With the expansiveness of the television industry, it's not shocking to see celebrities like Michelle Obama and Kris Jenner make cameos on TV shows like Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project. Film, however, is a whole different ballpark. In the words of Janis Ian, seeing a celeb make a surprise appearance in a movie is "like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs."
Some films—like Zoolander, This Is The End, and Goldmember—are so over-the-top and ridiculous that their frequent use of cameos makes sense, while others throw in a celeb to completely surprise viewers. How are you supposed to react when Britney Spears or Beyoncé just waltzes into an ordinary scene? Whether cameos are intended as a way for celebrities to dip their toes into the film world or just to get a rise out of audiences, they usually result in entertainment (cringeworthy or genuine) at the very least.
As mass-market films came to deeply appreciate the art of the celebrity cameo in the '90s and aughts, the number of seemingly random and uncalled for celeb appearances in movies skyrocketed. These eight surprising cameos are the ones that we totally forgot ever happened (and we still don't completely understand).