Thanksgiving gone wrong: 7 celebrity holiday fails that still get talked about

People often think of Thanksgiving as a time for family get-togethers, big meals, and well-planned events. But even for famous people, things don't always go as expected on this holiday. Some celebrities have shared stories about their Thanksgiving mishaps, which continue to circulate on the internet. These include kitchen mess-ups, forgetting to buy groceries, clothing problems and family photos gone wrong.

7 Celebrity Thanksgiving fails that took over the internet

Here is the list of celebrities whose Thanksgivings went wrong.

Megyn Kelly

Megyn Kelly, who previously worked at Fox News, discussed how her Thanksgiving plans fell apart from the start. She shared this story during her appearance on Jimmy Fallon's late-night show. She remembered deciding to have a holiday dinner at her place with her husband, Douglas Brunt. The funny part was that neither of them knew much about cooking.

“We don't cook, so it was a tall ambition,” Kelly said.

The problem only became clear on Thanksgiving morning, when she realized most of the groceries had never made it home.

“Unfortunately, I had left half of the groceries we had bought at the grocery store. So it wasn't until Thanksgiving morning that we realized we really only had the turkey, that was pretty much all we had, with like, some lettuce.”

The guests, including John O’Hurley and Lisa Mesloh, were already in the next room when the mistake surfaced.

Cardi B

Cardi B had her own Thanksgiving drama, but it wasn't about cooking. Last year, the rapper realized she had a problem with what she was wearing just before people were about to arrive at her door. She posted on X (formerly Twitter):

“Notice my dress is super see-through before family start arriving… GOD IS GOOD!”

Notice my dress is super see-through before family start arriving ….GOD IS GOOD !

— Cardi B (@iamcardib) November 24, 2022

Her close friend and publicist, Derrian “Phreshy” Perry, later shared a photo showing that Cardi had managed to fix the wardrobe issue by wearing a bra under her Chanel dress.

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin’s 2022 Thanksgiving family photo highlighted the reality of holiday chaos. With seven children involved, the attempt at a neat portrait quickly unraveled as kids cried, ate, and looked away from the camera. Hilaria addressed the moment directly in her caption, writing:

“Happy gratitude day from our epic fail family photo to what is probably yours.”

Carrie Underwood

Country singer Carrie Underwood shared her Thanksgiving baking disaster on Instagram in 2015 after attempting to make a pumpkin pie that didn’t go as planned. The result led her to caption the photo:

“On tomorrow's menu...pumpkin failure a la mode. #thanksgivingfail #sad #nodessert #smokedetector #ineedanewoven”

Fans responded with encouragement and shared personal stories of similar cooking fails, offering advice on oven rack placement and tips for avoiding burnt desserts.

Caroline Bryan

Caroline Bryan, wife of Luke Bryan, documented her 2021 Thanksgiving mishap while trying to prepare a rice dish. The food boiled over and coated the inside of her oven.

“This is what happens when I say I’ll cook something on Thanksgiving,” she said in the video. “The whole thing… I did that.” She later added in the caption, “I hate cooking. I give up. I spilled crap everywhere! And I think my turkey weighed five pounds.”

Martha Stewart

Long before becoming known for hosting perfection, Martha Stewart admitted that her first Thanksgiving as a newlywed turned into a fire hazard. In a 2017 interview with The Daily Mail, she explained how a simple oven mistake caused smoke and flames.

“I preheated the oven to 500 degrees, then forgot to turn it down to 325,” she said. “I woke up to smoke and flames.”

Stewart managed to recover by getting another turkey from a nearby farm, even salvaging the stuffing from the burnt one to serve dinner.

Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel also faced a close call in the kitchen during Thanksgiving 2021. The late-night host shared a photo on Instagram showing burn marks on his hair and eyebrows that he sustained while lighting his oven.

“Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Try not to burn your hair and eyebrow off lighting the oven!” he captioned.

Their candid admissions and shared moments have made these Thanksgiving disasters some of the most talked-about celebrity holiday stories online.