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The Most Awkward WWHL Appearances Ever (And How Andy Cohen Reacted) – Nicki Swift

As Bravoholics, we adore all things Andy Cohen puts his stamp on, and that especially includes “Watch What Happens Live,” his late-night talk show. “WWHL” is not like other talk shows, in that the guests get to drink and the vibe is extremely casual. The bookers do a good job of mixing it up, giving us tons of Bravolebrities — our Real Housewives, Vanderpumpers, charming Southerners, sea captains, people from houses both winter and summer, and all of the rest — as well as A-list stars. Everyone from Hillary Rodham Clinton to Meryl Streep to Oprah Winfrey has come on the show to partake in games like “Plead the Fifth” and dish the tea on their past co-stars, experiences, and outfits.

Aside from “Plead the Fifth,” other common segments include “Spill the Tea,” “Truth or Drink,” and “Versace or Hibachi,” and the show’s production team seems to love coming up with cheesy puns to create new games related to their guests. The bartender, the shotski, and the lack of a desk as a barrier between Cohen and the guests also help liven the mood, which is wonderfully fun — most of the time. The atmosphere occasionally becomes darker, leading to some awkward or even emotional moments. While it may be uncomfortable for Cohen and his guests, it makes for great TV when someone gets too sloppy, too shady, too tongue-tied, or just completely inappropriate. Here are some of the most awkward “WWHL” appearances ever, including how Cohen reacted.

Tom Schwartz word vomited all over the Scandoval

Charles Sykes/Bravo

Ever since the news broke that “Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval cheated on longtime partner Ariana Madix, it has been all that Bravo fans have been able to talk about. And for good reason, since new developments seem to occur on a weekly basis, if not more frequently. Sandoval had an affair with co-star Raquel Leviss, but pretty much every other cast member (past and present) has gotten drawn into the messiness. As Sandoval’s best friend and business partner, Tom Schwartz, has had to face a lot of questions, especially since he made out with Leviss on the show after the affair had already started.

So, when Schwartz appeared on “WWHL” on April 5, 2023, he had to have been well aware that Andy Cohen was going to grill him on the scandal, and logic would dictate that Schwartz would prepare for his visit to the Clubhouse. He clearly did not, because nearly every answer he provided was a rambling mess, including when he said “Raquel is Tom’s heroin.” No one thought he did well, as evidenced by the reactions of his co-stars and fans alike. “Tom, I have two words for you: media training. Because you’re just gonna say whatever lands in your head and that’s not good,” his ex-wife Katie Maloney posted on her Instagram Story. Even Cohen was flummoxed by the word vomit and said on “Radio Andy” that he felt compelled to offer Schwartz some tips after the interview.

Jackée Harry and Regina King got super drunk

Bravo/YouTube

Unlike some of the other incidents on our list, Jackée Harry and Regina King’s appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” had no tinge of darkness or meanness. Was it awkward as all heck? Yes, but it was also a good time, and we would watch way more of it. Harry and King go way back, having both starred on the 1980s television series “227.” King was only a young teen when she started on “227,” so we imagine the pair bonded over PG-rated things. Not so much when they appeared on “WWHL” in August 2013. “We did a ‘227’ reunion with Jackée and Regina King,” Cohen told Naomi Campbell on “No Filter with Naomi” in 2021. “And they came in, and they were wasted! And I was like, ‘Oh my god, how is this going to be?’ It was crazy.”

On the episode in question, both Harry and King were drunk, but Harry was the further gone of the two. Their reactions to each other were hilarious, and there were moments when Cohen (and the audience) was totally out of the loop in terms of what was so funny. At one point, Harry started cackling and Cohen just looked at the camera and said “Oh my God” with a giant smile. But we have to give them credit, because when they were asked if they were hammered, both confirmed it. “We were not wasted…we were LIT,” Harry clarified via her representatives in 2021, per BestLife.

Sonja Morgan’s recurring burlesque bit

Bravo

“The Real Housewives of New York City” star Sonja Morgan is one of the most naturally funny and engaging Bravolebrities, but the flip side of that is her unpredictable nature. Never boring but always entertaining, Morgan tends to act in borderline inappropriate ways, which escalates once she gets some alcohol in her system. Like, for example, the time on the show when she loudly yelled “I don’t shave my p**sy” in a room full of people at a party (and on national television, to boot). That is just one instance where Morgan made us both laugh and cringe, and her attempts at burlesque elicit a similar reaction.

