17 Hilarious and Awkward Zoom Fails

When the pandemic hit, the majority of people around the world were forced to work from home. This meant meetings that usually took place in an office setting progressed into the future and were conducted on the internet using various platforms. One of the most popular that is still used today is Zoom. This simple application makes it easy to organize meetings with a large number of people from all over the world. But like all communication, not everyone knows what they are doing, leading to some hilarious and awkward Zoom fails.  

These funny conversations and moments often result when people are unfamiliar with the software (including other options like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex Meetings) they are using and end up broadcasting all manner of weird backgrounds when in meetings. Many of these Zoom fails also feature people walking in on calls at inappropriate moments or causing distractions that will induce belly-aching laughter. 

While the people involved in these Zoom fails probably didn’t find the situations funny, they provided plenty of laughs for everyone else over lockdown and beyond. So here are some of the best Zoom fails that will have you chuckling along and making sure you never use the wrong filter next time you have an online meeting. 

17 Hilarious and Awkward Zoom Fails

Inside Edition/YouTube

1. Cat Filter

Lawyer Rod Ponton found himself struggling with a cat filter after joining a meeting with two other gentlemen. As he and his assistant tried to get rid of the filter, the cat mimicked Ponton, so it appeared as if the cat was actually speaking. 

“I’m here live. I’m not a cat,” Ponton confirmed, raising a smirk on the face of Jerry L. Phillips, one of the men involved in the meeting. 

2. No Pants 

At the end of a chat with his work colleagues, Tony Russell said his goodbyes and got up to stretch, not realizing he was still in the meeting. This wouldn’t be a big deal normally except for the fact that Russell was only wearing his underwear. As his co-workers erupted with laughter, Russell walked around his lounge until one of the gang called him to let him know they could still see him, at which point Russell rushed into the next room to put some pants on. 

3. Upside-Down Filter

Poor Congressman Tom Emmer got himself in a kerfuffle when speaking during a House Financial Services call. Not only did he have a blue background surrounding his head, but he had managed to turn himself upside. He couldn’t work out how to change the filter, providing plenty of laughs and promoting one staffer to proclaim, “At least he’s not a cat.” 

4. Handforth Parish Council Meeting Descends Into Chaos

A town meeting between the elderly members of the Handforth Parish got out of control during a Zoom meeting on December 10, 2021. A woman by the name of Jackie Weaver copped a lot of the brunt as she tried to navigate everyone speaking at once and arguing over the top of each other. Insults were thrown as the more vocal participants soon find themselves booted from the chat. Weaver deserves a medal for the way she dealt with the more rowdy members. 

5. Toilet Break

This video is a good reminder to always turn off your mic and camera when going to the toilet during a Zoom meeting. Embarrassed by her mistake, the lady bailed from the meeting as one of her co-workers exclaimed, “I saw nothing.” 

6. Who Let the Children In?

This viral video is actually from 2017 but is still hilarious and worth mentioning. Professor Robert Kelly was being interviewed by the BBC when his daughter burst into the room. Remaining calm and composed, he tried to usher her out when his second child entered the room. Finally, his wife made the save and grabbed the kids and exited, but not before the interview went live to millions of people watching in the U.K. and around the world. 

7. No Pants II

Behind every successful woman is an unsuccessful man not wearing any pants:pic.twitter.com/GZsKPsXhub

— J.R.R. Jokien 🗡️🏹🪓 (@joshcarlosjosh) March 24, 2020

Not wearing pants seems to be a common thread when it comes to Zoom fails. In this video, a woman was having a virtual meeting when her husband appeared in the background in his underpants. When he realized he was on camera he raced off-screen, only to run into the wall and stumble back past the camera. 

8. Goodbye Teacher

This video call was both funny and cute. A teacher accidentally left the class meeting she was conducting, leaving the kids to their own devices. They quickly realized they are being recorded and are on their best behavior, with the conversation ending up around the subject of toast. 

9. Potato Head

my boss turned herself into a potato on our Microsoft teams meeting and can’t figure out how to turn the setting off, so she was just stuck like this the entire meeting pic.twitter.com/uHLgJUOsXk

— clegg (@PettyClegg) March 30, 2020

This person’s boss turned themselves into a potato and couldn’t work out how to change their appearance. So instead of spending too much time trying to change the settings, she continued with the meeting as a potato. Sometimes the best solution is to just ignore everything and keep on going. 

10. Shower Time

Brasil. En pleno zoom entre Bolsonaro y empresarios uno de ellos se estaba duchando .!!! pic.twitter.com/t6J6Hy4zO1

— Andrés Repetto (@andresrepetto) May 14, 2020

Somehow this guy thought he could get away with having a shower while on a Zoom call. We assume he forgot to turn off his camera or just thought that with so many people in the meeting, nobody would notice as he washed his hair. 

11. Press the Mute Button

The mute button is there for a reason. This student found out the hard way when they dropped a few expletives during a class lecture. The best part about this video was the looks on the other student’s faces who can’t believe what they are hearing. Even the teacher looked shocked, although she carried on like a trooper, reminding everyone that there is a mute button.

12. Cat Interruption

When you are a member of parliament and conducting a live interview you want to make sure you have everything in order. While the U.K. MP John Nicolson was dressed sharply and sitting in his nicely decorated home, he forgot to make sure his cat was outside. Affectionately known as Rocco, the cat’s tail can be seen on screen obscuring Nicolson’s face, prompting him to say; “Rocco, put your tail down.”

Rocco didn’t listen and you can hear the laughter from the other people who are part of the meeting as the cat did what it liked. 

13. No Pants III

Another case of no pants on a Zoom call, this time City Councillor David Benson-Pope was caught dusting his study with his video turned on. To be fair to Benson-Pope, a lot of people wore a similar outfit – business on top, party down below – while on Zoom calls, but not too many got caught with a feather duster in their hand. 

14. Shut Up Mom

When the pandemic hit many schools and universities changed to online teaching, with Zoom being one of the main ways teachers could connect with their students. In this video, one student got a little distracted by his mom and goes off on her, much to the astonishment and hilarity of his classmates. His teacher doesn’t seem to know what to do and is momentarily stunned before resuming the lesson.

15. Bunny Ears

Being stuck at home with the kids when you’re also trying to work is not easy to manage, as this woman quickly discovered. While giving a talk on meditation her young daughter climbed up onto the benchtop behind her and tried to give her the bunny ears. Not content with that distraction, she began dancing as her mother told people they need to try and block out these distractions as best they can. 

16. Fake Zoom Background

Republican State Senator Andrew Brenner went viral when he jumped into a Zoom meeting while driving. He put up a fake background of his home, but the seatbelt and his head on a constant swivel made it easy to deduce he was in the car and not at home in his office. 

It just so happened that a bill had been passed that same day in regard to penalties being handed out to distracted drivers, making this Zoom fail that little bit funnier. 

17. Unexpected Guest 

This Zoom fail is adorable. The man in the pink shirt, who appeared to be the boss, had to step away from the computer for a minute. During this time his young daughter appeared and showed the other members of the meeting a picture of her mom giving her dad money, commenting that her mom says he “spends too much on the Super Bowl,” bringing about hoots of laughter from the others in the meeting.