Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Megan Fox and More Stars Who Have Shut Down Sexist Remarks in Interviews

Credit: Todd Williamson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; YouTube (2); Eric McCandless/ABC Via Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Megan Fox and More Stars Who Have Shut Down Sexist Remarks in Interviews

They say there’s no such thing as a dumb question, but there are sexist ones, and women in Hollywood have had their fill. Time and time again, we’ve seen A-list women asked to respond to inquiries that would never be directed at their male counterparts. We’ve also seen the same ladies shut those questions down, letting interviewers know, in no uncertain terms, that they expect more. Taylor Swift has been quick to point out the sexism in questions about her personal life on multiple occasions — for instance, most recently refusing to answer when Germany’s PDA wanted to know whether she’d be settling down with boyfriend Joe Alwyn as she approached her 30s. Scarlett Johansson, meanwhile, wasn’t shy about pointing out the frivolity of Ryan Seacrest’s curiosity over whether she would wear the same shoes to the 2017 Oscars as she did in rehearsals. “What a ridiculous question!” she answered. [jwplayer zxtt4c50-l3ahXupL] As for Megan Fox, the Transformers star couldn’t understand the point of an inquiry about her thoughts on whether it was time for females in Hollywood to be given leading roles in superhero films. “Do you think I would answer anything but ‘yes’ to that question?” she asked her interviewer. Lauren Conrad’s famous answer about what type of sexual position she was most into just may have taken the cake, however: Instead of allowing her private life to be exploited, she redirected the question to her career, citing her favorite position as “CEO.” Scroll through to read the epic responses women in Tinseltown have given when faced with sexist remarks.

Credit: Todd Williamson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; YouTube (2); Eric McCandless/ABC Via Getty Images

Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, Megan Fox and More Stars Who Have Shut Down Sexist Remarks in Interviews

They say there’s no such thing as a dumb question, but there are sexist ones, and women in Hollywood have had their fill. Time and time again, we’ve seen A-list women asked to respond to inquiries that would never be directed at their male counterparts. We’ve also seen the same ladies shut those questions down, letting interviewers know, in no uncertain terms, that they expect more. Taylor Swift has been quick to point out the sexism in questions about her personal life on multiple occasions — for instance, most recently refusing to answer when Germany’s PDA wanted to know whether she’d be settling down with boyfriend Joe Alwyn as she approached her 30s. Scarlett Johansson, meanwhile, wasn’t shy about pointing out the frivolity of Ryan Seacrest’s curiosity over whether she would wear the same shoes to the 2017 Oscars as she did in rehearsals. “What a ridiculous question!” she answered. [jwplayer zxtt4c50-l3ahXupL] As for Megan Fox, the Transformers star couldn’t understand the point of an inquiry about her thoughts on whether it was time for females in Hollywood to be given leading roles in superhero films. “Do you think I would answer anything but ‘yes’ to that question?” she asked her interviewer. Lauren Conrad’s famous answer about what type of sexual position she was most into just may have taken the cake, however: Instead of allowing her private life to be exploited, she redirected the question to her career, citing her favorite position as “CEO.” Scroll through to read the epic responses women in Tinseltown have given when faced with sexist remarks.

Credit: Daniel Torok/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Taylor Swift

Swift refused to answer a sexist question in May 2019 about whether turning 30 marked a turning point as far as her love life was concerned, and whether it made her want to settle down. “I really doubt men get asked the same question when they turn 30,” she said. “I’m not going to answer that question.”

Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC Via Getty Images

Simone Biles

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Biles’ response to Tom Bergeron’s observation that she didn’t smile while receiving compliments after a performance on Dancing With the Stars in 2017 was one for the books. “Smiling doesn’t win you gold medals,” she quipped.

Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Blake Lively

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star may be a fashion queen, but she let a Today reporter know that there’s a time and a place for the topic when they asked about her go-to “power outfit” at Variety’s Power of Women: New York luncheon in April 2017, where she was being honored for her work with the Child Rescue Coalition. (The organization works to remove online sexual predators of children.) “Come on, you want to talk about an outfit here, today?” she replied. “No way. Come on. Come on, we’re about building women up. Come on, outfits? Would you ask a man that? You wouldn’t ask a man what his power outfit is, I’m sorry. Like, see, this is the moment that we become more aware and that we change.”

Credit: E!

Scarlett Johansson

Seacrest shut down! Johansson let the American Idol host know that his question about whether she wore the same shoes on the red carpet that she wore in rehearsals was a sexist one. “What a ridiculous question!” she scoffed.

Credit: YouTube

Ariana Grande

Grande let interviewers know that there’s more to women than skin-deep issues in an interview with Power 106’s The Liftoff in October 2015. When asked if she had to choose between her makeup and using her phone one last time, she answered, “Is this what you think girls have trouble choosing between?”