Technically, Morgan’s burlesque is not one awkward “Watch What Happens Live” moment but a collection of them, since she loves to “surprise” Andy Cohen and others with her racy dancing. In one appearance from 2011, Morgan dressed up like Marilyn Monroe to perform for Cohen and her co-star Luann de Lesseps. In 2017, Morgan performed a holiday-themed burlesque for Cohen and six other Housewives. And, of course, there was the time she arrived in a messily teased wig, cowboy hat, and bustier and performed her little ditty between Cohen and his guest. It was so bonkers, in fact, that “WWHL” named it one of their “Top 5 Most Awkward Moments” back in 2014.

Zoe Kravitz claimed Lily Allen attacked her

Bravo/YouTube

When Zoe Kravitz appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” in November 2018, things took a turn after a viewer question about singer Lily Allen. But to understand the context, we need to give a bit of background for those unfamiliar. Allen published a book called “My Thoughts Exactly” in December 2018, but word leaked about the highlights by the time Kravitz made her way to the Bravo Clubhouse. In the book, Allen made some specific claims about many celebrities, including Kravitz. “For my New York shows, Zoe Kravitz and her band Lolawolf supported me, so I got to know Zoe a bit. We became friends,” Allen wrote. “Zoe and I went out partying and ended up kissing. I heard that later that same night she’d got down with A$AP Rocky. Go Girl, I thought.”

Because of early copies of the book, Kravitz was well aware of what was said, as were Bravo fans. When one fan called in to ask Kravitz about her take on the situation, the first thing she did was shade Allen by pretending not to know her, before making a big claim of her own. “Who is Lily Allen?” she deadpanned before leaning back in her chair. “If by kissing, she means like, attacking, then yes, she kissed me.” Kravitz’s response echoed through the media cycle, ending up everywhere from The Independent to E! News. The segment was so awkward (and serious, given the allegation of non-consent) that it even left Andy Cohen somewhat tongue-tied.

Patti LuPone insulted Madonna’s acting

Charles Sykes/Bravo

Broadway legend PattI LuPone is never one to mince words, even if it is going to ruffle feathers. After all, this is a woman who once stopped a 2009 performance of “Gypsy” to scold an audience member for taking photos,  snatched a phone from a texter in the front row during a 2015 performance of “Shows for Days,” and got into a screaming match with an audience member during a performance of “Company” because the person was not wearing a face covering, as per the theatre’s COVID-19 policies. The evidence shows that LuPone has very little concern for how she is perceived, even if she comes across as a stubborn diva — and that is arguably how she came across when she appeared on “WWHL” in 2017.

LuPone has had many feuds over the years — including a huge one with Andrew Lloyd Weber that lasted decades — and her beef with Madonna is notable. LuPone’s main issue seems to be that the singer was cast as the lead in the 1996 film adaptation of “Evita,” in the role (Eva Perón) that made LuPone famous. We don’t fully understand, since the movie came out 17 years after LuPone’s performance, but things got awkward when LuPone unleashed on “Watch What Happens Live.” “Madonna is a movie killer,” she said. “She’s dead behind the eyes. She cannot act her way out of a paper bag.” Andy Cohen appeared delighted by the comments, probably because he knew they would go viral.

Brandi Glanville’s comments resulted in a lawsuit

Bravo/YouTube

Of all the shade that has ever been thrown on “Watch What Happens Live” — and there has been enough to provide umbrellas for an entire beach — Brandi Glanville’s November 2013 shade has been the most notable. Why? Because it led to a much-publicized lawsuit and a years-long battle between two former “Real Housewives.” To be fair, Glanville did make a pretty disgusting allegation, but to sue someone for a one-off comment about your personal hygiene seems absurd at best. Still, the insulting accusation made for wild television, even if it was super awkward.

Andy Cohen is not off the hook here either, because he started everything when he told Glanville live on air that Joanna Krupa (who was at the tail end of her run on “The Real Housewives of Miami”) had tweeted, “no wonder her husband left her.” Glanville took things a step further, telling Cohen and all of America that an ex-lover of Krupa’s made a crude comment about the odor of Krupa’s nether regions. Krupa was so outraged that she sued Glanville for slander — years later, for some reason. Krupa filed the lawsuit in January 2015, and it was resolved in August 2017, per People. As part of the settlement, Glanville was made to apologize for her allegations, which we are sure she only did by necessity. “I regret ever making such statements about Joanna Krupa; I also certainly never intended my statements to be taken so seriously and out of proportion,” her statement read.

