10 Best Celebrity Lip Sync Battles
Published on June 28, 2016.Jimmy Fallon popularized the format of the infamous celebrity lip sync battle on The Tonight Show, and Spike’s series has taken the pop culture world by storm! It turns out that we love to see our favorite celebrities acting goofy while sporting their silent singing talents! The series was co-created by our man John Krasinski, who along with his gorgeous wife, Emily Blunt, have truly mastered the performance art of the lip sync! This list takes a look back at some of the best celebrity lip sync battles to date and our caps are off to the founders of these epic battles!
10. John Krasinski vs. Anna Kendrick
We all love Anna Kendrick and we’d always naturally root for her versus anyone, but when John Krasincki took the stage first and rocked “Proud Mary” in full Tina Turner glam, we couldn’t help but think he had a leg to stand on against Kendrick. That was of course until she came out on stage rocking all the appropriate dance moves to sing “Booty!” The cameo appearance of Jennifer Lopez didn’t hurt either! All of the factors combined, John in a dress, Kendrick shaking her ‘thang,’ and JLo as a guest star, made this one of the most hilarious battles to enjoy!
9. Jimmy Fallon vs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
We love to smell what The Rock is cooking, and when he’s busting Taylor “Tay-Tay” Swift, what could be better? This was also the inaugural battle and The Rock’s endearing performance of “Shake it Off,” including that adorable little giggle, created fans across the nation. When Fallon followed him up and sang the classic Harry Belafonte song “Jump in the Line” by leading a conga line through the audience, we were officially hooked! Our winner was obviously Mr. Johnson, but the comic banter between these two was priceless and we’d pay good money to see them face off again any day!
8. Jimmy Fallon vs. Ellen DeGeneres
Justin Timberlake judged the amazing battle between Jimmy Fallon and Ellen DeGeneres. Fallon’s first song was “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. It was passionate and entertaining, just like Ellen’s seated and emotional rendition of Diana Ross’ “Do You Know Where You’re Going To.” The first round was good but this comedy duo were holding back and it was the second round that had fans in fits of laughter! Jimmy bust out Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” and Ellen didn’t hold back either with her version of Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Both performances were hilarious and Justin named Ellen the champ! We still think it was a draw!
7. Stephen Merchant vs. Malin Akerman
Malin Akerman’s performance of Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty” was spot on! Her outfit and mannerisms were hilarious, but nothing could top the stops that were pulled out by Stephen Merchant in his performance of Christina Aguilera’s “Dirty!” Right down to the pleather chaps and sock-bulged booty shorts that had “Nasty” printed across the rear, Stephen went full force into his rendition of the anthem. His memorable performance left the show’s hosts speechless and knowing that they could never un-see that!
6. Emily Blunt vs. Anne Hathaway
Emily pulled off a wicked Janis Joplin in her rendition of “Piece of my Heart,” but Anne Hathaway nearly broke the internet when her performance of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” was posted on Lip Sync Battle’s official site! Complete with the red lipstick, slicked back hair, and white two-piece underwear set, Anne’s performance left nothing to be desired. And I mean nothing. By the climax she had licked the glittery sledge hammer and was thrusting while riding an actual wrecking ball! The crowd resounded in their chant for “Hath-a-way,” and the battle was won! Boom!
5. Jimmy Fallon vs. Emma Stone
When Emma Stone appeared on The Tonight Show to promote The Amazing Spider-Man 2, she brought her A-game to the lip sync challenge! Jimmy Fallon first performed Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” but Emma responded with an incredible mouthing of the quick paced “Hook” by Blues Traveler. The pressure was on and Jimmy busted out the Styx classic “Mr. Roboto.” He could have clenched it but Emma proved that she is not afraid to bust out all of the moves and she destroyed it when she sync’d “All I do is Win” by DJ Khaled! Who knew Emma had such a repertoire! When Ludacris’ rap punched in, Emma killed it! Respect, girl! Mad props!
4. Jimmy Fallon vs. Melissa McCarthy
Obviously when these two get together, it’s going to be comedy gold, but what ensued was completely off the scales! Fallon performed “Brand New Key” by Melanie as well as Zayne’s “Pillow Talk” and Melissa busted out some DMX with some epic hip hop moves no ones knew she had before shutting down any argument over who the winner would be. She took to the stage for her final song wearing a pair of goggles and as a wind machine blew colorful leaves, water, and even stuffed woodland creatures around her, Melissa performed her version of “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas that had people rolling in the aisles of The Tonight Show studio. It was one for the record books!
3. Gigi Hadid vs. Tyler Posey
Tyler Posey performed the ’80s classic “Take Me On” with a pretty fabulous stage setup that was completely reminiscent of the classic music video, but when the actual Backstreet Boys showed up to help out Gigi Hadid perform “Larger Than Life,” there was no beating it! One, she was wearing a cat suit that put Halle Berry to shame, and two, AJ and Nick were there to help her out. No competition!
2. Channing Tatum vs. Jenna Dewan
The husband and wife duo went head to head and this one was insanely memorable for a variety of reasons. First, Jenna’s performance of Ginuwine’s “Pony” was almost distastefully raunchy, and I say “almost” because I’m sure there are one or two mothers out there that didn’t cover their children’s eyes…in time. But when Channing took the stage in full-fledge Beyoncé drag, complete with the horse to ride in on, the battle was already over before he mouthed the first word to “Run the World (Girls).” Channing’s channeling of his inner Beyoncé was hilarious and the wind machine completed the performance! Oh yeah, then Beyoncé actually showed off to finish the song! Hands down, Channing was the winner!
1. Channing Tatum vs. Jenna Dewan
Alright these two so were noteworthy they just had to be on our list twice! Jenna perfectly executed her performance of Paula Abdul’s “Cold Hearted,” and the only way Channing could possibly defeat this lovely lady wife was to bring some serious comedy! And he certainly did so when he put on his princess Elsa dress and performed Frozen’s “Let It Go.” The castle and snow flake dancers were also a nice touch! Now there’s a man who’s comfortable in his sexuality!