11 Most Awkward Wardrobe Malfunctions That Happened on Live TV

We’re all familiar with the term “wardrobe malfunction”, the most famous one being the Super Bowl halftime show with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. We’re not sure exactly if that’s when the term was coined or if it existed before, but it’s funny how that term sounds so neutral and technical, borderline innocent, yet we all know that what follows is pretty embarrassing.

What’s more shocking is the sheer number of these encounters on live television. It’s hard to fathom how it keeps happening in this day and age. You’d expect people who regularly show up on TV to know about the dangers of sitting in a mini skirt, the power of studio lights when it comes to sheer garments and the absolute insanity of attempting to do physical bits like running in heels or exercising in a dress. You’d also expect camera operators to know what camera angles to use so that nobody gets sued for indecency. Yet here we are.

The only thing left to do is look through the hall of fame of wardrobe malfunctions and rate them based on how they were handled.

Jessica Simpson’s Dress Slip

Jessica had quite a stressful comeback performance on the Today show. She was having technical problems with stage monitors and couldn’t hear very well, and then her dress decided to add to her troubles by slipping down on one side. Thankfully, she didn’t panic and handled it like a pro saying yeah I had some malfunctions but it’s fine.

Eva Longoria betrayed by Tuxedo Jacket

Wearing a low cut jacket with nothing underneath is kind of a risky move, but Eva risked it on David Letterman in 2011. It was all going great, they were talking about cilantro, and then mid-conversation her jacket button betrayed her. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad, she didn’t exactly flash the audience, and Letterman did’t notice until she started trying to fix it mid-conversation.

Bethenny Frankel accidentally turned a push-up into a plot twist

Bethenny Frankel was telling Anderson Cooper on his talk show that she can dance while doing pushups. And of course, as all talk shows go, Anderson decided to challenge her and see if they can do it live on air. You can see it for yourself and make your own conclusions on whether one should attempt pushups in heels and a dress. But the funniest part for us is that after a short embarrassed pause Bethenny joked, “How did it look?”.

Mariah Carey: “I love you, Donatella, but it popped”

Miraya Carey had a problem with her dress in 2013 on Good Morning America and she talked the whole way through it. It was a masterclass on how to handle a stressful situation on live TV. We don’t think we’ve ever seen someone be so chill and composed about it. Mariah even joked: “I love you, Donatella, but it popped”.