From historic achievements to personal losses, these celebrities showed their vulnerable side in touching moments that resonated with audiences worldwide. Join us as we look at some of the most emotional moments when famous personalities let their guard down and showed their human side.
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00:00I told all my friends I was going to come up here and say thank you and walk off.
00:04I can't. There's no way.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most heartbreaking moments
00:11when famous people couldn't stop themselves from crying.
00:14Be it in interviews or award shows, we saw a raw and emotional sigh to these celebs,
00:18which touched fans, making these instances unforgettable.
00:22But it all started with my parents, and they deserve everything, so I'm really grateful for them.
00:30Number 10. The Harry Potter cast.
00:33Despite the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling, it is undeniable that for millions of fans around the world,
00:38Harry Potter is inextricably linked to their childhood.
00:42It is just as significant for the cast, especially Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint,
00:47who grew up with each other right in front of our eyes.
00:50We're family. We always all be. We don't need to see each other.
00:55Even though we don't see each other all the time.
00:59So when they reunited to celebrate the film's series' 20th anniversary, tears were shed.
01:04Emma choked up while expressing her appreciation for Daniel and Rupert,
01:08trying but failing to keep her tears from falling.
01:10It's just the best, most amazing experience, isn't it?
01:17I can't really explain to you. Like, they're such good people.
01:21Meanwhile, Daniel pointed out to just how crucial each cast and crew member was to him,
01:25letting the waterworks run free.
01:26Needless to say, fans watching probably used up a tissue box or two as well.
01:31I feel so lucky to be where I am and to have the life that I have and be able to
01:36work with the people I work with now. But none of it is possible without this.
01:41Number 9. Cristiano Ronaldo
01:43Even one of the mightiest soccer stars in the world is but a little kid in front of his mother.
01:48When Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score a penalty against Slovenia during a crucial extra-time match
01:53at the Euros in 2024, it left his mum in tears. As CR7's eyes met hers, it hit him where it hurts.
02:00Overcome with emotion, he sobbed inconsolably, tugging at our heartstrings.
02:05The moment must have given him the impetus to ace the penalty shootout that followed.
02:11The multi-ballon Dior winner delivered a fantastic goal, ultimately bringing the win to his team,
02:16Portugal.
02:17Number 8. Chadwick Boseman
02:19In 2020, the world lost a great talent and a golden heart. Chadwick Boseman, the one and only
02:24T'Challa, passed away after living with colon cancer. However, his legacy lives on through the
02:30lives that he touched and the hearts he inspired.
02:32Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not.
02:39In an interview with Sirius XM for Black Panther in 2018, he opened up about experiencing the impact
02:45of the film on its young audience firsthand. While filming the movie, he had been in touch
02:50with two children, Ian and Taylor, who had cancer.
02:53Two little kids, Ian and Taylor, who recently passed from cancer. And throughout our filming,
03:06I was communicating with them.
03:08He fondly remembered how they had been looking forward to it, and their anticipation motivated
03:13him while he privately managed his own cancer diagnosis. Their passing was a painful memory
03:18for the Emmy-winning actor, and he couldn't help but tear up.
03:21And when I found out that they...
03:26Take your time, would it?
03:36Number 7, Serena Williams.
03:38When the undisputed goat of tennis decided to hang up her racket, we didn't want to believe her.
03:43It was a hard call for Williams, too. He revealed that she couldn't stop crying while writing the
03:47open letter announcing her retirement. Although she insisted that she only had happy tears streaming
03:52down her face, she wasn't so sure about that when bidding farewell to fans at the 2022 US Open.
03:57Oh my god, these are happy tears, I guess. I don't know.
04:01That night, she lost to Isla Tomlinovich, but walked away a winner, earning the love and
04:06respect of tennis fanatics worldwide. She wept again at the National Bank Open, saying her final
04:11goodbye to the sport that made her a legend before exiting the court one last time to roaring applause.
04:17Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's been a joy playing in front of you guys
04:22all these years. So thank you.
04:26Number 6, Andrew Garfield.
04:28The Hacksaw Ridge star shared an incredibly close relationship with his mother Lynn until her
04:32passing in 2019 after living with pancreatic cancer.
04:36I hope this grief stays with me because it's all the unexpressed love that I didn't get to tell her.
04:41And I told her every day. We all told her every day. She was the best of us.
04:44Garfield dealt with the grief of her loss, which he called unexpressed love through art
04:49and spirituality. Speaking to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, he opened up about healing through
04:54the film Tick, Tick, Boom.
04:55I was able to step into this in a way where I could honour this incredible life of Jonathan
05:03Larson, and he was taken far too soon.
05:05In his role as Jonathan Larson, he paid tribute to the Rent playwright,
05:08who left the world without being able to see his musical meteoric rise to fame.
05:13In the process, Andrew could also work through his own feelings and celebrate the luminous life
05:18of his mother.
05:18I got to sing Jonathan Larson's unfinished song while simultaneously
05:23singing for my mother.
05:27As he shared this experience, his voice trembled, and the lump in his throat eventually gave way to tears.
05:33Words cannot describe a parent's devastation when their child is in pain.
