Get ready to cringe, as we dive into the top ten most cringe-worthy moments in pop culture. From jaw-dropping award show moments to awkward photo-shopping mishaps, prepare to relive the top ten moments that made me personally cringe the hardest from second-hand embarrassment.
- The Kourtney and Travis Barker PDA
I get that most couples always have some form of PDA, but I think they are ridiculous. Do that at home, not at a family picnic. I placed this at number ten because though it is awkward and cringey to watch, there are plenty of even more embarrassing moments to come.
- “Nina”
A few months ago there was a video titled, “7 Highschoolers Decide Who Wins $1000” trending on YouTube. This video became instantly viral due to all viewers agreeing how annoying one girl, Jordyn, was. She was just loud and obnoxious throughout the whole video. I placed Jordyn at number nine because whenever she spoke it led to nothing but second-hand embarrassment.
- Colleen Ballenger’s apology video
On June 29th, Colleen Ballinger posted an apology video regarding her “grooming” her fans and sending them inappropriate stuff. Unlike other apology videos you have seen, Colleen takes no accountability for her actions and blames the fans for “spreading rumors.” She even pulled out her ukulele and started singing. One of the lines in the song is “I’m not a groomer, I’m just a loser.” This was placed at number eight because it was quite cringey but it could be worse.
- Livvy Dunne photo-shopping her pictures
Though Livvy Dunne is naturally beautiful, you can’t help but cringe after seeing her photoshopped pictures. In mid-August, both LSU Gymnastics and Dunne posted the same picture, but something looked a little sketchy. It is obvious that she edited the picture to make her shoulders less broad, her waist thinner, and her butt bigger. She even went as far as editing her ponytail to look longer. I placed this Photoshopping mishap here because doing something like that when people are obviously going to find out is just plain embarrassing for her.
- Kanye vs Taylor incident
The 2009 VMAs will forever be unforgettable after seeing what Kanye West did to 19-year-old-Taylor Swift. Swift had just won an award for having the best music video and was about to make her speech, when West ran on stage and ruined it all. He took the mic from her hands and said, “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best music videos of all time.” Awkwardness filled the room, along with boos from the crowd. I have placed this here because personally everytime I think of it it makes me cringe. At the same time, this moment did inspire Swift’s Reputation album, which was really a breakthrough for her career.
- When Emily sings her original song in the riff-off in Pitch Perfect 2
The theme of the riff-off was “nineties hip-hop jams,” and this girl really had the audacity to make her team lose because she blanked out and sang her own song. Every time I watch this scene it makes my blood boil. Therefore, I’ve placed it at number five on my list.
- Steve Harvey announces the wrong ‘”Miss Universe”
In 2015, Steve Harvey announced the wrong person as “Miss universe.” The competition was down between Columbia and the Philippines. Harvey originally announced Columbia as winner, which he later found out was actually written as first runner-up. Though Harvey publicly apologized for his mistake, we all couldn’t help but cringe for that awkward moment.
3. Fergie singing the national anthem
In 2018, Fergie sang the national anthem at the All-Star game. And if I’m not going to lie, it was a mess. Though it takes a lot of courage to go out and sing for everyone, she just did not hit it. The video was very hard to sit through.
- Lorde shushes her fans
During her Melodrama Tour in 2017, Lorde was on stage singing “Writer in the Dark,” when she motioned for her fans to stop singing, leaving them to only hear her. She then proceeded to not hit any of the notes and just caused it to feel awkward. This is placed here because it kills me to imagine actually being in the crowd in that awkward silent moment.
- Haley Bieber pretended Justin was taking a video of her but she was filming herself
Throughout the years Haley Bieber has never failed to make us cringe, but this time it just sent me off the edge. This time, Haley was in bed, acting as if Justin was filming, but fans pointed out that you can see in a reflection that she was filming herself. I placed this at number one because out of all awkward moments in pop culture this moment makes me cringe the most.
