Celebs With The Most Annoying Laughs
Laughter is infectious, but an annoying laugh can be ... well, it can be annoying! Unfortunately, some people's expressions of pure joy can be grating to the ears of anyone around them. Celebrities are elevated in our society, but at the end of the day, they're people just like us, and many have incredibly irritating laughs.
Deciding whether a celebrity's laughter is annoying or delightful is a matter of personal taste. What might be music to one person's ears could be like nails on a chalkboard to another. Laughter, after all, is a deeply personal expression. However, there are instances where a consensus forms, especially in the realm of celebrities, where fans quickly share and discuss any perceived annoyance.
It's not uncommon to witness odd laughter during interviews and press events. Some celebrities are likely well aware their laughter can rub people the wrong way. Others were caught chuckling in public, and their laughter became a subject of discussion with many finding it annoying. While annoyance is subjective, it's clear that the laughter of these celebrities has sparked enough complaints to be considered a common sentiment.
Seth Rogen's laugh is iconic ... and annoying
Seth Rogen is one of the most influential comics of his generation, and he's been making everyone (himself included) laugh out loud for years. Rogen's distinctive laugh didn't hold him back, and it's likely it did the opposite as it made him memorable and, at the very least, noticeable. If you've heard his laugh before, you know it's two things: It's way louder than it needs to be, and it's reminiscent of Beavis and Butthead.
Rogen's laughter honestly sounds like someone giggling in a halting manner that could only be written as "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" A low grumbling noise accompanies his laugh, and while it's annoying it remains somewhat endearing, as it's the type of laughter you might associate with a child.
Rogen is well aware of how others take in his laughter, telling Metacafe, "I went to a taping of a friend's sitcom once, and they had to edit my laughter out of it" (via HuffPost). Rogen's laugh isn't just grating — it's iconic. He laughs more frequently than most people, whether at one of his own jokes or someone else's.
Kendra Wilkinson's laugh sounds forced and weird
Kendra Wilkinson got her start on television as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends on "The Girls Next Door" and went on to lead multiple reality TV series. She went on to become a real estate agent and returned to television in the 2020s on the series "Kicking & Screaming." Wilkinson is an example of a celebrity who became famous not because of her laugh but in spite of it, as it's far too loud and annoying — bordering on obnoxious.
Wilkinson's laugh sounds almost fake, but you can tell there's a genuine aspect to it that suggests it's way too real to be contrived. Wilkinson laughs loudly with multiple "HA HA HAs" thrown into the mix. The best word to describe it would be a chuckle, which borders on an unwelcome snort that never comes.
Despite its nature, Wilkonson's smile and charm keep the audience from plugging its ears. Wilkinson knows all too well what the media thinks of her laugh and told Entertainment Weekly, "TV likes to pump my laugh up a lot. I never noticed it. I know people might get annoyed with my laugh, but I don't care. It's not going to stop me from laughing."
Wiz Khalifa's laugh is awkward and annoying
Wiz Khalifa isn't as known for his laughter as he is for his skills as a hip-hop artist, which is a good thing. While he's had little difficulty dominating the industry, he's done so with one of the most annoying laughs attributed to a singer in a long time. Khalifa laughs often, which is great for him but less so for anyone unfortunate enough to be in earshot because his laugh is objectively annoying.
Khalifa's laugh is genuine, but he mixes every aspect of laughter into it, making it distinctive. He'll chuckle, snort, giggle, and blurt out a vociferous "HA" should he lose himself in his laugh. This happens often, and there are plenty of compilations of Khalifa's unusual laughter all over the Internet.
Khalifa knows his laugh is unusual and admitted as much in a video he posted to TikTok. "I have a strange laugh," he said. "I laugh like that a lot on my songs too. 'Cuz I be havin' such a good time when I'm recording; I just bust out laughing." Khalifa often posts videos of himself laughing at his son's shenanigans, which is as sweet as it is annoying.
Phyllis Diller's iconic laugh is unusually annoying
While she's not as well known these days as she was throughout the 20th century, Phyllis Diller was one of her generation's best comics. Diller's self-deprecating humor meant she knew how to make fun of herself, and she did it with style. Diller's stage presence was something to behold, and while she had no problem making her audience laugh uproariously, she wasn't immune to her own brand of humor.
While on stage, it wasn't uncommon for Diller to bust out laughing, and she did so with as much vigor as an Olympic athlete but without any of the style. Diller's laugh took over her whole body, and she'd stop what she was doing, open her mouth as wide as was humanly possible, and unleash an incredibly annoying cackle that consisted of repeating "Ha" noises as loudly and for as long as possible.
Diller was not disillusioned by the nature of her laugh, which was often heard whenever she was out and about. She spoke about her laugh, noting how distinctive it was. "Well, that's my real laugh; I can't help that," she said. "It's not ladylike; it's a terrible thing."