05:39Yet, Jimmy Kimmel tried when he spoke about his son William's heart condition on his show
05:44Jimmy Kimmel Live, drawing attention to lapses in the U.S. healthcare system.
05:48They did an echocardiogram, which is a sonogram of the heart, and found that Billy was born with
05:54heart disease.
05:58Kimmel struggled through his words as his voice broke and tears welled up in his eyes,
06:01threatening to spill over.
06:03He could barely speak about little Billy's diagnosis without pausing to hold himself back
06:08from crying.
06:09However, he also revealed that the kid's first open-heart surgery had been a success,
06:13and managed to sneak in a joke about him unfortunately getting his looks from his dad.
06:21As of April 2025, Billy has had his third surgery, and his loving parents hope it's his last.
06:294. Sugar
06:30The cutthroat nature of the K-pop industry is reason enough for anyone to be wary of it.
06:41Even BTS member Sugar's parents couldn't fully support his artistic aspirations at first.
06:47The desire to prove his mettle to them drove him to work harder.
06:50Years later, when they showed up at one of BTS' concerts, it was one of the most precious forms
06:58and validation Sugar could have asked for. Spotting them, he fell to his knees in a deep
07:04bow, and all we saw next was his shuddering frame as he seemingly let the tears fall.
07:09In a similar vein, Jimmy Fallon once revealed that his mom Gloria was his biggest fan,
07:13and teared up when honouring her on The Tonight Show after she passed away.
07:18Mom, I'll never stop trying to make you laugh. I love you.
07:20More tonight's show.
07:23Number 3. Halle Berry
07:24It's not every day that an actor makes history.
07:27At the 74th Academy Awards, Halle Berry became the first African-American woman
07:32to be awarded the Best Actress title.
07:35Today, this meant, you know, hope.
07:37That glass ceiling was broken wide open, and that just feels good.
07:40Her performance in Monsters Ball earned her the accolade.
07:43As she stood up on the prestigious platform, with her Oscar in hand,
07:47Halle made no attempts at holding her tears back.
07:50She emphatically paid tribute to the extraordinary black actresses who came before her,
07:54as well as her contemporaries.
07:56This moment, although I'm standing here, I meant it.
07:59It's really not just about me.
08:01You know, it's about so many people that went before me, that paved the way.
08:05She also expressed her gratitude to the Academy for the win,
08:08which she hoped would open doors for more women of color in the entertainment industry.
08:12However, there hasn't been another Halle since,
08:15which the Catwoman star says is one of her biggest heartbreaks.
08:19And to sit here almost 15 years later,
08:21and knowing that another woman of color has not walked through that door is heartbreaking.
08:28Number 2. Michael Jordan
08:29MJ left nothing unsaid when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
08:35His iconic speech included throwbacks to his school days,
08:38shout-outs to family and friends, and unapologetic digs at rivals.
08:42Well, it all starts with my parents.
08:45You guys see all the highlights.
08:47What is it about me that you guys don't know?
08:49It's embodied the ever-competitive, fiery essence of his airness.
08:54Most importantly, though, he gave himself props for his hard-earned success.
08:58I hope that it's given the millions of people that I've touched
09:02the optimism and the desire to achieve their goals
09:05through hard work, perseverance, and positive attitude.
09:09While it wasn't too surprising to see him shed a few tears on such a special day,
09:13this glimpse of vulnerability endeared him to fans evermore.
09:16The historic moment now lives on as the crying Jordan meme.
09:20Now he's got me.
09:22I'll have to look at another crying meme for the next...
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09:461. Oprah Winfrey
09:48The so-called queen of all media dominated the talk show scene on American television
09:53for over two decades.
09:54Many of us have been together for 25 years.
09:58We have hooted and hollered together.
10:00So when she ended her 25-year run as the host of The Oprah Winfrey Show,
10:04it was a tearful adieu, to say the least.
10:07Her final speech has been dissected by critics for its supposedly preachy tone,
10:12while fans celebrated its sentimentality and charisma.
10:14Every single day I came down from my makeup room on our Harpo elevator,
10:19I would offer a prayer of gratitude for the delight and the privilege of doing this show.
10:26Regardless, the fact that Oprah was genuinely overwhelmed with emotion is beyond doubt.
10:31The hour-long episode was a direct address to viewers,
10:34a heart-to-heart sans flashy distractions,
10:37and it conveyed her gratitude loud and clear.
10:39I won't say goodbye.
10:41I'll just say,
10:43until we meet again.
10:46Have you ever cried because of a celebrity?
10:47Tell us in the comments down below.
10:49But you know that sadness,
10:51it's kind of a gift.
10:52It's kind of a lovely thing to feel,
10:55in a way,
10:56because it means you really loved somebody when you miss them.
10:59It's kind of a lovely thing to do.
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11:12It's kind of a lovely thing to do.
11:13It's kind of a lovely thing to do.
11:14It's kind of a lovely thing to do.
11:15It's kind of a lovely thing to do.
11:16It's kind of a lovely thing to do.
11:17It's kind of a lovely thing to do.