17 Awkward Celeb Xmas Pictures
Celebrities celebrate the holidays, just like the rest of us. Sure, they may have a far bigger budget for gifts, and they may hire someone to decorate their home rather than trying to squeeze it into their busy schedule, but it's still something they make time for. After all, who doesn't love the holiday season?
And, if you thought celebrity holiday celebrations were always way more glamorous than yours, well - you definitely need to take a look at these pictures. See, celebrities have embarrassing and totally cringeworthy holiday photos, just like the rest of us. They make strange sartorial choices in the name of the festive season, wearing all kinds of crazy Christmas sweaters. They get asked to pose for holiday-themed photoshoots that, a decade or more later, looks dated and totally cheesy. They are not immune to the awful holiday photo. And, since celebrity photos tend to circulate more than the average person's photos, that means we all get a chance to see them in their full festive glory.
Here are 17 awful celebrity photos that will likely make you feel a little better this holiday season, when you're attending an ugly Christmas sweater party or being forced to pose for a cheesy group shot.
17 Justin Timberlake during his awkward phase, strangled by tinsel
It's easy to think that Justin Timberlake was always gorgeous. After all, he looks amazing now, and he was in a boy band, so they probably had a stylist that made sure they looked their best, right? Well, yes - except that he was in a boy band in the 90s, when the style was a whole lot different. This vintage shot is Timberlake at his cheesy 90s best - the crazy frosted curls, the shiny jacket, the expression that popped up in so many of his photo shoots. Why is there tinsel around his neck? Who is the present supposed to be for? Why is the tree pretty much his height, couldn't they have sprung for a larger size for the photo shoot? We have so many questions, and we kind of hope that Timberlake decides to recreate this cheesy shot at some point.
16 Beyonce redefining the meaning of slay… er, sleigh
Oh, man - we have to admit, if we had pictured a Beyonce-approved holiday look, it definitely would have involved some kind of form-fitting festive bodysuit and perhaps a sassy hat, paired with some thigh high boots. Definitely nothing like this. While she seems to be wearing a normal dress underneath, for this look, Bey has accessorized a patterned green sweater with literal tinsel and ornaments to make an insane holiday look worthy of winning any ugly Christmas sweater party you ever attended. Add the santa hat and the festive sunglasses and what you've got is a truly over the top look. On the one hand, we have to hand it to her - she's bold and totally fearless. On the other hand, we kind of expected her to slay - er, sleigh - in a totally different way.
15 Matt Damon in an absolute monstrosity
No one is free from the ugly Christmas sweater trend - not even Matt Damon. While he was making an appearance on television, he opted to wear this crazy sweater, which has him plastered in Santa Claus, complete with black fringe pom-pom details and two little Santas on either forearm. The fact that he put it on over what was his regular outfit to come on the show - some nice jeans, and a shirt and tie - just makes it even better. We hope that Damon retired this one to his closet and is ready to bust it out for any ugly Christmas sweater party he may be invited to in the future, because this is a true gem. Honestly - who would have ever thought we'd all get a chance to see Matt Damon in something this bizarre?
14 Niall Horan, Olly Murs, Demi Lovato and Sam Smith sharing one giant, very weird Christmas sweater
What's better than an ugly Christmas sweater that one person can wear? Well, an ugly Christmas sweater that four people can wear, obviously. And if those four people are celebrities, even better. We're not entirely sure what the reasoning behind this whole set-up is, but it's kind of hilarious. From Demi being far shorter than the guys and almost having to peer up out of the sweater, to the cheesy thumbs up that Niall and Sam are both giving the camera, it's just too much. All four of these celebs have posed in numerous photos where they're totally slaying, so the fact that they can look so unapologetically dorky is kind of endearing. The only question is, what on earth did they do with this sweater once the picture was taken?
13 Lady Gaga wearing a literal Christmas tree on her head
Everyone at this point knows that Lady Gaga is completely unafraid to wear, well, anything she wants. She's not even restricted by fabric - who could ever forget the infamous meat dress? Well, when she was feeling the festive spirit, she didn't just go for a green and red outfit. She didn't just dye her hair green and toss on a festive hair accessory or two to create a Christmas look. No - she purchased some kind of live branch, decorated it with tiny little Christmas ornaments, and found a way to attach it to her head. We don't even know how you come up with something like this, but it's definitely a look. Honestly - the green hair and red dress would almost be kind of chic, but this is just way over the top.
