No one can escape those awkward pre-teen years — not even the ugly ducklings who grew up to be the swans we now call celebrities.
While most of us wish our cringeworthy pre-pubescent photos would be forever banished to photo albums in our mothers’ basements, celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, Andy Cohen, and Olivia Wilde are now sharing their own embarrassing pictures with the world — for a good cause.
Last week, Stephen Colbert and actor Nick Kroll launched the ‘PuberMe’ campaign on The Late Show, asking stars to post their funny tween snaps from around the age of 13 on social media.
For every celebrity who posts a picture, Colbert promised to make a donation to help Puerto Rico from his ‘ice cream fund’, a charity using proceeds from sales of his Ben & Jerry’s AmeriCone Dream ice cream. Kroll will be matching the donations.
With a challenge like that, the stars delivered, uploading their most awkward — and amusing — old photos to Instagram and Twitter.
Celebrities like John Oliver (pictured) are sharing their awkward pre-pubescent photos on Instagram and Twitter for a good cause
Girls star Lena Dunham (pictured) joined in the fun after Nick Kroll and Stephen Colbert started the PuberMe challenge
Andy Cohen wasn’t always the confident, charismatic Bravo personality he is today
From his flashback photo, it seems Jimmy Fallon was always a good-natured goofball
This photo was taken in 1992 — which was only six years before Topher Grace landed a starring role as Eric Foreman on That ’70s Show
The hosts of Live with Kelly and Ryan have come quite a long way
Kelly Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos appeared to be trying really hard to grow a mustache when he was in eighth grade back in 1983
Jason Isaacs thinks he was ‘epically cool even in ’76’ — thought it’s hard to imagine this kid would grow up to play the menacing Lucius Malfoy
It’s not such a surprise that McLovin, aka Christopher Mintz-Plasse, was a dorky kid
Olivia Wilde’s ‘awkward’ picture is enviable for most, but the star joked that what she ‘lacked in eyebrows’, she made up for in ‘chin-ne’
The funniest thing about Amy Schumer’s photo — with her shirtless older brother — is bedroom wall decked out in Beverly Hills, 90210 posters
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom showed off her homemade Halloween costume (she was ‘Mother Nature’)
Dexter acress Julie Benz remarked on how much blue eyeshadow she wore back in eighth grade
Kathy Griffin quipped of this picture, ‘and I wonder why I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 20’
Reese Witherspoonsaid she has ‘giant glasses’ and ‘awkward hands’ at 14, though it’s clear she was adorable even during her awkward stage
Stephen Colbert started the ball rolling by sharing this shot of himself in braces and said he’d donate to help Puerto Rico for every celebrity who joined in
He was inspired by Nick Kroll’s ‘PuberMe’ idea, and Kroll said he’d match Colbert’s donations
A bunch of late night talk show hosts followed suit, including Jimmy Kimmel — who tellingly posted in front of a car with a L8 Nite plate as a teen (left)
With his red hair and freckles, Conan O’Brien is instantly recognizable
Billy on the Street’s Billy Eichner shared this edited picture, which includes shots of himself (right) and Fred Armisen (left) as kids
After uploading this snap, Community star Gillian Jacobs recreated it as an adult
Game of Thrones star Lena Headey had a lot of growing up to do before snagging the role of Cersei Lannister
Jane Seymour picked this costumed snap from a dance performance
Ali Larter was ‘full on Jersey’ in this old snap, years before starring in Legally Blonde and Heroes
It probably wasn’t long after Cougar Town’s Busy Phillips posed for this pictured that she appeared on Freaks and Geeks
One of the hardest to recognize, Vanna White hardly looks like herself in this ninth grade photo without a glittering gown, blonde hair, and Wheel of Fortune letters to flip
James van der Beek was already acting when he half-blinked through this picture
This picture of America Ferrera seems to be from her 2002 Disney Channel movie Gotta Kick It Up!
