5 Well Known Musical Guest Stars in Sitcoms

*Originally published on 8/11/10


Artists often have a tendency to do it all. Actors want to sing, singers want to act and the phenomenon stretches across all fields. While many singers go into starring in movie roles, there have been a few who have tried their hands at comedy by taking guest spots in sitcoms.

5. The Smashing Pumpkins in The Simpsons: Season 7, Episode 24: Homerpalooza. Original airdate: May 19, 1996

Over the decades, a lot of big name celebrities have appeared on The Simpsons. It's only natural that some of those would be musicians. While The Rolling Stones and Sting have also appeared, this band stands out as one of my favorites. The episode was well done and while they didn't have a large part in the episode, their presence still made for some great jokes.

4. Britney Spears in How I Met Your Mother: Everything Must Go (episode 3.19 aired 5/12/2008) and Ten Sessions (episode 3.13 aired 3/24/08)

I haven't actually watched this show. I've seen bits and it's widely loved by people who watch it, but I haven't had a chance to really check it out. Recently, pop sensation Britney Spears appeared on a couple of episodes as a receptionist. Her performances were well received and the experience acted as a bright spot when it seemed like everything was going down the tubes for the tabloid favorite.

3. Korn on South Park episode 3.12: Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery aired 10/27/99

South Park has lampooned several celebrities over the years. While most of these were impersonated, early on, people would come in to voice themselves. This situation presented itself with the metal band, Korn, who appeared in a Halloween episode in one of the early seasons. Playing against their dark image, the band was portrayed akin to the Mystery Inc gang from Scooby Doo making for an interesting, and quite funny, contrast. It's always nice when big names have no trouble poking fun at themselves and this was the case. It seemed like they had a lot of fun with it.

2. Snoop Dogg on King of the Hill and The Bernie Mac Show

Snoop Dogg's always fun to watch for one reason or another. It's no surprise that his guest appearances are memorable. His distinct voice also lent itself to appearing on the animated sitcom, King of the Hill.

1. Robert Smith on South Park episode 1.12 Mecha-Streisand aired 2/18/98

I was hoping to get appearances from five different shows, but alas, no dice. While this guest spot happened early in the season, it still remains one of my favorites from the show's run. Smith is one of the few celebrities who got put in a postive light, saving the world from the destruction of Mecha-Streisand. You get the feeling that Matt and Trey are big fans of The Cure.

Musicians continue to try and diversify their performance portfolio. Sitcoms seem to be a great way to test the waters of acting for television. Often times, they just play themselves, but it can still be funny if the script is strong enough.