9 Notable Times Celebrities Appeared In Music Videos!

Recently, Justin Bieber starred as a love interest in SZA’s new music video for her song "Snooze". Naturally, everyone was excited about this, as it is always fun to see a celebrity make an appearance in a music video. Of course, Bieber is far from being the first celebrity to make a special appearance in a music video. Many singers and bands have been lucky enough to have a celebrity perform in their music video. From a quick little cameo to playing a lead role, celebrity music video appearances come in many forms. While there are a lot of music videos with celebrities to watch, there are some that stand out more than others. That could be because of the celebrity themself or what the celebrity does. These are some of the most memorable music videos that had a thrilling celebrity appear and caused fans to go wild!

1. Tom Hanks in Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You"

The bigger the star power, the more attention that a video can achieve. That is why the music video for Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “I Really Like You” got a lot of notice, as it heavily featured 2-time Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks. The music video has a meta storyline, as it is Hanks on his way to film a music video with Jepsen. However, along the way, he gets stopped by many fans. Throughout the music video, Hanks is lip-syncing the lyrics to the song, giving the video a comedic tone. The whole story is very amusing, and it certainly helped the song. The catchy song combined with an A-list actor led to a wide music video success.

2. Elizabeth Gillies, Matt Bennett, and Daniella Monet in Ariana Grande's "thank u, next"

Celebrity cameos in music videos are even more exciting when there is a connection attached. Sometimes, that connection is a reunion. That was the case for Ariana Grande’s music video for "thank u, next", which was an homage to Y2K-era rom-coms, like Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Bring It On, and more. While highlighting some of her past favorite films, she also highlighted some of her past favorite cast members. The music video featured cameos by her previous "Victorious" castmates Matt Bennett, Elizabeth Gillies, and Daniella Monet, each playing different roles related to the homages. Fans were happy to see Grande connecting to her roots with these cameos and continue her love for her Nickelodeon days.

3. Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink in Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (Taylor's Version) (10-Minute Version)"

There are times when music videos can feel like a short film. In the case of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor's Version) (10 Minute Version)”, the music video pretty much was a short film set to music. The almost 15-minute-long music video starred "Stranger Things"’s Sadie Sink as the lead, basically a stand-in for Swift, and "Teen Wolf"’s Dylan O’Brien as the boyfriend, a stand-in for Jake Gyllenhaal, Swift’s ex. The music video shows the love the two feel for each other, despite the age gap, and how quickly that love deteriorates into toxicity. Fans praised the video for the deep emotions that it portrayed. The music video needed serious actors for the material, and Sink and O’Brien were just right for the job.

4. Scarlett Johansson in Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around…Comes Around"

In a lot of music videos, the love interest can be a really important part. In the case for Justin Timberlake, that casting was crucial for bringing a story to life. In his music video for his song “What Goes Around…Comes Around”, Timberlake wanted an enthralling actor. Therefore, he had to cast someone like Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson, who was the perfect choice. The story follows a man and a woman meeting at a burlesque club and then quickly falling in love. However, after some infidelity, he chases after her in their cars before she gets killed in a serious accident. It is a depressing story, but it demonstrates what happens when a lot of effort is used to create a meaningful music video.

5. Mary J. Blige, Cardi B, Tiffany Haddish, Camila Cabello, & More, in Maroon 5's "Girls Like You"

Due to the high profile of some bands, they can have a lot of celebrity connections. Those connections can pay off in the form of music videos. In the music video for Maroon 5’s song “Girls Like You”, there is not just one celebrity cameo. The music video does a constant 360-spin of lead singer Adam Levine standing back-to-back to a parade of famous women, including Mary J. Blige, Cardi B, Tiffany Haddish, and Camila Cabello, as well as Sarah Silverman, Elizabeth Banks, Gal Gadot, Jennifer Lopez, Beanie Feldstein, and so many more. Even though this video is minimalistic, all of the stops were pulled out for the star power.

6. Joe Jonas, Charlie Puth, will.i.am, Brendon Urie, & More, in Charli XCX's "Boys"

In a gender-swapped version of the previous entry, Charli XCX decided to do a similar thing with one of her music videos. Her music video for the song "Boys" was meant to be commentary on different forms of masculinity. The famous men include Joe Jonas, Charlie Puth, will.i.am, and Brendon Urie, as well as Cameron Dallas, Diplo, Wiz Khalifa, Jack Antanoff, and more. Charlie XCX wanted to make a music video for the female gaze to go against societal standards, and it worked.

7. Rupert Grint in Ed Sheeran's "Lego House"

There is a running joke that Ed Sheeran looks a lot like Harry Potter star Rupert Grint. Sheeran leaned into that idea, and he even included it in the music video for one of his biggest songs, “Lego House”. Grint stars in the music video in what appears to be the role of Sheeran. The viewers see him going through his day of writing music and performing at a concert. However, it is later revealed that Grint is playing an obsessive Sheeran fan that is trying to impersonate him. While the music video deals with the serious topic of mental illness, it also plays into the idea of celebrity doppelgangers. Grint has been acting since he was a child, and even though this type of role was new to him, it fit him perfectly.

8. Megan Fox in Machine Gun Kelly's "Bloody Valentine"

The love on-screen can sometimes be the beginning of love off-screen. That was the case for Machine Gun Kelly’s song “Bloody Valentine”. For the music video of this song, MGK’s love interest was played by actress Megan Fox. The two originally met working on the film Midnight in the Switchgrass. The music video sees the two of them in love, but it is very destructive and at times painful, which is meant to show the raw aspects of love described in the song. Soon after this music video came out, the two announced that they were in a relationship and deeply in love. Last year, they got engaged, and even though they seem like a unorthodox couple, the music video love is staying strong.

9. Diane Keaton in Justin Bieber's "Ghost"

The celebrity cameo that inspired this list has also had celebrity cameos of his own. Justin Bieber has had a lot of famous people in music videos, but one of the more notable ones came relatively recently. This celebrity appearance was for his song “Ghost”. Bieber stars in this song alongside Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton. In this video, Keaton plays Bieber’s grandmother, who is mourning the loss of her husband, Bieber’s grandfather. After seeing his grandmother’s grief, Bieber decides to take her out on the town so that they can have some fun and briefly forget about the grief. The video ends with her finally ready to date again and live her life. Bieber and Keaton come from two very different generations, careers, and audiences, but the two were able to connect in a music video that can tug at anyone’s heart strings.