Eddie Murphy's laugh is as odd as it is unforgettable
Legendary comedian Eddie Murphy began making other people laugh from a very early age, and he used his time on "Saturday Night Live" to springboard his movie career. While Murphy is a gifted actor, he's among the funniest comedians of the 20th and 21st centuries. While he's no longer making the stand-up rounds, he remains a funny comic who uses his skills to entertain audiences around the world.
Murphy has an unusual laugh, to say the least. When he laughs, he tends to lose himself in it and unleashes a laugh which has several stages. He can laugh like a relatively normal person, emitting a few "He he he" sounds, but this often transitions into a louder, unrestrained version of the same. When he's truly giggling, his laugh becomes the more distinctive one he's known for.
Murphy's laughter consists of a slightly higher-pitched "He he he he" sound that matches his voice. It's unique and challenging to mimic. What's unusual about Murphy's laugh is that it may be an act — he's laughed like everyone else in interviews and bloopers while maintaining the laugh everyone knows him for in his act.
Fran Drescher's laugh sounds annoyingly fake
Fran Drescher started acting in the late 1970s, eventually landing a starring role in 1993 with the television series "The Nanny". The show also introduced many viewers to her distinctive New York accent, accentuated by her particularly unique vocal timbre while speaking. Some may call her voice annoying in and of itself, but her laughter truly sets Drescher apart from the vast majority of the human race.
Drescher's laugh magnifies the aspects of her voice that annoy people. She opens her mouth into an O-shape and blurts out a halting series of "ha" sounds that don't change much in pitch. It's an odd-sounding monotone of a laugh that landed the actor in trouble more than a few times throughout her life.
"You know, I was such a good girl, I was always such a good girl, but often I would get into trouble for laughing in the classroom," she said during an appearance on "The Talk." "Little did I know that years later, I would become famous for my laugh!" She also tried describing the sound she emits to The New York Times. "I've heard it's like a foghorn, a cackle," she said.
Jay-Z has a strange, almost mechanical laugh
Jay-Z is a perfect example of a celebrity who is at the top of their game. He started out as a rapper, but over time, Jay-Z morphed into one of the most successful hip-hop producers of all time, and he's helped many other talented artists break into the industry. Billboard named him the greatest rapper of all time in 2023, so there's no doubt Jay-Z knows what he's doing.
That said, there's a problem with Jay-Z, and it begins and ends with his unusual laugh. The words most associated with Jay-Z's laugh online are "donkey laugh," and it's easy to hear why. He laughs with a sort of "hee-haw" sound mixed among numerous "he he" reverberations and other noises into what amounts to ... well, it's a donkey laugh.
While his laugh is arguably annoying, Jay-Z doesn't hold back in his laughter. It appears to take his whole body into account as he bursts out laughing in interviews and on stage. His laugh is genuine, and while many find it annoying, it's equally beloved online. Many call his laugh one of the greatest of all time, so like anything, it's a matter of perspective.
Natalie Portman's laugh is almost childlike
Natalie Portman is an incredibly accomplished person. She broke into acting as a child and did not fall into the typical trappings of most child stars. On top of that, she's a Harvard alumnus, speaks multiple languages, and has an Academy Award to her name. Despite all of her accomplishments, one aspect of Portman doesn't align with the image she's cultivated over the years.
The above video shows what happens when Portman laughs, and it's incredibly geeky. After telling a joke at the Golden Globes in 2011 about her choreographer turned costar turned fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, she lost all composure and laughed uproariously at her own joke for several seconds before regaining herself.
College Humor took the clip and ran with it, editing it into a loop coupled with insincere reactions from the audience. It's one of those videos that went viral quickly and, more than a decade later, is easily found online, ensuring Portman's childlike laughter will never disappear. Portman's laugh is uproarious, though there's a giggle mixed in alongside a chuckle or two, and while it's distinctive, it's fortunately not what she's best known for.
Ye laughs for an annoying brief period
Ye, formerly Kayne West, is one of the most accomplished rappers of all time, having sold over 160 million records throughout his career. He's also nabbed two dozen Grammy Awards and many other accolades, so Ye has a lot to celebrate. Unfortunately for anyone in earshot, his laughter is annoyingly brief, which comes off as intimidating and a bit disturbing. Compilations of his laughter show him laughing with huge smiles, only to quickly cut them short into a grim frown.
That kind of laughter appears fake, seeing as he can turn it on and off very quickly. Most people don't laugh like that, and there are numerous clips of Ye laughing more genuinely, where he smiles and chuckles in a relatively normal manner. This particular laugh isn't annoying, as it's seemingly genuine and, in a word, normal.
Unfortunately, Ye tends to laugh and appear angry in most instances, and that's the laugh people remember. While appearing on "Kris," he laughed with a huge smile before donning a furious face, and he often returns his setting from smiling to scowling when he notices himself laughing in public. He does this because, according to Ye, "It just wouldn't look as cool."
