People—especially celebrities—do dumb stuff all the time. But while we get to apologize in private, stars usually have to do it in the spotlight.
And come Friday, it looks like Tiger Woods will be the latest big name to apologize for his actions.
In the spirit of begging for forgiveness, we put together a video tribute to some especially noteworthy apologies. Celebs have tried explaining their slip-ups in a variety of ways: in the one-on-one interview, in front of a live audience or, heaven forbid, sitting on a couch with the ladies of The View.
1. Mel Gibson on Good Morning America: Following his arrest for DUI, Mel sparked outrage after it was revealed that he spouted sexist and anti-Semitic remarks to the cops that busted him. When he sat down with Diane Sawyer to explain his actions...Well, his explanation didn't necessarily help his cause.
2. David Letterman on The Late Show: It would be unlike Dave to leave all the funny at home, but he definitely showed a serious side when apologizing to his wife and staff for his affairs. He wasn't the usual jokester, and we liked what we saw. Apology accepted.
3. Alec Baldwin on The View: You gotta hand it to the man: He chose to apologize to a roomful of women for the vile voicemail he left on daughter Ireland's phone, in which he called his own child a "rude, thoughtless pig." Terrible, but his apparent sincerity and regret for his actions seemed to satisfy a tough crowd.
4. Hugh Grant on The Tonight Show: It's been nearly 15 years since one of our favorite stars got arrested after hooking up with a Hollywood prostitute. And when it came to apologizing, Hugh did it right. He just 'fessed up. It was simple, it was honest and, judging by his continued success, it was accepted.
5. Michael Richards on The Late Show: He may have had to glom onto pal Jerry Seinfeld's guest spot in order to have enough cachet to even be on Letterman, but at least the Seinfeld standout had his former costar there to shush the crowd when it kept breaking into nervous laughter. Overall, it was tough to watch Richards struggling to express his remorse for using the N-word while doing standup. But as awkward as the apology sounded, Richards was trying to do the right thing. And to finally put it behind him, he poked fun at the situation during his recent appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
6. Kanye West on The Jay Leno Show: Kanye's decision to interrupt Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards was rude and immature, but his apology on Leno came off as genuine. A talented artist does something stupid? Big shocker. Just don't do it again.
7. Christian Bale: After an explosive rant on the Terminator: Salvation set was leaked, Bale didn't go to Oprah. He turned to L.A. DJs Kevin and Bean for vindication. And by addressing what happened frankly, he made it hard not to forgive him. So we did.
8. Kobe Bryant: In 2003, the Lakers star was accused of sexually assaulting a female hotel employee in Colorado. Bryant argued the sex was consensual and the charge was ultimately dropped. Bryant made a public apology, and he bought his wife, Vanessa, a $4 million ring.
9. John Mayer: This ladies' man stopped midperformance during a Nashville concert to apologize for his Playboy interview that featured frequent use of the N-word. Then he got back to doing what he does best: playing his guitar. Let's hope that lasts.
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