Jeff Lewis made Brandi Glanville cry

Bravo/YouTube

We could not possibly create a list of awkward “Watch What Happens Live” moments and only include Brandi Glanville once. Glanville is basically one giant mix of awkwardness and chaos, and the issue was not finding two such instances, but limiting it to only two. In this particular example, Glanville was seated next to an equally messy Bravolebrity, “Flipping Out” star Jeff Lewis. Both of them did things that were gasp-worthy, only Lewis’ was verbal in nature and Glanville’s was in the form of a reactive nonverbal statement.

When a viewer asked if Glanville could feel Lewis’ hair to ensure he was not wearing a toupee, Lewis joked, “Can I get an STD from that?” We use the term “joke” loosely because maybe two people in the audience laughed, while Andy Cohen simply said “no” in an exasperated tone. Glanville was taken aback but seemed okay until after the commercial break, when she brought it back up. “As long as we wet [his hair], I think we’ll be fine,” she said, before throwing her glass of wine on the shocked designer. Lewis’s mouth went agape, while Cohen got a smug little smile — think of the media coverage! — but things did not end there. “Now, no STDs, which is good. Alcohol kills everything,” said Glanville, as Cohen sat there with a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat’s. Things went from awkward to heartbreaking when Glanville started crying a minute later, spinning her chair around to hide from the camera.

Jeff Lewis and Bethenny Frankel went at it on air

Charles Sykes/Bravo

If we are going to pick on Brandi Glanville and put her on our list twice, then we are most certainly not going to let shady Jeff Lewis off easy either. Lewis rivals Glanville in terms of the sheer number of public feuds he has had, including ones with his former co-worker, co-star, and friend Jenni Pulos, and his ex-partner Gage Edwards. It is obvious that Lewis is a prickly dude, and he has a razor blade for a tongue, even for the people he considers friends. Like Bethenny Frankel, who is one of the only people as stunningly good at cutting people down with a verbal jab.

For Bravo fans, the stars aligned when Lewis and Frankel appeared on a December 2022 episode of “Watch What Happens Live.” Going in, we thought the drama would be between Andy Cohen and Frankel. The latter stared podcast where she digs into “RHONY,” and Cohen wasn’t thrilled that she was trying to further capitalize on the series that she’s often criticized. That whole thing turned out to be fine, but it led into a very awkward fight between Lewis and Frankel. At one point, the former “Flipping Out” star deadpanned, “Nobody’s ever done a recap show for ‘Housewives,'” and this set Frankel off. She noted that, unlike Lewis, she stepped away from her show voluntarily. The two went back and forth about their respective careers, Cohen fanned himself with his cards, and the folks at home watched in awe.

Tituss Burgess was not feeling Andy Cohen’s comments

Charles Sykes/Bravo

When Tituss Burgess was a guest on “Watch What Happens Live” in July 2019, things turned icy. After Burgess gushed about his experience working with Eddie Murphy on the movie “Dolemite Is My Name,” Andy Cohen wondered how they got along behind the scenes. “He was very problematic for the gays at one point when I was coming up,” the host continued.

Burgess, who was visibly put off by this, replied, “Oh, I see, he wasn’t problematic for Tituss, and we had a wonderful time. … Any troubles he may have had with gay people I guess are gone because he loved me,” Burgess replied before saying something to someone in the audience. When Cohen asked Burgess about it, the actor replied, “Keep going, girl. Do your show.”

Following the episode, Burgess called Cohen out in a very long and very shady Instagram comment. “He should remember his talk show isn’t an episode of the real housewives of Atlanta!” Burgess wrote. “Sunday was a display of ratchet behavior by a well connected man having blatant disregard for one of his guests.” Burgess went on to appear on Wendy Williams’ show and, of course, the “WWHL” drama came up (via People). “I will not tolerate the dismantling of anyone’s legacy,” the actor stated, “especially not my own.” In a 2020 interview with Hollywood Unlocked, Burgess said he was no longer at odds with Cohen but still wasn’t cool with the remark.

