Celebrities have been seen donning their preferred unattractive holiday sweaters, ranging from tops inspired by popular culture to pullovers featuring challah bread, during the merry season. For instance, Taylor Swift urged attendees to fully embrace the Christmas spirit at her 30th birthday gathering in December 2019. She captioned a selection of Instagram pictures from the event with, "Happy birthday but make it Santa."
On a December 2019 episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, Kelly Ripa challenged the notion that her and cohost Ryan Seacrest's holiday outfits were unattractive. Elaborating on this, she shared, "In my household, holiday sweaters were a tradition. We fondly referred to them as holiday sweaters and they were a part of our wardrobe throughout the year."
Ripa continued by describing the sweaters as "delightful," expressing, "They serve as a symbol of our joyful nature."
Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of stars wearing their favorite Christmas sweaters — and decide whether the getups should be deemed ugly:
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Celebs Who Have Gotten in the Holiday Spirit With Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Many famous individuals have been seen wearing their preferred unattractive holiday sweaters during the festive season, ranging from tops inspired by popular culture to pullovers featuring challah bread.
As an example, Taylor Swift urged attendees at her 30th birthday gathering in December 2019 to fully embrace the Christmas theme. The Grammy winner shared a set of photos from the event on Instagram, with the caption "Happy birthday but make it Santa."
On a December 2019 episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan, Kelly Ripa questioned the notion that her and cohost Ryan Seacrest's holiday outfits were unattractive. Ripa clarified, "In my household, we always had holiday sweaters. We used to refer to them as holiday sweaters, never as ugly sweaters because we wore them throughout the year."
Further, Ripa described the sweaters as "delightful," expressing, "They truly reflect our joyful personalities."
Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of stars wearing their favorite Christmas sweaters — and decide whether the getups should be deemed ugly:
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Jason Kelce
The Philadelphia Eagles center appeared joyful in a festive white sweater adorned with red and green ornaments as he posed alongside his wife, Kylie, and their three daughters — Wyatt, Elliotte, and Bennett — for their family's 2023 Christmas card. The snapshot also captured their beloved dogs, Winnie and Baloo.
Credit: Courtesy of Bethenny Frankel/Instagram
Bethenny Frankel
In December 2021, during the holiday season, the founder of Skinnygirl stood in front of a vibrant pink Christmas tree. Her outfit consisted of a festive sweater paired with a fluffy white miniskirt. Alongside the photo, she engaged with her 2.4 million Instagram followers by asking their opinion on the sweater's design: "What are your thoughts on this Christmas sweater? Ugly or pretty?"
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Peter Weber
"Merry Christmas and A Very Happy New Year," exclaimed Barb Weber, the mother of the previous Bachelor, as she shared a delightful snapshot on Instagram in December 2020. The captivating photo showcased the Weber family's festive holiday sweaters, adorned with charming snowflakes and playful airplane motifs.
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Lauren Akins and Thomas Rhett
The couple featured in a delightful Instagram photo she shared in December 2019, donning unattractive Christmas sweaters for their traditional 12th annual gathering. Her sweater showcased a Christmas tree on the front, adorned with the words "ho, ho, ho" scrolled across the bottom, while his sweater amusingly read, "Merry Christmas ya filthy animal."
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Kevin and Eniko Hart
The comedian and his spouse sported coordinated sweaters and festive reindeer horns at a December 2019 event. Eniko shared more snapshots of the duo on Instagram, labeling them as the pinnacle of ugliness for the occasion.
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Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest
The former talk show cohosts rocked matching Christmas sweaters during their annual “Holiday Sweater Party” on Live With Kelly and Ryan in December 2019.
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Hugh Jackman
Jackman wore this green and red Christmas sweater with a gold bow while hanging out with pal Ryan Reynolds in December 2019.
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Tori Spelling
In December 2019, Spelling donned a Kris Jenner Christmas sweater while roaming the streets of Los Angeles. The unique cardigan proudly displays the words, "Santa works hard, but Kris Jenner works harder."
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Jenny McCarthy
McCarthy emulated Spelling by donning her very own Kris Jenner sweater. In December 2019, McCarthy sported the exact same jumper during her recording session for her SiriusXM radio show in New York City.
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Mariah Carey
The Queen of Christmas embraced the festive season in December 2019 with a delightful Nutcracker-themed sweater. "This is too much Alexa, you're hilarious @amazonmusic @amazon," she playfully wrote as the caption to an Instagram video featuring herself and her children, Monroe and Moroccan.
