It's been 18 years since Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," and it is still one of the most memorable live TV fails of all time. That moment — when her black leather corset pulled away (or was torn, depending on how much blame a person thinks Justin Timberlake should get for the incident) to reveal her bare breast — is still the source of controversy, especially since Justin was invited back to the Super Bowl in 2018 and Janet was not.
We're not sure if Janet is comforted by the fact that she's far from being the only celebrity who has suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. From broken straps to unexpected winds and unfortunate car exits, wardrobe malfunctions and accidental public nudity can happen to anyone. Sadly for celebrities, though, they have the disadvantage of being regularly trailed by photographers, so their wardrobe malfunctions are likely to be captured for the whole world to see (instead of just the Target parking lot on a windy day, like the rest of us).
Here, we've rounded up 15 of the most shocking celebrity wardrobe malfunctions — but don't worry, this story is still SFW.
Princess Diana
For many women, a picture showing the silhouette of her legs through her skirt might not be a big deal. But when the woman in question is about to marry the future king of England, this sunlit moment became a major wardrobe malfunction for Princess Diana. This picture was featured in newspapers everywhere — the 1980s version of going viral!
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is no stranger to showing a little skin, but even she wasn't expecting to perform topless on New Year's Eve. During her 2022 live TV performance, the strap on her top broke, prompting her to cover herself with her arms and race off stage, where she found a blazer to cover up in for the rest of her performance. She seemed to have a good sense of humor about it, though, and made it through the rest of her song.
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X was prepared to raise some eyebrows with his performance of "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" on Saturday Night Live, but even he wasn't expecting to share quite so much of himself. His pants split open while he was dancing, forcing him to cover his groin for the rest of the song. Not exactly the kind of cheeky he was planning on!
Kourtney Kardashian
Some celebs are embarrassed by their wardrobe malfunctions and hope that nobody will see them. Then there are the Kardashians. Seeing a little more than we expected of a Kardashian sister isn't exactly shocking, but the fact that Kourtney Kardashian herself posted this snap of a photo gone wrong on Instagram is still surprising. Hey, Kourtney, you could just … not post an accidental up-skirt shot!
Camila Mendes
Riverdale star Camila Mendes isn't ashamed of her curves, even when her jeans have a two-sided moment of structural failure. After the incident, the actress was able to make a wisecrack (and keep her crack covered) on Instagram, joking, "Abandon hope all ye brazilian booties who enter these jeans #rip."
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen loves an overshare and she definitely doesn't mind being somewhat clothing optional in her own home (at least according to Instagram). But even she was embarrassed when her dress slit tore five critical inches and left her using her purse as a modesty shield.
Tara Reid
Poor Tara Reid. Her wardrobe malfunction was so bad that we can only show you the "before" picture. She was on her way to Puff Daddy's birthday party in 2004 and was walking the red carpet when the strap on her dress slipped and her entire breast was exposed. She would later say that she invested heavily in double-sided tape after that moment.
Kim Kardashian
In 2021, Kim Kardashian was being honored at the WSJ Magazine's Innovator Awards for her shapewear brand Skims. She very nearly ended up showing the audience her Skims when she stood up and the zipper on the back of her form-fitting dress unzipped from the bottom up. Luckily, she was able to get zipped back up before she took the stage. Phew!
Kate Middleton
Oh, the wind, Kate Middleton's forever enemy. As a working royal, Kate wears a lot of dresses, so she unfortunately has more chances than the rest of us to be captured on camera with a sudden gust threatening to give away her royal secrets, so to speak. Maybe this is why she's shifted to wearing pants more often lately?
Ivanka Trump
What happens when you combine an unpopular first daughter with a blouse that is awfully thin and tight and a room that might have the air conditioning on too high? Well, nothing good, at least not for Ivanka Trump, who was soundly mocked on social media for being a little too nipply at the UN General Assembly in 2019.
Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz may have had one of the most shocking and most epically NSFW wardrobe malfunctions of all time (which is why we are not showing that picture here!) when he split his leather pants during a concert and all his bits were exposed. It was in 2016 for any dirty birds who are rushing to Google now!
Mario Lopez
Unlike Lenny Kravitz, Mario Lopez wears underwear. How do we know? Well, because he also split his pants in a rather crucial area, but as he shared on Twitter, he was wearing a pair of modest black underwear that saved him from revealing all. But still a little shocking to see this much crotch on Twitter, right?
Paris Hilton
When it comes to Paris Hilton and wardrobe malfunctions, the real question isn't, "Has she had one?" but rather, "Which one is safe enough to show on a family-friendly website?" Paris was a paparazzi favorite who appeared to not wear underwear a fair amount in the early 2000s, a bad combination indeed. Sometimes she also just got unlucky with the wind, like with this tiny dress. Thankfully she had tights on for this one!
Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle is always a class act, so there's little chance of accidentally seeing a flash of her underwear or any wardrobe malfunctions like that. But she did have an embarrassing moment when it was clear she was wearing a dress with the price tag still attached, leading to the shocking question: Was she going to try to return it later?
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Bella Hadid
It takes a brave woman to wear this racy number on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet, and Bella Hadid is a brave woman! This dress had a high degree of difficulty with maybe the only question being, "Will it be a nip slip or a crotch shot?" We'll just say this: We didn't see Bella's nipples, but many people got an answer to the question, "Is she wearing underwear under that?"
