What It Took To Make These Celebrities Cry

We often think of celebrities having it all, so it's sometimes hard to believe that these big-named stars are just like us. It's hard enough to see someone crying, but it feels strange to see celebs expressing their emotions, especially in public. Why do we think that celebrities can't feel? Maybe it's because fans are unable to see their flaws, but in reality, these A-list celebs are no different and have shown their vulnerable side by turning on the waterworks. 

A wide range of emotions bring tears to people's eyes, and celebrities are no different. Stars have experienced the same things non-celebs have, whether love or loss, celebrating a triumphant moment, or overcoming a huge obstacle. These happy and sad moments can make anyone break down and cry, and it is gratifying to see that a Hollywood star is just like us. These stars below shared their joyous and even despairing moments with their fans and didn't care if there was a camera in their face as they wiped away tears. 

When rapper Pharrell Williams released his song "Happy" in 2013, it took the world by storm. It was written for the animated film "Despicable Me 2" and was a hit in the United States, becoming the best-selling song in 2014, per Yahoo! Entertainment. "Happy" became the most downloaded song of all time in Britain and topped music charts in over 30 nations, per The Guardian. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 2014 Oscars. 

The song touched people from across the world thanks to its uplifting lyrics and positive message. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Williams discussed the success of his song and was moved to tears when Winfrey shared a touching video of people from different nations dancing to it. "Why am I crying on Oprah?," the rapper stated, adding, "It's overwhelming because it's like, I love what I do, and I just appreciate the fact that people have believed in me for so long that I could make it to this point to feel that."

Reacting to the positivity Williams' song has brought to people across the globe, he told the Los Angeles Times, "This is probably the most I've ever been humbled in my entire life. Because it's something bigger than me, bigger than anything I've ever done."

In 2017, Selena Gomez shared with her millions of Instagram followers that she had undergone a kidney transplant over the summer due to complications from lupus. In a touching post, Gomez revealed that her best friend donated one of her kidneys to her, stating, "There aren't words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis."

The two sat down together in an interview for "Today," where Gomez admitted that Raisa saved her life. Wiping away tears, the singer shared, "My kidneys were just done. That was it. I didn't want to ask a single person in my life. The thought of asking somebody to do that was really difficult for me. She volunteered and did it, and let alone somebody wanting to volunteer, it is incredibly difficult to find a match. The fact that she was a match, I mean that is unbelievable."

Gomez revealed to Billboard that she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2014 and had shared with Elle that it also affected her mental and physical health. "My lupus, my kidney transplant, chemotherapy, having a mental illness, going through very public heartbreaks — these were all things that honestly should have taken me down." 

Chris Brown performed at the 2010 BET Awards to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, but one particular song had the R&B's singer's emotions getting the best of him, and he struggled to sing, even dropping to his knees and crying while on stage. 

According to Rolling Stone, Brown sang a medley of Jackson's songs and wowed the audience as he replicated some of the late singer's best dance moves, but when the hit song "Man in the Mirror" began, Brown choked up. The song's message about seeing change and understanding that change must first come from within appeared to pull at Brown's heartstrings. 

It was one of Brown's first performances since his assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, and his career took a major hit after the incident. So, was Brown reflecting on his past mistakes and looking at himself in the mirror, or was it just a lot of crocodile tears? Brown appeared on BET's "106 & Park" and revealed why he broke down. He shared (via Billboard), "A lot of people don't know, I was going to see Michael Jackson the day he died." The King of Pop had died on June 25th, 2009 of a cardiac arrest. Brown then added, "When I heard 'Man in the Mirror' it just touched me. It wasn't fake. I know people were trying to put extras on it, but everything was genuine. That was my ultimate apology, hands down."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

For her 40th birthday, Kanye West didn't gift his then-wife Kim Kardashian millions of dollars worth of jewels or more stock in Amazon and Disney. Instead, he gave the reality star a hologram of her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian, that left her in tears. 

Kardashian tweeted a recording of the hologram of her father, who died in 2003. The video shows Robert speaking to his daughter and telling her things like, "Happy birthday Kimberly. Look at you, you're 40 and all grown up. You look beautiful, just like when you were a little girl. I watch over you and your sisters and brothers and the kids every day ... The most beautiful thing that I have witnessed is watching you grow your family ... you are the most, most, most, most amazing mother to your four beautiful children, they are perfect." He is also heard telling Kardashian that she "married the most, most, most, most, most genius man in the whole world." In a video posted by ET Canada, Kardashian could be heard crying over the phone and thanking West for the gift while other people also viewing the hologram, including her mom Kris Jenner, appeared to also be shedding tears.

Despite this very memorable gift, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West called it quits on their seven-year marriage in February 2021, and at the end of the year, the reality star filed paperwork to become officially single.

Lady Gaga knows that fame comes with a price. The songstress was seen crying during an interview with CBS in 2016 when discussing her more intimate album "Joanne" and how she was able to showcase her freedom in her new music, which is something she doesn't have much of in the real world.