Nicki Minaj adds a noticeable HA at the tail end of her laugh
Nicki Minaj stormed onto the hip-hop scene in 2004 and quickly became the "Queen of Rap." Minaj's indomitable stage presence, coupled with her inimitable talent, makes her one of the most successful artists of her generation. While fans celebrate her singing voice, few listen to her laughter with anything but contempt — it's that annoying.
When Minaj laughs, it's an event that begins normally but ends with a noticeably loud "HA" at the tail end. When she has a string of laughter, which is arguably adorable at the beginning, it's upended by continuous bursts of sound that defy description. Despite the inane sound of her sometimes screeching laughter, Minaj laughs often during interviews or in public.
Minaj has a habit of covering her face when she laughs, which tends to make her laugh go on longer than seems natural. One Facebook user described Minaj as "A living embodiment of 'when your laugh is funnier than the joke,'" and that's as succinct a description of her laughter as any. Like other hip-hop artists, it's not uncommon for Minaj to include her laughter in her songs, though it's often magnified beyond reason.
Tom Cruise's laugh is almost maniacal
Tom Cruise is one of those actors who doesn't hold back on expressing his feelings. While this sometimes manifests in rare, unhinged outbursts, it more often results in laughter. Cruise laughs with his whole face in a way that some have described as maniacal — he laughs uproariously with as big a smile as possible, but something about his laugh borders on creepy.
Cruise's laughter begins with a smile that opens his mouth to the extreme, and what follows is essentially a normal-sounding run of "he he" and "ha ha." On the surface, it seems normal and perfectly charming — after all, Cruise is a captivating guy. Unfortunately, his history of conflict related to his religious views alters what should be a charming chuckle and transforms it into a laugh more befitting a supervillain.
Initially, Cruise's laughter was one of his best features, and his good looks and impeccable talent made him a star. After hopping madly up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch, things changed, and Cruise's laughter became viewed as maniacal and creepy. His laughter became the impetus behind the Tom Cruise Purple, a strain of marijuana in California featuring Cruise laughing like a crazy person on the label.
Gilbert Gottfried's laugh is pretty much what you'd expect
It would be insincere to describe Gilbert Gottfried's voice as anything but distinctly annoying. Gottfried knew this well, and he developed a career using his unique vocal talents, which landed him gigs like voicing numerous iconic characters, including Iago in the "Aladdin" franchise and belching out "AFLAC" in commercials. Gottfried was a gifted comic despite his voice, and as you can guess, his laugh was just as grating.
Gottfried was one of those people you could describe as larger than life, and his laugh fits this description. When Gottfried laughed, he put all of his energy into it, resulting in a loud and extended series of "Ha ha ha" blurted out for a period before they inevitably died down.
Gottfried's laugh came in many forms, and in some instances, he'd break into a silent laugh, slamming his eyes shut as he tried to hold it in. This inevitably failed, and he burst out in his normal chuckle. After Gottfried died in 2022, folks online posted compilations of his laughter, and many remain popular to this day.
Jimmy Carr knows his laugh is messed up
British comedy is known for its deadpan nature, and a few comics across the pond have mastered this, as well as those from the British Isles. Jimmy Carr made a career out of his deadpan delivery of one-liners, many of which are controversial, which only makes them funnier. He spends much of his time doing hosting duties, but he's also a talented stand-up comic with a dozen specials to his name.
Carr's deadpan delivery is matched by his laugh, which sounds like a laugh someone might poorly program into an android. Imagine C-3PO laughing, and you're only halfway there. Carr isn't unaware of the nature of his laugh and even incorporates it into his act. His unusual chuckle defies explanation, but Carr gave it a shot in his special, "Laughing & Joking:"
"My laugh isn't weird, it's wrong. Cos' you're meant to laugh on an out-breath, aren't you? You're meant to laugh on a "Ha-ha!" "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" I laugh on an in-breath, so it's, "Ah-ah! Ah-ah!" Sounds like a goose being interfered with! Someone asked me the other day, "Is it fake?" Why would you fake that?! "Ah-ah! Ah-ah!"
Maria Menounos' laugh effortlessly annoys moviegoers
Maria Menounos is a television presenter who got her start working for "Channel One News" and "Entertainment Tonight." She's done some acting, including appearing in "Fantastic Four," but spends most of her time working as a correspondent. She also hosts "Noovie," a pre-movie show for National Cinemedia, so you've probably seen her when you visit the theater, and if so, you've heard her laugh.
She ends her Noovie clips with a short chuckle, which is as annoying as it is endearing. Menounos once interviewed Justin Bieber, and her laughter elicited an amusing reaction from the singer. While Bieber's laugh is also a bit annoying, he felt Menounos' was great, telling her, "I like that laugh" before imitating it rather precisely.
Menounos' laugh is distinctive and annoying, as she repeats a sort of "he he" sound while maintaining a huge smile. Conan O'Brien had a fantastic reaction to Menounos' laugh while interviewing her. He hears it, is taken aback, and essentially does a double-take as he and the rest of the world wonder how someone who looks like Menounos can put the Joker's laugh to shame.