Is this thing on? Through the years, many pop stars, including Mariah Carey, Ashlee Simpson and Britney Spears, have made headlines after getting caught red-handed lip-synching on stage. Relieve the most cringeworthy flubbed performances in the video above!
Mariah Carey
The self-proclaimed Elusive Chanteuse ended 2016 on a low note. While performing a medley of her hits on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest in December, Carey suffered a series of technical difficulties as a result of a faulty earpiece. She was caught lip-synching when she pulled the microphone away from her face as the vocal track continued to play. “This is the album version,” she admitted before walking off stage. The five-time Grammy winner’s team later claimed Dick Clark Productions sabotaged the performance for ratings, but the entertainment company called the allegations “defamatory, outrageous and frankly absurd.”
Ashlee Simpson
Jessica Simpson‘s little sister was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in October 2004. She was scheduled to perform “Pieces of Me” and “Autobiography,” but the vocals from the first song erroneously played for both performances, revealing that she had lip-synced. Visibly embarrassed, Ashlee did a hoedown as she exited the stage. The appearance received a great deal of negative media attention. “I feel so bad,” Ashlee told viewers at the end of SNL. “My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn’t know what to do, so I thought I’d do a hoedown.”
Britney Spears
Six years after wowing viewers with an iconic, snake-equipped performance of “I’m a Slave 4 U,” the Princess of Pop returned to the MTV VMAs stage in September 2007 to debut her single “Gimme More” — but she made jaws drop for an entirely different reason. Coming off a much-publicized breakdown, Spears, clad in a sequined black bra and panties, stumbled around the stage with a less-than-stellar routine and failed to successfully mime the tune. A year later, the entertainer made a triumphant return to the VMAs, winning three awards, including Video of the Year, for “Piece of Me.”
To relive more lip-synch fails, including Beyoncé and Lindsay Lohan, watch the video above!