Cloris Leachman doled out two impromptu kisses

Bravo/YouTube

There have been a fair number of awkward kisses on “Watch What Happens Live” over the years, and we have not been able to peel our eyes away from the screen for any of them. Two of them even involve the same person: actor Shemar Moore. First, he made out with Sweet Brown, best known as the lady from the “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That” meme, in a September 2013 episode. “What is happening?” screamed guest Aisha Tyler, while Andy Cohen simply looked at the camera with his mouth wide open. Then, in December 2016, Moore very awkwardly started nibbling on former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks’ neck, while Cohen again looked on in shock.

But Moore’s oozing sexual charisma made those shocking moments slightly less shocking than, say, the time Cloris Leachman kissed two gay men on a September 2012 episode of the late-night show. The late actor and comedian was 86 years old at the time, but she had no problem showing off her smooching skills as well as her legendary sense of humor. It began when Leachman started inquiring about Lewis’s famously pouty lips and whether he was a good kisser. When someone in the audience shouted at Leachman to go in for a kiss, Lewis agreed to it, and they went in for a short snog. Leachman hilariously grabbed her breasts before asking Cohen if he was also a good kisser, then leaned in to smooch the host as well.

Dwight Eubanks set the NSFW record straight

Bravo/YouTube

Dwight Eubanks was always a hoot when he showed up as a friend of the cast on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” which he did relatively regularly during earlier seasons of the show. Eubanks has made 32 appearances over the years, most of them in the first three seasons. He appeared to be friendly with many of the women, but specifically with Phaedra Parks and NeNe Leakes. He also gave us one of the great lines of the franchise when he called Shereé Whitfield’s Season 1 runway a “fashion show with no fashions,” although we detect no lies in that shady statement. As memorable as Eubanks was on “RHOA,” it is his 2009 appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” that lives in our brains rent free.

Eubanks has gone on “WWHL” twice, but he showed Andy Cohen his genitals while live on the air on only one of those episodes. But let’s back up a minute, because there was a legitimate reason Eubanks’ private parts were even a topic of conversation that night. We all had questions after Kim Zolciak-Biermann told us about Eubanks getting a penile implant on the second half of the Season 2 reunion. Eubanks was present at the time, but we got less clarity than we wanted. However, when it was brought up on “WWHL,” Cohen expressed his doubts about the claim, Eubanks whipped out his appendage — thankfully, facing away from the camera — and the record was set straight.

Amber Rose asked Andy Cohen an intimate question

Bravo/YouTube

The Amber Rose “Watch What Happens Live” appearance is an interesting case, because if you had told us in advance that Rose was going to pepper Andy Cohen with personal sex questions, we would have guessed the host would be into it. After all, those are the kind of questions he often asks his guests when he plays games like “Pillow Talk” and “Speaking Out of Turn On” (and basically, whenever else he wants). Surprisingly, though, the moment was quite uncomfortable, perhaps because Cohen apparently just couldn’t click with Rose. “She didn’t want to answer any of my shady questions,” Cohen told E! News in 2018. “She turned to me, she goes, ‘Am I a horrible guest?’ I go, ‘You are in the running for one of the worst guests we’ve ever had.'”

For the audience, Rose’s refusal to give away her own information was way less awkward than watching her try to make Cohen squirm. During the October 2015 episode, Rose decided it would be a good idea to ask Cohen, “Are you and Anderson Cooper f***ing?” which caused Cohen to blush, cover his face, and answer in the negative. Cohen was smiling, so he did not seem mad, but it was still very awkward as he went on to explain the origins of their relationship, which began with a blind date that turned into a deep friendship. “We’ve never done a thing. We’ve never even kissed,” he explained.

Mariah Carey really doesn’t know Jennifer Lopez

Bravo

Mariah Carey’s demanding nature has always been on full display during her multiple visits to “Watch What Happens Live,” with the singer even making Andy Cohen switch seats to show off her preferred side. But hey, we all, collectively, seem to have accepted that diva behavior is just Mimi being Mimi, not something she is putting on for the cameras or an audience. And like all good divas, Carey knows how to throw some sick shade ¬— particularly when it pertains to other female singers. Most famously, Carey once responded to an interviewer’s question about Jennifer Lopez with a smug “I don’t know her,” which became immortalized thanks to its memefication.

