Which moment embarrassed you most?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Brandi Carlile said elsewhere, not written here
Leaving the stage from a panic attack in my 20s. Hearing the audience angry.

The Q&A, The Guardian, 22 November 2025 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 122 →
I recently had a dramatic fall on stage in Hungary. It was a massive stage – I was miles away from the audience – and I didn’t expect there to be two monitors in the middle of it. I went completely arse over tit and landed on my chin. First, I felt shock, pain, embarrassment, and then I felt lucky that I didn’t break any teeth or bite through my tongue. I asked for an ice pack for my chin, got up and finished the set.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 16 September 2023 source ↗
I remember being a teenager and writing this romantic short story in the style of the Brontës on a computer and I didn’t realise that the person whose computer it was could just print it out. A group of boys had a couple of pages and they were all reading it.
Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 September 2023 source ↗
Rita Wilson American actress, singer, and producer
I was doing a photoshoot right after an awards show and I was talking about someone whose makeup I really didn’t like. I said: “She’s gorgeous, I don’t understand how a makeup artist could encourage that?” And the makeup artist on the photoshoot said: “I did her makeup.”
Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 April 2023 source ↗

More from Brandi Carlile

View profile →

More on failure & regret

Also answered this

Zack Polanski, Toby Stephens, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Tuppence Middleton, Harlan Coben, Jane Asher

Search the directory for somebody in particular.

Explore further

Report this answer