"As soon as I go out into the world, I belong, in a way, to everyone else. It's legal to follow me. It's legal to stalk me at the beach. I can't call the police or ask them to leave," Gaga shared, pointing to her chest and adding, "If I can't be free out there, I can be free in here." The singer also spoke about the little things people who aren't in Hollywood might take for granted. Wiping away tears, she stated, "I miss people. I miss, you know, going anywhere and meeting a random person and saying, 'Hi,' and having a conversation about life.'"

That same year, Lady Gaga opened up to Variety and described fame as "isolating." She also added that while she sought out a career in music, she didn't do it looking for the fame, stating, "It's almost impossible for people even to probably look at my career and the things I've done and think, 'Oh, she didn't want [that] — of course, she wanted to be famous, of course, she wanted all that attention.' It's just, creative expression is what I am and I would've been doing this whether I became famous or not.'"

Celine Dion went right back to work after the death of her husband Rene Angelil in 2016, but it wasn't easy. At the time, the iconic singer was performing her concert residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas but had canceled performances in January when her husband died from cancer that month. However, the very next month, Dion took the stage and it was a heartfelt moment when the songstress broke down in tears while singing the song, "All By Myself," per TMZ. 

It was the first concert for Dion since losing her husband and it was quite emotional. While singing her hit, Dion broke down in tears in front of her fans who helped her to continue singing as they cheered her on and stood from their seats. After her performance, Dion was seen holding her hands to her face as she continued to cry, however, her fans showed her immense love and support. 

In 2021, Dion opened up on the "Today" show about finding love again. She shared, "I don't know. I have no idea. But right this second, love is so big right now in my life, with my kids, with life itself. I'm not thinking about a relationship and falling in love again. I don't. Do I have to say that it will never happen anymore? I don't know. I don't know." On Instagram, the songstress paid tribute to her late husband to mark the five years since his death by sharing a photo of the two holding one another's hands. 

Tragedy struck Manchester, England, when a suicide bomber detonated a homemade bomb at the Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert that killed 22 people and injured hundreds, per the BBC. According to TMZ, after learning about the attack, Grande was said to be "in hysterics," but a month later, the songstress and other influential artists came together for a benefit concert to help the victims and families of the deadly attack.

According to HuffPost, the One Love Manchester benefit concert featured performances by the Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Little Mix, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, and Ariana Grande, who created the event. Rolling Stone shared that Grande, who performed alongside Cyrus and the Black Eyed Peas, shared a touching speech during the night. She declared, "I want to thank you so much for coming together and being so loving and strong and unified. I love you guys so much, and I think that all the love and unity you're displaying is the medicine the world needs right now."

At the end of the concert, Grande took the stage and sang her hit "One Last Time," where she broke down in tears and needed the help of the crowd to sing her hit song. All the performers of the night also stood behind Grande as they held hands and sang along with the songstress. 

Actor Drew Barrymore admitted that she wouldn't ever consider marriage again after going through three failed marriages. The "Charlie's Angels" star's most recent divorce was to Will Kopelman in 2016, with whom she shares two children.

Barrymore sat down with "Queer Eye's" Bobby Berk for her talk show "The Drew Barrymore Show" and got emotional when opening up about dating again as a single mom of two. "I don't know how to date with kids," the actor said, adding, "I'm not there yet. I have two young girls, and I don't want to bring people home. I think that it would take me a very long time to meet someone and get to know them before I could ever even introduce them to my daughters." 

The actor later sat down with CBS Mornings, where she spoke more on the subject. She shared, "My kids' dad is happily remarried with the most wonderful woman in the world, Ali ... There side of the street is so functional and whole and happening, and I think I've been on the sidelines in a beautiful, honoring purgatory." Barrymore admitted that she had been on "occasional dates" since her split, but shared that she wasn't interested in marrying anyone or having any more kids. "I could maybe live with someone again, maybe, but I've had kids and there's no way I will ever, ever, ever be married again," Barrymore revealed. The actor was previously married to Jeremy Thomas from 1994 to 1995 and Tom Green from 2001 to 2002, per Vanity Fair. 

Noah Cyrus has set herself apart from her mega-famous sister Miley Cyrus, however, she hasn't always felt that way. The singer has become a star in her own right, releasing two EP's titled "Good Cry" in 2018 and 2020's "The End of Everything," but has been extremely open about living in her sister's shadow.

The songstress took to Instagram Stories to talk about "The End of Everything," but became emotional when discussing the lyrics to her song, "Young & Sad." She shared (via ET), "Being born in the family I was in, everybody gave me such a hard time for having a hard time being Miley's little sister. I always felt like I was that person that no one gave a s*** about due to what people said to me online. It was absolutely unbearable and that's why I write, 'My sister's like sunshine/Always bringing good light wherever she will go/And I was born to rain clouds ... Blessed in her shadows.'"

The songstress had previously talked about the difficulties of being called "Hannah Montana's sister" and other names other than Noah. She told tmrw magazine, "Somebody not even coming up to you and calling you by your name? That's going to really f*** you up as a kid, make  you feel like you don't f****** even matter to the population – for them to not even know your name."