Credit: Courtesy Taylor Swift/Instagram
Taylor Swift
Swift rang in her 30th birthday in style, sporting a festive Christmas sweater at an unforgettable holiday bash in December 2019. Joining her were the likes of Cazzie David and Jack Antonoff, who also embraced the festive spirit with their holiday frocks.
Sharing the joyous occasion on Instagram with more party snapshots, Swift expressed her gratitude towards her beloved fans. "Honestly, celebrating my 30th with the incredible fans who have shaped my life at jingle ball, and then hosting the most epic holiday party known to womankind," she captioned. "I am genuinely blessed to have all of you, and I will forever strive to find ways to show my appreciation. *Emotional in the presence of a Christmas tree*."
Credit: Courtesy Taylor Swift/Instagram
Jonathan Van Ness and Antoni Porowski
The Queer Eye costars brought out their inner Santa Claus in fun Christmas sweaters at Swift’s holiday-themed 30th birthday shindig.
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John Legend
The “All of Me” singer went for a sexy Christmas look with an elf-themed sweater vest at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in December 2019.
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Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph
In December 2019, the ex-couple from The Bachelor sported coordinated sweaters and beanies featuring cute cat designs. Randolph playfully teased, "Guess who has become a cat lover now, everyone." Clay Harbor, from Bachelor Nation, jokingly commented that Underwood's dog Sniper would be envious.
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The former cohosts of Live showcased their strong bond (and festive enthusiasm!) by donning a cozy fireplace sweater that they shared, accessorized with matching reindeer headpieces and stockings. Seacrest playfully captioned the adorable picture with "go ugly or go home" on his Instagram.
Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest
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Whoopi Goldberg
The View cohost loves ugly Christmas sweaters so much that she has her own collection available at Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s Bay!
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Hillary Clinton
The former secretary of state sported a colorful cardigan while reading A Night Before Christmas to children at the White House with Bill Clinton in 1998.
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Meghan Trainor
The “All About That Bass” singer lit up (literally) in a Christmas light-adorned black sweater with a festive skirt at 102.7 KIISFM’s 2015 Jingle Ball.
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Matt Damon
The Oscar winner stayed warm in an ugly Santa sweater vest during a 2011 Today show interview.
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Kelly Clarkson
In 2013, Clarkson received an unattractive sweater from Ellen DeGeneres, which she proudly flaunted on Twitter. She amusingly mentioned how her dogs followed her around due to the popcorn constantly falling off the sweater.
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Ashley Tisdale
Spreading joy and holiday cheer, the actress encouraged fans to participate in a heartwarming gesture. By sharing their ugly Christmas sweater photos and tagging St. Jude and Kmart, each selfie contributed to a generous donation of $1 per picture towards this remarkable organization.
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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton
The duo posed with friends in traditional Christmas gear.
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Kaley Cuoco
The actress posed alongside her former Big Bang Theory costar Johnny Galecki in a sweater that showed off all the beloved aspects of Christmas.
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Craig Robinson
The Office alum probably ended up on the naughty list after wearing this sweater.
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Miley Cyrus
The singer showed off her cheeky marijuana-inspired sweater but has since opened up about her sobriety.
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David Beckham
The athlete displayed his love for the holidays and Game of Thrones.
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Reese Witherspoon
The actress posed with her pups in a cheery holiday sweater from her Draper James line.
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Howie Mandel
Who said it had to be a Christmas sweater? We’re definitely a fan of this challah bread Hanukkah sweater.
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Ilana Glazer
This Biggie Smalls sweater is perfect for any broad in the city.
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Ozzy Osbourne
The musician rocked a Gremlins sweater with enthusiasm.
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DNCE
Joe Jonas and his bandmates went all out in custom sweaters.
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Ryan Reynolds
Reynolds was duped by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, who convinced him that they were going to a festive gathering. "Those nuggets claimed it was a sweater party," he exclaimed alongside the uproarious picture.
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Reese Witherspoon
Witherspoon donned a festive blue sweater while volunteering with ex-husband Jim Toth and their son, Tennessee, in December 2022.
“It's that time of year to give back and spread some holiday cheer by donating toys, coats, and diapers to local shelters,” Witherspoon announced on her Instagram page. "Let's also tackle the challenge of wrapping those awkwardly sized presents together!"
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Meghan Trainor
Trainor, the talented singer known for her hit song "Made You Look," recently shared a video with her husband, Daryl Sabara, where she proudly displayed her festive turtleneck for the holiday season. In the caption of the Instagram post, she playfully asked Santa for the gift of another child, using the hashtags #NaughtyList, #Christmas, #Spykids, and #Sleigh.