The Men in Black movies don't just reveal that extra-terrestrials live amongst us - they show that some of our most beloved celebrities are really aliens. This has been a popular running gag since the original Men in Black in 1997, and is, of course, continued in new release Men in Black: International.
While Agents J and K (played by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, respectively) are no longer the focus of the MiB franchise, there are still plenty of other agents protecting Earth from alien invasion. Agent H, played by Chris Hemsworth, and Agent M played by Tessa Thompson, team up as part of the London faction of MiB, traveling the globe fending off alien attacks. The ensuing adventure hits a lot of franchise tropes, from neuralzsers to tiny CG alien friends. Along the way, Men in Black: International, manages to have some fun and confirm that several well-known famous faces are really from outer space.
Getting actors and others to jokingly reveal they're aliens is actually a rather mundane task, with the producers ringing through their Rolodex to get some willing participants. Fortunately, a lot have been game. With now four movies of surprises, here are all the celebrities confirmed to be aliens by the Men in Black movies.
Men In Black
In Men In Black, several celebrities are seen on the surveillance screen and identified as being undercover aliens. They are: weather anchor Al Roker, fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, actor Danny DeVito, Men In Black director Barry Sonnenfeld and his daughter Chloe Sonnenfeld, singer Dionne Warwick, politician Newt Gingrich, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, director George Lucas, executive producer of Men In Black (among other things), Steven Spielberg, and actor Sylvester Stallone. As well as showing the above celebrities' images on screen, there is mention that Elvis Presley is still alive, and has merely gone back to where he came from (which is, apparently, afar). Another celebrity who is name-dropped is Dennis Rodman, who Agent J says is "from that planet."
To decide on the celebrities included, director Sonnenfeld asked his crew for suggestions, and whittled them down to a list he liked. He also added Stallone after Sony complained that there wasn't anyone internationally famous. Those included were happy for Sonnenfeld to use their image and make the alien suggestion, but one proposed name eluded him for Men In Black: Michael Jackson refused to let his image be used.
Men In Black 2
While Michael Jackson didn't want to be identified as an alien in Men in Black, when he did watch the movie he loved it; according to Sonnenfeld, the singer remained seated in the theater, crying, at the end of the movie, to which he later had to explain it was a comedy. Jackson then went on to request a part in Men in Black 2, as long as he got to "wear the black suit." Sonnenfeld obliged, and Michael Jackson plays the small part of Agent M in the movie. He is based in Antarctica, with penguins in the background. Though Sonnenfeld says Jackson plays an agent, in the movie itself, Agent Z does say he's still working on the "alien affirmative action" program, implying that Jackson's character could be otherworldly.
Martha Stewart is also seen on the surveillance screen in Men in Black 2, but not definitely identified as being alien.
Men In Black 3
In Men In Black 3, a number of celebrities appear on the surveillance screen as aliens. As with the previous movies, the cameos are of their time, though since Men In Black 3 was released in 2012, they are (mostly) still relevant today. Those seen on screen as aliens are: singer and actress Lady Gaga, singer Justin Bieber, director Tim Burton, business mogul Richard Branson, Chinese basketball star Ming Yao, and footballer David Beckham. In addition, Microsoft founder Bill Gates appears as the alien Brainoid, while Bill Hader plays Andy Warhol who is identified as Agent W, an artist who secretly works for MiB. As a nod to Michael Jackson's role in Men In Black 2, a statue of Agent M is seen during the movie. Jackson had passed away in 2009.
Men In Black: International
Men In Black: International keeps up the tradition of claiming certain celebrities are aliens. The first one to appear is singer Ariana Grande. She comes up on the surveillance screen as Agent M is introduced to the world of alien invasion, and informed that they do indeed live among us. The second is entrepreneur and engineer Elon Musk. The third celebrity to pop up is Donald Glover, causing Agent M to pause before saying "that one actually does make sense." J.J. Abrams also flashes up briefly, joining the aforementioned George Lucas and Steven Spielberg on the list of esteemed sci-fi directors who, apparently, are not from this planet.