Bella Hadid wanted to let her millions of Instagram followers know that life in the public eye isn't always as it seems. The highly successful model shared several crying selfies in November 2021 telling her fans that social media platforms like Instagram are "not real" and that she has had her fair share of struggles with body image. 

After sharing a clip of an interview by Willow Smith who spoke out about how normal it is to feel flawed, Hadid shared her thoughts, captioning her Instagram carousel of photos, "Social media is not real. For anyone struggling, please remember that. Sometimes all you've gotta hear is that you're not alone ... But I want you to know, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and the roller coaster always comes to a complete stop at some point."

Hadid had previously opened up to her fans on Instagram about spending time away from the app for her mental health. She wrote while sharing photos of self-help books and crystals, "I took some time away to reflect and learn about myself in a way that would be too much to explain at the moment, but with time I will express. The memories and fortune I came back with are pure wisdom, a closer relationship with myself & my spirituality, a sense of self-love that I have always lacked, a few great friends and these books that saw me through."

Brad Pitt is one tough guy. The actor spoke with Interview magazine in 2019, alongside actor Anthony Hopkins and admitted that he hadn't shed a tear in 20 years. However, he did admit that certain movies will make his eyes water. Any guesses on what those films could be? 

Pitt shared, "I am quite famously a not-crier. Is that a term? I hadn't cried in, like, 20 years, and now I find myself, at this latter stage, much more moved – moved by my kids, moved by friends, moved by the news. Just moved. I think it's a good sign. I don't know where it's going, but I think it's a good sign." 

In 2021, Pitt did reveal to W magazine that scenes in the animated film "How to Train Your Dragon" have turned on the waterworks. He also shared a story of how he was stuck in a hotel and watched the 2001 drama "Life as a House" which stars Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen and how it made him weep. "I don't know if it would still hit me the same way, but, you know, on my 27th hour of just pure wretchedness, this movie crushed me. It just crushed me what he was saying to his son. In fact, I should see it again and see if it has the same effect," Pitt said. 

In 2012, Kristen Bell got the surprise of a lifetime for her 31st birthday when her then-fiance and now-husband Dax Shepard brought over her favorite animal for the day. "The Good Place" actor was greeted by a sloth and a video captured by Shepard showed just how happy Bell became to the point where her excitement became uncontrollable sobs.

In the video, Bell is seen bursting into tears and almost having a meltdown after finding out she would be face-to-face with a sloth. She appeared on "The Ellen Show" to talk about that moment, sharing, "The day of my birthday, we're sitting in the living room and I hear a knock on the door. He [Shepard] says, 'Your present is here' ... I had no context of knowing what it was, but I grabbed the dogs and walk into the back room of the house and I immediately was overcome and thought, 'There's a sloth near.'"

Bell then talked about her infamous crying moment, stating, "I didn't know how to process that ... my entire life had been waiting for this moment ... I start to have a full-fledged panic attack. I don't know how to compete with all this emotion, so I crawl on the bed and I'm crying so hard." Bell's video went viral and Shepard appeared on "Ellen" two years later and shared, "Luckily I have seen that level of crying six or seven times so I didn't think I needed to call help or anything."

During the 2002 Oscars, actor Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress when she was nominated for her role in the film "Monster Ball." It was a historic and emotional moment for Berry who accepted her award and shared in her speech, "Oh my God. This moment is so much bigger than me ... It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened."

Although Berry broke barriers that night, as of this writing, she is the only Black woman to have won an Academy Award for Best Actress. Years after her win, Berry looked back at that extraordinary moment and revealed to Variety that her win was "one of my biggest heartbreaks." She elaborated, "I wanted to believe it was so much bigger than me. It felt so much bigger than me, mainly because I knew others should have been there before me and they weren't." Berry admitted that after her win, she found it even more difficult to land jobs calling it the "Oscar curse." 

During an interview with Teen Vogue's editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth, Berry shared that her Oscar win was meaningless since it didn't create change for people of color. "That moment really meant nothing. It meant nothing. I thought it meant something, but I think it meant nothing," she said.

On June 7th, 2014, "30 Rock" actor Tracy Morgan was involved in a tragic car crash when a Walmart truck struck his vehicle on the New Jersey Turnpike, killing his friend and comedian James McNair and leaving Morgan badly injured. Morgan suffered brain damage and had thoughts of suicide during his recovery, but things were looking up for the actor when he gave his first interview on the "Today" show since the accident. 

Morgan shared with tears in his eyes, "I can't believe I'm here ... seeing the tragedy that happened, it touches me." The comedian, who was using a cane, spoke about his injuries, stating, "You can see the scars on my head. There are times when I have my good days and my bad days where I forget things. There are times when I have headaches and nosebleeds." Morgan also gave fans hope about returning to the stage when he said, "I love comedy, I'll never stop loving her ... But right now my goal now is just to heal."

In 2021, Morgan returned to the "Today" show to share how he felt when he returned to the hospital and met with the doctors and nurses who saved his life. The comedian said he "dropped to [his] knees and started crying" when seeing the bed he was in after the accident. He later added, "I don't know about tomorrow ... but I know today I'm sitting here talking to you. I feel great. I feel blessed."

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.