If there’s one thing a pop star can count on when appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, it’s the affable host’s well-documented penchant for pranks. Ellen is the queen of the jump scare — terrifying her guests and delighting audiences on a regular basis by staging mid-interview frights with her staff.
Some jokes involve sending pop stars like Ariana Grande through a haunted house, while other unsuspecting artists like Sam Smith get terrorized twice in the same sit-down. In what might be a record, Taylor Swift has been pranked at least eight separate times over the years by the talk show host’s tomfoolery.
Below, Billboard rounded up the 14 times Ellen scared the daylights out of your favorite pop stars — and don’t miss Billie Eilish’s upcoming appearance on Ellen set for April Fools Day on Monday, when the rising singer/songwriter gets spooked by a man jumping out of a box who may or may not be Justin Bieber. Watch here to see just what we mean.
Billie Eilish
Taylor Swift
Selena Gomez
Miley Cyrus
BTS
Justin Bieber
Niall Horan
Adam Levine
P!nk
Sam Smith
Ariana Grande
Kacey Musgraves
Jennifer Lopez
Carrie Underwood