TV shows often boast a wide range of celebrity guest stars, who range from playing characters to appearing as themselves. These guest appearances are especially common in sitcoms where, thanks to the typical long haul of sitcoms, many celebs can appear. Although character appearances are great, some of the best episodes see characters just playing a fictional version of themselves.
Sitcoms make particularly good use of comedians and actors, but anyone from politicians to businessmen can make an impression, too. Some of these episodes make good use of self-aware or self-deprecating humor, while others explore a funny side to serious people. These guest stars make for some of the most memorable moments from a show's run time.
10 Jon Voight Bit Kramer (Seinfeld)
Seinfeld didn't have as many celebrity guest stars as it could have, but those who did appear were incredibly memorable. In one episode, Kramer bought a car because he had been led to believe that actor Jon Voight was the previous owner. However, it turned out to be someone else.
When out and about, Kramer randomly happened upon Jon Voight as he called a cab. When Kramer tried to talk to Voight and reached into the cab, the actor shocked everyone when he grabbed ahold of Kramer and bit him. The biting was as much a shock as the cameo.
9 Robert Downey Jr. Voiced Lois' Murderous Brother (Family Guy)
Family Guy has seen a huge number of celebrity voices come and go throughout its more than two decades of production. Their guest stars have ranged from Ricky Gervais and Liam Neeson to Patrick Stewart and Drew Barrymore. However, one of the more random guests was Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. was the original voice of Lois' secret brother, Patrick Pewterschmidt — also known as "the fat guy strangler" due to his serial killer activities. Little was made of the role at the time, with few even noticing Downey's inclusion, but it has aged brilliantly.
8 Tip O'Neil Got A Drink At Cheers (Cheers)
Cheers created the idea of a friendly Boston bar where anyone in town could grab a drink and socialize. The bar "where everybody knows your name" saw a number of celebrities stop by for a drink. However, the most unexpected of these was the arrival of then-House Speaker Tip O'Neil.
The episode begins with O'Neil walking into Cheers, with Carla remarking that he looked like Tip O'Neil. The politician then revealed he'd come into the bar to escape a woman discussing politics, soon revealed to be Diane. Norm then came in and launched into a tirade about how bad Congress was — only to be humbled.
7 Brad Pitt Was Invited To Thanksgiving Dinner (Friends)
Friends lasted for 10 seasons and racked up an impressive number of celebrity guests, from Bruce Willis to Denise Richards. However, one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the series was the arrival of Brad Pitt at the Thanksgiving dinner table. He played an old friend of Monica's, Will Colbert.
Although Rachel didn't remember Will from school, due to his then-heavyset appearance, she immediately crushed on her then-real-life partner. However, Will was consumed by his hatred of Rachel based on how she had treated him back in their youth.
6 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Wasn't Debra's Favorite Player (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Everybody Loves Raymond focused on the Long Island sports writer Ray Barone and his large and intrusive family. With his wife, Debra, Ray experienced a number of perks that came with the job, such as meeting famous athletes and being able to attend the Superbowl.
In one episode, Ray came home with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and tried to surprise his wife, an avid basketball fan. However, when Ray tried to get Debra to name her favorite player, Kareem's frustrations grew as she continuously omitted his name, even when Ray narrowed it down for her.
5 Kim Kardashian Gave Advice To A Young Woman (Last Man Standing)
Last Man Standing was a reversal of Tim Allen's previous sitcom, Home Improvement. Rather than raising a family of boys, Tim Allen was now cast as the only man in a household of women. In one episode, his daughter got to meet — and take advice from — Kim Kardashian.
Considering Last Man Standing's middle-America appeal, the inclusion of the wealthy socialite at random certainly took people by surprise. However, it was also a great moment of self-awareness from Kardashian, in which she acknowledged the audience's perceptions of her.
4 John Glenn Helped Roz With A Documentary (Frasier)
Frasier made good use of celebrity cameos, both as guest callers and in-person characters, throughout its 11 seasons. In the episode "Docu.Drama," Frasier and Roz got into an argument when Roz wanted to produce her own space-based documentary and kept dismissing Frasier's input.
When Frasier quit the project, Roz enlisted the help of astronaut and senator John Glenn as her narrator. While Frasier and Roz were arguing in the next room, Glenn launched into a monologue in which he seemingly admitted to contact with alien life — only to retrieve the tape before anyone could hear.
3 Raj Got A Seat Next To Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Big Bang Theory)
The Big Bang Theory boasted a number of pop culture cameos that ranged from James Earl Jones to Stan Lee. In the series' finale, the group of friends got a flight from Los Angeles to Sweden, where Sheldon and Amy were heading to receive their Nobel Prize.
On the flight, Raj became convinced that he was sitting next to Sarah Michelle Gellar, even going as far as to look in her purse at her ID. When Sheldon finally received his Nobel Prize, even he was shocked to look out at the audience and see Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself sitting with Raj.
2 Tony Blair Voiced Himself (The Simpsons)
The Simpsons has famously accumulated perhaps hundreds of celebrity guests throughout its 33 years of existence. While many of these were standard cameos, one stands out ahead of the rest. When the Simpsons family visited Britain, they were greeted by Tony Blair — voiced by the Prime Minister himself.
The inclusion of Blair isn't as strange as the fact he was the sitting Prime Minister at the time the episode aired. The series has included several politicians, but the real use of Blair was the rare instance of being able to land a sitting head of government.
1 Charlie Hosted A Celebrity Support Group (Two And A Half Men)
While Two and a Half Men had a series of celebrity cameos throughout its 12 seasons, the most unexpected was Charlie's support group. In the episode "Back Off Mary Poppins," Charlie tries to get Alan out of the house for his night in, which he adamantly denied was a support group.
Charlie later had to introduce Alan to his group, which was made up of Harry Dean Stanton, Elvis Costello, Sean Penn, and their bookie. The group vented their different frustrations and anxieties, from the complications of growing old to their families and careers.