Celebrities Take Part in ‘Awkward’ Social Media Challenge for Puerto Rico Relief Efforts

There is nothing like looking back at a photo from those awkward teen years to get us through the hard times, quite literally.

In a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, comedian Nick Kroll had an out-of-the box idea to help raise money for the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Taking a page out of his new series on Netflix that digs through the horrors of puberty for big laughs, Kroll challenged celebrities to share photographs of themselves from their “awkward teen years.”

“I’m shouting you out, The Rock. I’m shouting you out, The Hillary Clinton,” he said. However, on a more serious note, he added that “there’s a catharsis in showing who we were and what we became.”

The show’s host, Colbert, made the challenge more fun and beneficial for everyone by vowing to make a donation from his Americone Dream Fund towards hurricane relief for every celebrity that takes part. Kroll, astonished by the news, promised to match the donations as well.

What happened next was our favorite celebrities taking to social media to share images from their awkward teen years for a great cause.

Called the #PuberMe challenge, hundreds of celebrities took part, including the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Conan O’Brien, Lena Headey, Ryan Seacrest and plenty more.

Nick Kroll

To kick off the images, Kroll shared an image of himself at a time when he “hadn’t hit puberty yet,” adding that dressing up as a “tiny mobster in a failed attempt” to look tough compensated for the real thing. Well, sort of.

Stephen Colbert

Late night host, Colbert kept his promise and shared an image of himself from what appears to be his pre-teen years, complete with braces and a large tie.

Reese Witherspoon

Fans were taken aback seeing Reese Witherspoon’s image as many had mistaken the image to be that of her daughter, Ava, whom she shares an incredible resemblance. But as the caption shows, it is in fact the Legally Blonde star, complete with giant glasses and as she puts it, “awkward hands.”

Conan O’Brien

Late night talk show host, Conan O’Brien took part in the relief efforts by sharing an image of himself from his younger days, fresh face and freckled. The 54-year-old funnyman wrote the image was taken the day he replaced David Letterman.

America Ferrera

Superstore and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star, America Ferrera took to Twitter to share an image of her “awkward self,” writing that she has “gotta kick it up.”

Kumail Nanjiani

Stand-up comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani shared an image of himself from his younger years, captioning the image most hilariously, “In my defense, I knew I looked horrible.”

Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon looked cool as ever with the #PuberMe image he shared to Twitter on Saturday. The Tonight Show host was real “squad goals,” wearing his denim washed jeans and oversized sweatshirt.

Sharna Burgess

Before she was a pro on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, Aussie coach, Sharna Burgess was modeling in the early ’90s. Sporting that charm from the decade and thin eyebrows, Burgess is unrecognizable. 

Weird Al

Weird Al Yankovic epitomized what it meant to be a kid in the late ’60s, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and drinking most uniquely from a coconut with a twisted straw.

Clark Gregg

Agents of SHIELD star, Clark Gregg proves he was always a ladies man, even without the Avengers by his side. In an image shared to his social media, Gregg is seen wearing a dapper suit, with a large bow tie.

“Any excuse to share the moment this curtain supporting beast was unleashed ‘pon da laaaadieees,” Gregg wrote. 

Kelly Ripa

Daytime talk show host, Kelly Ripa also shared an image for the #PuberMe challenge that is fitting for the season. Snapped during the ’80s, Ripa throws it back to Halloween, where she dressed as a cat.

Bryan Cranston

Breaking Bad star, Bryan Cranston shared an image of himself on Twitter with his siblings during the early ’60s while they sat among Yogi Bear bubbles.

Ryan Seacrest

American Idol host, Ryan Seacrest took to Twitter to share an image he acquired from his mother, Connie, calling it his “awkward phase.”

James Van Der Beek

Just because we saw James Van Der Beek grow up before our eyes, doesn’t mean the actor never experienced his fair share of “awkward” years. Van Der Beek shared a few images for the #PuberMe challenge revealing that he had problem opening his eyes at that age.

Lena Heady

Game of Thrones actress, Lena Heady shared an image of her teenage years in the ’80s, showing off her horseback riding skills way before she landed the HBO series.

Riki Lindhome

Comedian and actress, Riki Lindhome of Another Period and the Big Bang Theory posted an image of herself, showing off her confidence and charisma, revealing she “never had an awkward phase.”

Steve Martin

The legendary Steve Martin shared an image that proves he has always had it going on. In a black-and-white image shared to his Twitter, Martin posted an image of himself “just before hitting puberty.”

Lena Dunham

Before she became a star on Girls, Lena Dunham was a lot like us — dealing with acne and those annoying blemishes that took over most of our puberty-ridden days. But, she shows it off most adorably.

Seth Rogen

Before being “Superbad,” Seth Rogen epitomized the “Freaks and Geeks” era, well sort of. Sharing an image of himself from junior prom, Rogen reveals he was drunk off peach coolers.

William Shatner

Finally, while celebrities are submitting their awkward #PuberMe photos on Twitter and Instagram, the legendary William Shatner shared one of his images from the early ’60s. Shirtless and with his hands on his waist, it’s an epic shot shot of the Star Trek star.