Occasionally the Muppets have used unconventional techniques to coerce celebrities into performing with them or have otherwise detained stars so that the Muppets can perform in their place. Notable examples of this includes John Cleese on The Muppet Show and Jack Black in The Muppets who are forced into performing in the Muppets' show. The celebrities are usually physically restrained in some fashion, simple rope wrapped around the star and a chair (often accompanied with a gag over the mouth) is a popular technique. Additionally, Miss Piggy has used questionable methods to hold her love interests against their will.
Kidnappings[]
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John Cleese on The Muppet Show (1977) Guest star John Cleese is forced into performing on The Muppet Show in episode 223. The episode opens with Cleese gagged and tied up in the guest star's dressing room, Scooter enters to tell him "It's no use struggling, Mr. Cleese. You can't leave until you've done the show." |
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Patrick Wilson in "Keep Fishin'" music video (2002) Patrick Wilson, drummer of Weezer, gets tied up by Miss Piggy in her dressing room in the "Keep Fishin'" music video. As a result of being detained by a lovestruck Piggy, Animal fills in on the drums. Wilson eventually escapes with the help of The Swedish Chef and joins the band on stage. |
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Christopher Meloni on The Today Show (2008) During the Muppets' November 13, 2008 appearance on Today, Piggy tells Christopher Meloni that she feels he lusts over her. Despite his objections to this, Piggy wraps Meloni in crime scene tape and prevents him from leaving the dressing room until they can address their feelings for each other. |
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Jack Black in The Muppets (2011) Needing a big name celebrity to headline their telethon, the Muppets kidnap Jack Black and force him to perform in the show against his will. When Kermit informs Fozzie and Piggy that their plan is illegal, Fozzie replies "what's more illegal, briefly inconveniencing Jack Black, or destroying the Muppets?" Kermit insists that kidnapping people is more illegal but eventually relents when Lew Zealand tells him "Mr. The Frog, we all agreed a celebrity is not a people." |
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Elio in I Muppet promos (2011) In 2011 Italian singer Elio appeared in a series of web video to promote the release of I Muppet, the Italian dub of The Muppets, which show him being kidnapped by the Muppets to host The Muppet Show and perform a cover of "The Muppet Show Theme." |
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Nick Cannon on America's Got Talent (2014) When Nick Cannon tells Miss Piggy that she can't perform on America's Got Talent (because the show is for new talent, not "old stars that have been around since before I was born"), Piggy ties Cannon up in his dressing room and replaces him as host of the show with Kermit. |
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Jonathan Warburton in Warburtons commercial (2015) During a big musical number leading up to Kermit announcing the very special guest of The Giant Crumpet Show, the camera cuts to what has been set up as a grand entrance for Jonathan Warburton highlighted by confetti and a spotlight, but no guest. Kermit calls over the radio looking for him; on the other end Piggy silences the intercom revealing that she has detained the chairman in a dressing room seductively asking him if it's true that he's the world's biggest supplier of crumpets. |
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Stephen Curry on Holey Moley (2022) The Muppets are enlisted to help ensure the series can overcome budget cuts. Kermit plans a big production number finale to help boost ratings, while Pepe the King Prawn takes a less traditional approach and kidnaps Stephen Curry and holds him for ransom. |
Honorable mentions[]
- In The Muppets episode "Generally Inhospitable," several of the Muppets decide to lock Pache, the network's corrupt branding guru, in a dressing room in order to prevent him from making changes to the show. Rizzo tells the others that "I just got off the phone with my cousin who's a cop; he says that what we're doing could be considered kidnapping." However Pepe objects to letting him go because he fears that they'll all get fired if others find out.