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If you don’t know what a celebrity paradox is, it’s when a real person is referenced on a television show and then the actor shows up on a later episode, not playing themselves.
And everyone just acts like they’re not who everyone was talking about before (or look exactly like them). It can feel a bit crazy when it happens!
One example is how the guys on Friends are always talking about how much they love the movie Die Hard, but then don’t notice when John McClane (aka Bruce Willis) shows up to play Paul Stevens, the father of the college student Ross is dating.
Wild, right? And here are 8 more times you might not have noticed it happened.
8. Glee and several famous singers.
Image Credit: Fox
There were numerous songs covered on the show (like Demi Lovato, Gloria Estefan, and Max George) and the singers later appeared as characters on the show.
7. Friends and Jessica Rabbit.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
In Season 3, Chandler creates his “freebie” list (who he could sleep with without consequences), and it includes Cindy Crawford, Halle Berry, and Jessica Rabbit.
In Season 7, Chandlers father shows up, played by Kathleen Turner…the voice of Jessica Rabbit.
6. Community and Alison Brie.
Image Credit: NBC
There’s an episode where Abed asks Annie (played by Alison Brie) how good his Don Draper impression is.
Alison Brie starred as Trudy Campbell on Mad Men.
5. Friends and Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, and Elle Macpherson.
Image Credit: NBC
When Ross is making his “freebie list,” he includes Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon, both of whom show up later in the series. Once, when Chandler is reminiscing about having sex, he mentions Elle Macpherson, who also guest stars later on.
None of them are playing themselves.
4. Love Actually and Claudia Schiffer.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Liam Neeson’s character, Daniel, dreams of getting it on with Claudia Schiffer…who later appears as one of his stepson’s classmates.
3. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Ashley Tisdale.
Image Credit: Nickelodeon
Tisdale’s character on the show, Maddie, auditioned for the role of Sharpay in High School Musical.
The role originally played in the movies by none other than Tisdale herself.
2. Love Actually and Harry Potter.
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Hugh Grant references the film in a speech about Britain, apparently not noticing that Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Bill Nighy – who all starred in the Potter films – were also co-starring with him.
1. Gilmore Girls and Kelly Bishop.
Image Credit: Warner Bros.
Lorelai and Rory discuss the film Dirty Dancing on more than one occasion, but never mention that their mother/grandmother is a dead ringer for Baby’s mother?
Because she is Baby’s mother?
I’m totally going to look for these when I watch television now!
Do you have a favorite celebrity paradox? Tell us about it in the comments!