That was in 2008, and plenty of people have asked Carey about the moment. Cohen got a somewhat coherent explanation when he asked Carey about it on one other episode of “WWHL,” but when he asked Carey in May 2016, the awkwardness was palpable. Cohen started off by declaring that J.Lo told him that Carey does, in fact, know her. “No! You know what? I’m very forgetful. Apparently, I’m forgetful. Because I don’t remember the fact that it was like, ‘Hi, I’m so and so’ and then we moved on,” Carey explained. “If I have never had a conversation about you and someone asks me, I would be like ‘I don’t know them but they seem cool’ or ‘I don’t know them.'” When Cohen asked if J.Lo seemed cool, the answer was “yes.”

Joe Jonas played shag, marry, kill with his exes

Bravo/YouTube

It is no secret that Andy Cohen loves to make his guests squirm with probing questions and in games that put them on the spot. “Plead the Fifth” and “Never Have I Ever” are great examples of this, but so is “Shag, Marry, Kill” at times. Cohen and his producers love to give a celebrity a selection of choices made up of their co-stars or others in their orbit, which can lead to hilarity and also awkwardness. For instance, Khloé Kardashian was once asked to play “Shag, Marry, Kill” with three of her sisters’ then-partners: Kanye West, Tyga, and Scott Disick. She did it, because we all know Khloé is the one Kardashian who is typically game for anything.

But we are going to one-up that with perhaps the most awkward “Shag, Marry, Kill” to ever be featured on “Watch What Happens Live,” which occurred when Joe Jonas was on in July 2016. Cohen pulled out the “Plead the Fifth” game, and all of the questions were (as typical) uncomfortable, including one where he asked Jonas “Which JoBro is the most well-endowed?” (For the record, he said himself.) But the real kicker came with the last question, which asked Jonas to play “Shag, Marry, Kill” with three of his exes: Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, and Gigi Hadid. He married Lovato, shagged Swift, and killed Hadid — which got picked up by just about every celebrity news outlet.

Kenya Moore and Michael Rapaport’s shady rapport

Bravo/YouTube

We love when our favorite Bravolebrities throw shade on “Watch What Happens Live,” and it is even more fun when a non-Bravo celebrity does it. But typically, the people on the show launch grenades at someone who is not sitting right beside them, and that distance is what makes it enjoyable. When it is two guests going at it live on air, it makes for good television, but it is also quite awkward — kind of like a car crash from which you cannot look away. That is exactly what happened when the team at “WWHL” paired together “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kenya Moore and “Real Housewives” superfan, actor Michael Rapaport. The duo had been feuding online, and so we highly doubt their pairing was an accident (though Cohen claimed it was on the show). In fact, in June 2019, “WWHL” co-executive producer John Jude basically confirmed that Cohen orchestrated it on purpose.

Things got heated right away on the April 2018 episode, when Cohen decided to acknowledge that Rapaport had been taking swipes at Moore on Twitter for years and even read some of their social media interactions. While seated next to Rapaport, Moore called him her “mortal enemy,” said “peasants can’t summon queens,” thanked him for being “a fan,” and referred to him as “a middle-aged, fat white guy,” which made Cohen erupt in laughter. Rapaport got in a couple of digs too, but he never stood a shot against one of Bravo’s queens of shade.

Andy Cohen giggled during Nate Berkus’ tragic story

Bravo/YouTube

We saved the most awkward “Watch What Happens Live” moment for last, and no, that is not us making the determination. We left it up to Bravo’s king Andy Cohen himself, who has listed this incident as his personal most uncomfortable moment to ever take place on the show. He made the declaration in an episode of “@sk Andy,” an online segment he did with his assistant, back in 2014 — so there’s a chance Cohen has changed his list by now, given the number of awkward “WWHL” moments that have happened. He did use the F-word live on air for the first time in early 2023, and he has done a segment (more than once) where he wears vibrating panties, so either of those could be on the list.

But as of 2014, the host had one instance that stuck out as his most mortifying. Back in November 2010, popular designer slash media personality Nate Berkus began discussing a personal tragedy on the late-night show. Cohen was caught not only tuning out, but actually giggling at something else. “The first time [Berkus] was on, he was talking about the tsunami that killed his boyfriend. Someone said something very humorous in my ear, and I started giggling,” Cohen noted in the “@ask Andy” segment. “I think he was looking at me like, ‘Are you laughing at my horrible…’ you know.” Berkus returned to “WWHL” in 2014, so he could not have been too offended.