John Mulaney thinks the photographer is to blame for this photo of him at 14 during a homecoming dance
The Office star Angela Kinsey embraced the ’80s as a teen
At 14, Michelle Monaghan had ’14lbs of hair’ — and managed to get some enviable volume
Abbi Jacobson of Broad City has lost the baby fat (and the unfortunate velvet dress)
One of Abbi’s Broad City co-stars, Arturo Castro said his backpack and fanny pack were a fashion statement
James Corden (left) and Patton Oswalt (right) joined in the fundraising fun
As the host of Full Frontal, Samantha Bee is no-nonsense these days — but there was plenty of nonsense in this flashback photo
Scandal star Bellamy Young looked every bit the ’80s prom queen in her picture
Weekend Update co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che both lost some baby fat and gained some charm since they were kids
Saturday Night Live’s Vanessa Bayer was big on embellished sweaters
Quite a few SNL stars past and present joined in, including Sasheer Zameta (left) and Kyle Mooney (right)
Aidy Bryant had previously shared a cute flashback photo in an SNL short
Jenny Slate picked the ultimate in embarrassing flashbacks: a Bat Mitzvah photo
Grey’s Anatomy star Kate Walsh was clearly years of braces away from becoming a star
Community and Mad Men star Alison Brie had the misfortune to wear headgear as a kid
Comedian Rob Riggle appeared unable to close his mouth for this basketball team photo
Kevin Nealon (left) and Michael Bloomberg (right) suited up in their old photos
Argo actress Clea DuVall seamed to be all about that late 80s/early 90s fashion
The Mick star Kaitlin Olson may have done well to invest in hairspray
It’s Always Sunny star Charlie Day pulled double duty with a guitar and harmonica
Bryan Greenberg had an adorable toothy grin long before making girls swoon on The Mindy Project, One Tree Hill, and How to Make it in America
Mindy Project co-stars Ike Barinholtz and Fortune Feimster had some fun, too
Adam Pally, also of the Mindy Project and Making History, always liked to goof around
Aisha Tyler is the hostess with the mostest on Who’s Line is it Anyway, but her dance moves as a teen left something to be desired
Girls star Andrew Rannells highlighted his awkward stage in sixth grade
Michelle Trachtenberg added her photo, though the actress was photogenic enough as a kid to star in Harriet the Spy and Pete and Pete
Hangover star Ken Jeong seemed to be playing grown-up in his old picture
The Shield star Michael Chiklis, 54, had a seriously ’70s haircut as a kid
My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Nia Vardalos wore some unfortunate glasses
Sex and the City star Mario Cantone looks like he had a unibrow when he was younger
Comedian Whitney Cummings said she thought this leotard was a good idea — but it wasn’t
TV personality Julie Chen uploaded her old photo to Instagram this weekend
Pitch Perfect star Skylar Astin had his awkward years, too, before starring opposite Anna Kendrick and marrying Anna Camp
Chance the Rapper went deep with his photo, picking one of him as a little kid instead of a tween
Melissa Joan Hart was a star as a tween, which is a tad unfair — she looks quite cool with fellow actress Brandy
Mayim Bialik’s Blossom days may look like unfortunate fashion moments now, but she was a trendsetter
Candace Cameron Bure shared a glamour shot, while her friend (and Sabrina the Teenage Witchactress) Lindsay Sloane offered up a photo of the two together
Not everyone has cause for embarrassment. Jordana Brewster looked pretty cool in 1996
Sarah Silverman was sporty and not-so-smiley in her old picture
Lauren Lapksu got over her awkward phase and grew up to appear in a long list of comedies
Weird Al Yankovic didn’t abandon being weird — he embraced it
We bet Judd Apatow flashes the same awkward grin when he cashes in his movie millions
Comedian Rachael Harris embraced the ’80s with her hair and outfit
Abigail Spencer gave her best boy band stare to the camera
Clark Gregg doesn’t look so smooth here, but he grew up to play Marvel’s Agent Phil Coulson
Sara Rue said she was really into The Cure around the time she took this picture
Yvette Nicole Brown said she was rocking ’80s era mom hair’ in her glamour shot