12 Miley Cyrus, trying to serve up her festive cheer with a dose of controversy
Lately, Miley Cyrus has turned over a bit of a new leaf, and is opting to distance herself from her slightly immature persona of the scandal-seeking pop starlet. However, this photo of her posing for a Christmas selfie definitely deserves a spot on any list of worst celeb Christmas photos. First of all, the expression is terrible. The necklace with the huge Christmas lights is just tacky. And then, the sweater - clearly designed to drum up a bit of controversy. Everyone celebrates the holidays in different ways, but everything about this selfie just screams 'pay attention to me,' and no one wants that kind of desperation during the holiday season. Honestly, what's wrong with a chic red lip and a killer party dress for a holiday selfie? That would have been far cuter.
11 Katy Perry looking a bit different than she normally does during performances
Back when she still had her long raven locks instead of her cute platinum pixie cut, Katy Perry did a festive performance dressed up in a sultry Santa costume. While we can bet the performance itself was fantastic and had plenty of sultry moments, this particular picture proves that even the most gorgeous of celebrities has the potential to look bad if the camera captures them at the wrong moment. Hey, sometimes when you're trying to bust out that high note and make sure your vocals are on point, your face just does weird things, right? The point is, this is definitely not Perry's cutest holiday look - although she should definitely think about doing a holiday calendar, because she would look absolutely amazing in all kinds of skimpy, seasonal attire.
10 T.J. Miller rocking a truly horrifying look
Oh, man. T.J. Miller is absolutely hilarious in just about any role he takes on, and we love that he marches to the beat of his own drum in terms of his personal style, but… this look is absolutely awful. From the crazed expression on his face to the weird facial hair to the outfit complete with Christmas blazer and gold chain, it's just a whole lot of look. We get the temptation to go a bit over the top when it comes to your festive attire - after all, what other time of year can you wear quite as much sparkle - but this is just too over the top. Although, who knows - perhaps when he wasn't pulling a weird face, this outfit worked? It's hard to tell - all we can do is stare at the strange expression on his face.
9 Victoria Beckham looking far less chic than she normally does - surrounded by Santa Spices
We would pay good money to see Victoria Beckham in some kind of festive photo shoot today, because she would probably slay. She'd rock thigh high boots or some kind of haute couture Santa look, and it would be utterly amazing. In this vintage Spice Girls shot, though? Not so much. The cute, young starlets are wearing some kind of baggy Santa clause pajamas and posing in a totally cheesy way. I mean, sure, it was the '90s, but come on ladies - you're better than this! We would have loved to see them looking absolutely incredible in an all-red ensemble, picked to flatter each of their different body types, but you can't exactly travel back in time, so instead we're stuck with this cheesy photo of all the Santa spices.
8 Spencer and Heidi being cringeworthy, and forcing Santa to participate in it
Okay, we definitely don't understand why any adult would opt to pose on Santa's lap - it just seems weird - but we especially don't understand why you'd get some kind of a weird smooching on Santa's lap shot. And why you'd force Santa to play along with it. Just leave the whole Santa's lap thing for the children who still believe in the jolly old man in red, and stick to Christmas shopping or having a mug of spiked hot cocoa. Get off Santa's lap. It's weird. Although thankfully they didn't bring him into it even worse by getting Heidi to kiss him instead of Spencer, so we suppose that's the bright side of things here. Still, though - we want to erase this photo from our memories forever. It's just so, so bad.
7 Kendall Jenner, Sofia Richie and the crew looking way less glam than usual
The Kardashian-Jenner family is all about the holiday season. They put up massive Christmas trees, pose for insanely elaborate family Christmas card shots, and basically just make a huge deal out of everything. However, Kendall isn't above a more casual photo shoot than the ones she typically does with her family. She's pictured here with some of her friends, including Sofia Richie, posing in the kitchen in what looks to be pajamas, and the entire thing is just a little bit weird. I mean, Kendall still looks pretty gorgeous, but that's because she's a model who would look gorgeous in literally anything. This is just a strange set-up and we can't help but think of all the stunning Kardashian-Jenner Christmas photos that make this look even more cringeworthy. It's the kind of shot you would have taken during your embarrassing tween years.
