who was 18 at the time, plays love interest to Meat Loaf, who was 46. When you add elves into the picture, the weird factor gets cranked to 11.
10. Elijah Wood in Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl"
Aww, a young Elijah made his acting debut in this 1988 video when he was just seven years old. He later reunited with Paula in 2010 when he told her that he was still "very proud" of his first role.
11. Matt LeBlanc in Alanis Morissette's "Walk Away"
Before Friends, Matt was in several music videos, but this one is probably the most random. In the video, Matt plays a love interest to teen-era Alanis, and yep, it's as cheesy as it sounds.
12. Jason Statham in The Shamen's "Comin On"
Before becoming an action star in movies like The Transporter, Jason made money in the '80s by playing the "oiled up dancing guy" in awful music videos. In addition to this one, he was in another one for Erasure's "Run to the Sun."
13. Zooey Deschanel in Offspring's "She's Got Issues"
Before becoming synonymous with all things "cute and quirky," Zoey's first role was as a red-haired teen in the 1998 video. In it, she gets chased around by cartoon characters while wearing a pretty snazzy-looking wig.
14. Norman Reedus in Björk's "Violently Happy"
You wouldn't expect The Walking Dead actor and Björk to appear in the same sentence, let alone the same video, but that's what happened. He played a mental patient in her 1994 video when he was just 24, and apparently, he's still a fan.
15. Don Cheadle in Angela Wingush's "It's The Real Thing"
Before Iron Man, Don was just a dancing car wash attendant in this 1989 video. He even does a shoulder shimmy at the end with the utmost confidence.
16. Aaron Paul in Korn's "Thoughtless"
Yep, Breaking Bad's Jesse Pinkman was in a Korn video. In it, he dresses up like a pimp and projectile vomits on the prom king and queen, which might sound odd, but hey, at least he didn't have to dance.
17. Eva Mendes in Will Smith's "Miami"
Before becoming Mrs. Ryan Gosling, she was mouthing, "Bienvenidos a Miami" in Will's famous video. What's funny is that she and Will would later appear in the film Hitch together.
18. P.Diddy in Father MC's "Treat Them Like They Want to be Treated"
It's hard to believe the music mogul used to be just a skinny backup dancer in an oversized suit, but his moves in this 1990 video actually weren't that bad.
19. Christina Hendricks in Everclear's "One Hit Wonder"
Joan from Mad Men also had to get her start somewhere. She was only 21 when she appeared in this video.
20. Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key in "Weird Al" Yankovic's "White & Nerdy"
Before their show Key & Peele, they played the gangsters in this 2009 Weird Al video. Back then, the comedic duo were still MadTV unknowns. Today, Jordan Peele is an Oscar-nominated director, which is proof that when it comes to fame, everyone has to start at the bottom.