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Amy Schumer

Things couldn’t have been more awkward between interviewer Matt Tilley and Schumer when he insinuated that her Trainwreck character was a wee bit promiscuous in July 2015. “Do you have the word 'skanky' in America?” he asked. “We do have that word,” she said. “What made you think about your mom?“ When he explained, “Come on, that’s the character of the movie. I’m not trying to offend you,” Schumer shut him down again: “Whatever you’re trying to do, you are, that’s a rude question.”

Credit: John Shearer/WireImage.com

Natasha Lyonne

The Russian Doll lead didn’t hold back when an interviewer wanted to know how “two beautiful ladies,” such as Lyonne and Orange Is the New Black costar Samira Wiley, could do scenes where they had to portray angry, fighting women in June 2015. “I feel like it’s accidentally maybe a little bit misogynistic, because it’s like ‘You’re so beautiful! What’s it like having to do all that acting?’ I can’t tell if that’s the question, but if it is, it’s insane,” she said.

Credit: YouTube

Taylor Swift

When Entertainment Tonight’s Nancy O’Dell implied that Swift would have some male company after hitting the 2015 Grammy awards in a leg-baring ensemble, the “Bad Blood” singer set her straight. “You’re gonna walk with more than maybe just a trophy tonight, I think lots of men,” O’Dell said. “I’m not gonna walk home with any men tonight,” Swift retorted. “I’m gonna go hang out with my friends, and then I go home to the cats.”

Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Emma Stone

When a reporter at a 2015 Oscar nominees luncheon began a Q&A with Stone by telling her she “looked beautiful, as always,” Stone offered a cheeky retort: “Oh thank you, that’s all that matters.”

Credit: FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty Images

Amal Clooney

The human rights lawyer was not here for a question about what she would wear for her 2015 court appearance while representing Armenia in a genocide trial against Turkey. “I’m wearing Ede and Ravenscroft,” she told reporters while pointing to her legal robes, which were manufactured by the English company.

Credit: E!

Cate Blanchett

“Do you do that to the guys?” the two-time Oscar winner demanded of an E! cameraman who panned the length of her outfit at the 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards. “What do you think is gonna happen down there?”

Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Keira Knightley

The Love Actually actress wasn’t too keen to answer a question about how she balanced her home life with her personal life at the Hollywood Film Awards in November 2014. “Are you going to ask all the men that tonight?” she scolded.

Credit: Prince Williams/FilmMagic

Rihanna

The “Diamonds” singer made it clear she didn’t need a man to make her happy at her Rogue Man fragrance reveal in October 2014. “What are you looking for in a man, now, to wear this cologne?” a reporter inquired. “I’m not looking for a man,” she clapped back. “Let’s start there.”

Credit: YouTube

Yelena Soreva

The Russian cosmonaut pointed out the sexism in a question she received in September 2014 about how she planned to do her hair in space. “And I have a question for you — why don’t you ask a question about Alexander’s hair, for example? This is my answer,” she replied.

Credit: YouTube

Megan Fox

Fox was incredulous in August 2014 when prompted for a soundbite about her thoughts on it being time for females to take the lead in film. “Do you think I would answer anything but ‘yes,’ to that question?” she retorted. “Do you think I would be like, ‘No, it’s not time for women to be in movies, let’s take it back 50 years.'”

Credit: YouTube

Lauren Conrad

Conrad may have given the best answer of all time in October 2012 when she was asked to pick a question out a grab bag that wanted her to clarify her “favorite position” on a live broadcast with Sway in the Morning. After a thoughtful pause, she answered, “CEO.”

Credit: YouTube

Scarlett Johansson

An Extra journalist felt Johansson’s scorn after he dared to inquire about her undergarment situation in her Avengers costume in May 2012. “You’re like the fifth person that’s asked me that today. What is going on? Since when did people start asking each other about … their underwear?” When the man tried to clarify, asking if it was inappropriate, she hit back, “To ask somebody what kind of underpants they wear?”

Credit: YouTube

Scarlett Johansson

An Avengers press junket went south in April 2012 when Johansson was asked to dish about her diet. Turning to castmate Robert Downey Jr., she said, “Why do you get, like, the really interesting, existential questions, and I get the, like, rabbit food question?”

Credit: YouTube

Rihanna

Rihanna was not pleased in March 2012 about being asked if she was as happy in her private life as she seemed to be in her career, and whether Ashton Kutcher — whom she was rumored to be seeing at the time — planned to visit her. “Wow, how disappointing was that question?” she responded. When the moderator asked if he should move on to another, she gave an emphatic, “Absolutely!”

Photo Editor: Liz Abts