10 Awkward Giuliana Rancic Interview Moments

It's been a rough few days for Giuliana Rancic. The E! News host came under fire for criticizing Zendaya's dreadlock hairstyle at last week's Oscars. (Specifically, she said — sigh — Zendaya "smells like patchouli oil... or weed.") Although Zendaya accepted Rancic's apology, the damage has been done. Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time the veteran journalist has experienced awkward or problematic exchanges with celebrities.

We respect Rancic as a reporter, but these 10 interviews are pretty damn cringeworthy. From Chris Colfer to Aziz Ansari, Rancic's on-air missteps (while few) are quite messy.

1. Aziz Ansari

During an interview at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, Rancic asked the Parks and Recreation star to help her out with some dance moves because she thought he had "good rhythm." To this, Ansari responded, "Based on my chocolate skin tone?" Rancic awkwardly laughed and denied that was her reason for asking; Ansari kept it cool and then taught her an on-the-fly dance move he aptly titled, "What? That's Racist! Don't Say That Again." Looks like Ansari was more offended than he let on.

Check out the interview here.

2. Chris Colfer

At the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards, Rancic belittled the Glee star with some annoying gay stereotypes. When Colfer admitted to placing his Golden Globe statue on his entertainment center, Rancic asked, "Do you just sit there watching The Real Housewives and then you just look up and you go, 'Wow?'" We missed the memo where Colfer said he was a fan of the frothy Bravo reality series (which does have a large gay following). Jezebel writer Matt Cherette called out the shenanigans when he wrote, "Would she have said the same thing to, I don't know, Al Pacino?" Cherette also criticized Rancic for air-kissing Colfer at the end of the interview and cheering "Work it!" when the actor explained his outfit choice (both could be seen as pandering to gay stereotypes).

Check out the interview here.

3. Justin Timberlake

Rancic also made a misstep at the 2011 SAGs during an interview with Madam Secretary star Geoffrey Arend and his wife, Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks, about Timberlake. When Rancic found out Timberlake gave the bottle of whiskey she originally gave him to Arend (yes, JT re-gifted!), Rancic yelled, "I cannot believe that Indian giver!" Offensive Native American stereotypes, G? *face palm*

Check out the interview here.

4. Katrina Bowden

At the 2012 SAG Awards, things got awkward when Bowden (30 Rock) announced that she had gotten engaged the night before. Rancic's incessant prying about the proposal's location led to Bowden awkwardly (and begrudgingly) admitting, "We were just in a beautiful suite at the Four Seasons." Rancic should have paid attention to social cues and backed off.

Check out the interview here.

5. Nancy Carell

The actress (and wife to Steve Carell) wore a beautiful expensive outfit to the 2012 SAGs, prompting Rancic to ask, "Did Mr. Carell buy that for you?" Reinforcing the notion that a woman can only have expensive things if a man buys them for her sets back the feminist movement about 100 years. Playing up archaic gender roles is, again, not cool.

Check out the interview here.

Go behind the scenes with Zendaya's stylist Law Roach at New York Fashion Week.

[mtvn_player id="1733873" vid="1168285" autoplay="true"]

6. Viola Davis

[caption id="attachment_460535" align="aligncenter" width="615"] [Photo Credit: E!][/caption]The Oscar-nominated actress and How to Get Away with Murder star seemed a little ticked on the 2012 SAG red carpet when Rancic asked whether Davis and her husband wanted more kids. (At the time, she had just recently adopted a daughter.) The above photo shows the look Davis gave Rancic right after the host asked the question. Annalise Keating was not pleased.

Check out the interview here.

7. Sofia Vergara

[caption id="attachment_460536" align="aligncenter" width="615"] [Photo Credit: E!][/caption]According to NPR, things got rocky during Rancic's 2012 SAG interview with the Modern Family funny girl. Vergara was visibly thrown off (see above) when Rancic brought up that the actress announced at the 2012 Golden Globes she wasn't wearing any underwear. Even though ABC reported the same thing, Vergara later admitted she wore very "tiny panties." Regardless of the truth, Vergara's expression suggests she wasn't prepared to discuss such an intimate topic on the red carpet.

Check out the interview details here.

8. George and Amal Clooney

This one is harmless, but still a little awkward. At this year's Golden Globe Awards, Rancic was shut down when she asked the Clooneys to do tequila shots with her before the show. Like a champ, she did the shot without them. (We do appreciate her commitment to alcohol.)

Watch the interview here.

9. Kyra Sedgwick

Now, this is just a rookie reporter's mistake. According to NPR, during a 2012 SAG interview, Rancic mentioned that she had previously asked The Closer actress the secret to her long and successful relationship with Kevin Bacon (despite Hollywood's marriage norms). So what does Rancic do? Asks the same question again and gets — duh! — the same answer.

Check out the interview details here.

10. Kristen Wiig

Again, another incident where Rancic should have just let well enough alone. During a 2012 SAG interview, Rancic asked Wiig about the possibility of a second Bridesmaids movie. Wiig said she was flattered that people loved the first film, but had no plans for a sequel. (Mind you, she had said all of this before in earlier statements.) However, Rancic couldn't take a hint and asked again, "But have you closed the door on Bridesmaids 2?" Wiig responded, "I don't really know what's going to happen, but as far as my involvement right now, I'm doing something else." This still wasn't enough for Rancic, because she persisted, "So, no plans on it quite yet." The phrase "beating a dead horse" comes to mind here.

Find out more about the potential fallout from Rancic's Zendaya controversy from The Gossip Table.

[mtvn_player id="1734444" vid="1172584" autoplay="true"]

[Photo Credits: Getty Images]