14 Brilliant Responses Famous Women Gave To Sexist, Invasive, And Absurd Interview Questions

    When a reporter asked Rihanna what she was looking for in a man, she gave this iconic reply: "I'm not looking for a man. Let's start there."

    Celebrities answer hundreds or even thousands of interview questions across their careers. While some questions are insightful and thought-provoking, others are, well, quite ridiculous.

    The number of foolish questions seems to be higher for famous women, who are often asked out-of-pocket questions about their bodies, their dating lives, and other things that are really none of the reporters' business.

    Here are 14 iconic responses famous women gave to absurd questions:

    1. After asking Anne Hathaway if she had to be in "perfect" shape for The Dark Knight Rises, this Extra interviewer started quizzing her on her diet and workout plans.

    In response, Anne turned it around on him.

    Watch the full interview here:

    View this video on YouTube

    Extra / Via youtube.com

    2. When Rihanna was promoting her new men's fragrance, a red carpet reporter asked her, "What are you looking for in a man now?" And Rihanna responded with this:

    Rihanna saying "I'm not looking for a man, let's start there"

    You can watch the full moment unfold here:

    View this video on YouTube

    AP / Via youtube.com

    3. After Serena Williams won a tennis match at the US Open, a reporter asked her why she wasn't smiling.

    The reporter saying normally Serena smiles and laughs after she wins
    The reporter asking if Serena isn't smiling because she beat her sister Venus or because she's thinking about what's next
    Serena puts her head down, and the reporter asks her what's wrong

    So, she gave him an honest answer.

    Serena responding by saying "to be perfectly honest, I don't want to be here"
    Serena saying "I just want to be in bed right now"

    Watch the full exchange here:

    4. When Ariana Grande visited Power 106 FM, they asked her a question they probably wouldn't have asked a man.

    The host asks Ariana "If you could use makeup or your phone one last time, which one would you pick?"

    So, she called them out on it.

    Ariana saying "Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between? Is this men assuming that's what girls would have to choose between?"

    Here's the complete moment:

    View this video on YouTube

    Power 106 FM / Via youtube.com

    5. When Oprah asked Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to address rumors they had eating disorders, Ashley had a wise response.

    Ashley saying they tend not to read what people write about them, the good or the bad, because there's always something; they're too skinny to some, too fat to others

    Here's the full interview, with this moment unfolding at the 18-minute mark:

    View this video on YouTube

    King World / Via youtube.com

    6. Keira Knightley shut down a reporter who asked her, "How do you balance your career and having a personal life?"

    Keira responding "Are you going to ask all the men that tonight?"

    Here's the complete exchange:

    View this video on YouTube

    Gold Derby / Via youtube.com

    7. When an Entertainment Tonight reporter told Taylor Swift that she was going to walk home with "lots of men," she handled it in a very Taylor way.

    Taylor saying "I'm not going to walk home with any men tonight, I'm going to go hang out with me friends and then I go home to my cats"

    Watch the full interview here:

    View this video on YouTube

    Entertainment Tonight / Via youtube.com

    8. Katharine Hepburn — who famously bucked expectations for women at the time by only wearing pants — had a quick response when Barbara Walters asked her, "Do you ever wear a skirt, by the way?"

    Katharine saying "I have one, I'll wear it to your funeral"

    Here's the full clip:

    View this video on YouTube

    ABC / Via youtube.com

    9. When Ellen asked Celine Dion when she was going to cut her son's long hair, the singer called her out and then offered a kind explanation.

    Celine saying no matter what she does, people will criticize her, but that her son makes his own decisions

    Watch the full interview here:

    View this video on YouTube

    Warner Bros. Television Distribution / Via youtube.com

    10. When Ellen asked Dakota Johnson, "How was the party? I wasn't invited," she called her out for lying.

    Dakota saying "Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen, you were invited"

    Here's the complete interview:

    View this video on YouTube

    Warner Bros. Television Distribution / Via youtube.com

    11. While playing a game on Sway in the Morning, Lauren Conrad flipped an inappropriate question with a single word.

    Someone asks "what's your favorite positions," and Lauren responds "CEO"

    Here's the full interview, with the "Question Sack" portion starting at the 5:15 mark:

    View this video on YouTube

    Sirius XM / Via youtube.com

    12. When Jane Fonda was on Megyn Kelly's show to promote Our Souls at Night, the host got wildly off topic.

    Megyn saying she read that Jane isn't proud to admit she's had work done and asking why that is

    Jane called her out on it, then directed the conversation back to her movie.

    Jane saying "We really want to talk about that now?"

    Here's the full clip:

    Jane Fonda with a flawless example of how to side-step personal questions during an interview

    NBC / Via Twitter: @JarettSays

    13. While promoting Avengers, Scarlett Johansson called out an Extra interviewer who asked her, "Were you able to wear undergarments [as Black Widow]?"

    Scarlett saying this is the fifth interviewer to ask her this question today, and "since when did people start asking each other in interviews about their underwear?"

    Watch the full clip here:

    View this video on YouTube

    Extra / Via youtube.com

    14. And finally, during an Avengers press conference, a reporter asked Robert Downey Jr. about his character arc, then asked Scarlett about her diet.

    She called out the unfair way the reporter treated her compared to her male costar.

    Here's the full press conference, with this exchange taking place at the 2:58 mark:

    View this video on YouTube

    Digital Spy / Via youtube.com