Bradley Cooper "Had to Go Commando" in Tight Pants to State Dinner

No room for underwear?! Bradley Cooper suffered a bad wardrobe malfunction before attending the State Dinner in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 11 — and the only way to fix it was by going commando to meet President Barack Obama. The American Hustle actor shared the embarrassing story with Ellen DeGeneres during a Monday, Feb. 17 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“So I’m prepping for a new movie and I’m trying to gain weight fast, so I’ve gained about 15 pounds in four weeks and nothing fits me anymore — like these pants barely fit me,” Cooper, 39, explained. “So I wore the tuxedo I wore to the Golden Globes. I just sort of threw it in the bag and brought it and went to Washington, D.C. Then I’m getting dressed like 10 minutes before I was supposed to go, and literally the pants go up to like here,” he shared, gesturing to the top of his thighs. “I just started laughing, actually, [like], ‘this is hilarious, I’m going to meet the President.’ So I had to go commando number one ’cause there was no room at all. I did. I had to.”

The Oscar-nominated actor attended the dinner honoring French President Francois Hollande with girlfriend Suki Waterhouse as his date. Cooper said he tried his best to greet people while staying seated. “I couldn’t stand up really,” he explained to DeGeneres. “So it was really great. And you have to walk up the stairs, and it was a nightmare. But I made it through.”

“How tight were they?” the talk show host asked Cooper of his pants.

“They were crazy-town tight,” he said.

Cooper may need to buy a new tux before the Oscars on March 2. The actor said he’s still hoping to gain 20 more pounds for his upcoming role in American Sniper, portraying former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.

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