6 Nick and Jessica posing for a cheesy sleigh shot, back when they were together
They may be married to other people now, but back in the day, Nick and Jessica were one of pop's power couples. Plus, who could forget the reality television gold that was Newlyweds? Since they were both singers, they released a few festive tunes together over the years, and this is likely a shot posing for some publicity for one of those songs. However, it just proves how easy it is to go from cute Christmas spirit to over the top cheesy. Also, why on earth would she be wearing a massive fur hat paired with a light tank top? Is it cold? Is it hot? Is this one of the weirdest photos of the two of them? Yes to all of the above. This makes us want to avoid any Christmas music they did together, forever.
5 Colin Firth being made to participate in some kind of weird Christmas shoot to pay tribute to Mark Darcy
Everyone who is a Bridget Jones fan will immediately know what this photo shoot is referencing - the scene with Bridget meets her future love interest Mark Darcy, and he looks charming and handsome from afar, and then he turns around and she spots the horrifying Christmas sweater he's rocking. This sweater is far more chic than the one he wears in the film, and it's not what makes this photo horrifying - his pose is what ruins it. We're not sure what the look was that they were going for here, but he's just way too stiff and formal. It's festive - why not have a bit of fun with it? We kind of wish he was just plopped down beside the fireplace, sitting a little more casually and looking like he was actually enjoying himself.
4 Spencer and Heidi being that couple with the cringeworthy pet-filled card
I mean, on the one hand, we suppose we should just be thankful that Heidi and Spencer aren't doing some kind of horrific Christmas card where they're wearing Santa hats and little else. On the other hand, this is still an awful card. First of all, the fake joy on Heidi's face is weird. The Santa costume that Spencer is wearing looks strange - his entire face is surrounded by a halo of faux white hair. And then, the dog names. It's okay to love your pets, but including every single one of their names on your Christmas card and forcing them to wear teeny little antlers is just bizarre. Those poor, poor dogs - we don't even want to imagine how long they were stuck posing for the cameras before they got the perfect shot.
3 NSYNC posing for a cheesy holiday shoot with lights everywhere
Oh, if you thought Justin Timberlake was the only member of NSYNC who got tapped to do some kind of a cheesy Christmas shoot, you'd be wrong - they all had to participate in that kind of thing. We get the decision to dress all the boy band members in the same colour - it happens more often than you'd think, and makes them look a bit more cohesive as a group. However, we're not sure who thought it was a good idea to literally wrap them up in strings of Christmas lights. Also, we're not sure why they seem to be posing in such tremendously awkward ways, either in a weird palms up gesture or pressing their fingertips together in JC's case. It's just really, really bad. That era was a tough time for pop stars.
2 Alfonso Ribeiro giving us straight up nightmares with this scary Santa card
Okay, we almost feel bad for the nightmares that this photo will likely elicit, but it's too insane not to be shared. Most people know who Alfonso Ribeiro is - the actor who played Carlton in the iconic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. You know, the one that does the crazy dance! However, this photo is a whole different kind of crazy. This shot was obviously meant to be kind of tongue in cheek (at least, we hope), but that doesn't change the fact that this photo is straight up terrifying. All we can hear is a slow, chilling version of the classic song in our head - "he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake." Yikes! This is pretty much the cover of a Christmas horror flick.
1 Kelly Osbourne, who is about one foot away from plummeting and breaking her leg
This photo isn't horrifying because of how Kelly looks - she's rocking a cute glasses, bun and loungewear look that we totally identify with. It's horrifying because of how it looks as if she's about two seconds from plummeting to the floor. Listen, we get it - you're a celebrity, money is no option, and you want to have a big tree. You don't want to pay someone to decorate it for you because trimming the tree is a fun, festive holiday tradition. It might be a good idea to just scooch the ladder in a little bit, though, in order to prevent any holiday injuries. And Sharon, who is supervising the whole process, doesn't look all that worried - we're freaked out just looking at the picture! Perhaps it didn't seem as frightening in real life.
