From Gordon Ramsay to Ben Affleck: Recent celebrity videos which make uncomfortable viewing post-MeToo

Gordon Ramsay has recently come under fire for his sexist behaviour towards Sofia Vergara during a 2010 interview

The rise of the #MeToo movement, which has enabled countless people – most of them women- to open up about their experiences of sexual harassment and assault, has seen us revisit behaviour that was previously allowed to go unquestioned.

As a result, numerous historical interviews in which celebrities act in a dubious manner have resurfaced online following years spent in the archives.

While these videos appear extremely uncomfortable for the women in them, who are at the receiving end of the comments and actions, they have also provided an eye-opening insight into the sexist attitudes that have permeated the entertainment industry for decades.

Footage from a 2010 interview on the Tonight Show that shows Gordon Ramsay acting in an inappropriate manner towards Modern Family actor Sofia Vergara recently went viral on social media.

In the clip, Ramsay makes several sexual innuendos in reference to Vergara much to the audience’s shock, and she becomes increasingly frustrated with his behaviour as the interview goes on.

From Scarlett Johansson to Helen Mirren, here are eight celebrity videos that highlight the sexist attitudes female celebrities have been dealing with for decades:

1. Gordon Ramsay’s sexist behaviour towards Sofia Vergara

Gordon Ramsay and Sofia Vergara on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2010 (NBC)

During an appearance on the Tonight Show with host Jay Leno in 2010, Gordon Ramsay and Sofia Vergara had several awkward interactions when the TV chef continually twisted interview questions into sexual innuendo.

While discussing a skit that Vergara had taken part in, she stated: “I never scream like that in real life”, to which Ramsay interrupted to say: “Only in the bedroom”.

Later in the interview, Ramsay touched Vergara’s thigh without her consent, which led her to exclaim: “No touching!”

A recent tweet about the clip has garnered more than 46,000 retweets, with many social media users expressing their disapproval over Ramsay’s treatment of the actor.

“Her body language is more than indicative of her uncomfortableness towards his presence,” one person wrote.

2. Ben Affleck groping Hilarie Burton without consent

In 2003, Ben Affleck appeared on MTV’s TV show Total Request Live alongside One Tree Hill actor Hilarie Burton.

Affleck was later accused of groping Burton while on the show, a claim that Burton responded to directly when the incident was mentioned on social media in 2017.

“He also grabbed Hilarie Burton’s breasts on TRL once. Everyone forgot though,” a Twitter user wrote, to which Burton replied: “I didn’t forget.”

Burton later shared the video clip on Twitter, with the caption: “I had to laugh back then so I wouldn’t cry.”

Following the backlash that Affleck received, he issued a public apology to Burton.

“I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologise,” he tweeted.

3. Drake’s resurfaced encounter with 17-year-old girl at concert

A clip of Drake interacting with a 17-year-old girl at his concert in Denver, Colorado in 2010 has gone viral, with numerous people criticising the Canadian rapper over his actions.

In the video, the rapper calls the girl on stage at the Ogden Theatre before wrapping his arms around her.

He then asks her how old she is. After being informed that the girl is 17, Drake replies: “I can’t go to jail yet, man! I had fun, I don’t know whether I should feel guilty or not, but I had fun.

“I like the way your breasts feel against my chest... I just want to thank you.”

While the age of consent in Colorado is 17, Drake’s behaviour towards the girl makes for uncomfortable viewing.

4. Donald Trump’s unsettling comments about daughter Ivanka

US President Donald Trump has been on record for commenting on his daughter Ivanka’s appearance on several occasions.

One of the most unnerving incidents occurred more than a decade ago, when Trump and Ivanka appeared together on The View to promote the third season of The Apprentice.

When asked how he would respond if Ivanka decided to pose for Playboy, he stated: “It would be really disappointing – not really – but it would depend on what’s inside the magazine.”

He then went on to compliment his daughter’s physique, stating: “I don’t think Ivanka would do that, although she does have a very nice figure.

“I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her. Isn’t that terrible? How terrible? Is that terrible?”

The presenters of the show expressed their disapproval to Trump’s comments. “Who are you, Woody Allen?” Joy Behar remarked.

5. Matt Lauer’s inappropriate remarks to Sandra Bullock

A decade ago, Sandra Bullock appeared on the Today Show to discuss romantic comedy The Proposal, which she stars in alongside Ryan Reynolds.

During the segment, interviewer Matt Lauer chose to focus on a particular scene where Bullock appears nude.

“The major thing that’s changed since you were here last: I have now seen you naked,” he said.

He later stated: “You’re naked for most of this movie”, to which Bullock replied: “I’m not! I’m emotionally naked.”

In 2017, Lauer was fired from his position on the Today Show by NBC amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour towards a colleague.

6. Questioning about Scarlett Johansson’s underwear

While promoting the first Avengers film in 2012, actors Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson took part in a joint interview with extratv‘s Jerry Penacoli.

During the interview, Penacoli asked Johansson incessantly about whether or not she’d been wearing underwear underneath her Black Widow costume.

“You’re like, the fifth person who’s asked me that today,” she said in response.

“What is going on? Since when do people just start asking each other in interviews about their underwear?”

When the conversation continued to circulate around underwear, Johansson asked: “What kind of interview is this?”

7. Repeated questions about Anne Hathaway’s figure

That same year, Penacoli also interviewed Hollywood actor Anne Hathaway about her role in The Dark Knight Rises alongside Christian Bale.

After first mentioning Hathaway’s “form-fitting” costume, Penacoli then asked several questions about the actor’s diet regime.

“You are in phenomenal shape, but you had to make sure you were in perfect shape for this one didn’t you,” he said at the beginning of the interview.

Despite Hathaway explaining that being able to perform stunts as Catwoman was far more important than trying to achieve a specific physique, Penacoli continued to focus the interview on her physical appearance.

“When you found out you were going to play Catwoman, is there a certain regimen you put yourself through in terms of the diet, the workout, what is the feline fitness regime?” he asked.

This line of questioning prompted Hathaway to burst into laughter, before asking Pernacoli if he was asking these particular questions because he was trying to lose weight.

“What do you want? Are you trying to fit into a catsuit?” she said.

8. Helen Mirren being asked about her “physical attributes” by Michael Parkinson

When Dame Helen Mirren appeared on Sir Michael Parkinson’s chat show in 1975, the actor was questioned over whether her “physical attributes” hindered her ambitions as a “serious actress”.

Parkinson also made several other comments about Mirren’s appearance during the interview, referencing her “equipment” and describing her as the “sex queen” of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Mirren responded to Parkinson’s remarks in a very quick-witted fashion, asking the chat show host: “Serious actresses can’t have big bosoms, is that what you mean?”

The actor has since recalled her encounter with Parkinson as “enraging“.

“I’m sure many people have seen the interview with Michael Parkinson, but that’s a classic example of the prevalent attitude at that time,” she told Radio Times in 2013.

Parkinson doesn’t believe that he has anything to apologise for, as he told the Mail on Sunday‘s Event magazine in 2016.

“I don’t regard what happened there as being anything other than good television,” he said.