What happens in the desert doesn't always stay in the desert.
Coachella 2023 is one weekend down with one left to go and the second round will have a lot to live up to, thanks to the headline-making antics of some of the celebrities in attendance. Exes Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello were spotted making out in Palm Springs, while new couple Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny were seen getting cozy after she cheered the singer on during his April 14 headlining set. Plus, Frank Ocean cut his time on stage amid rumors of tension with concert organizers.
Still, like festival queen Vanessa Hudgens, drama is a longtime loyal attendee of Coachella, with plenty of OMG occurrences going down in the desert since it began in 1999. From last-minute canceled concerts to surprise on-stage smooches, we're looking back at some of the most shocking happenings as we rest up ahead of weekend two.
So, grab your flower crown, put on some body glitter and get some water to stay hydrated in that dry desert heat as we dive into the most shocking moments from Coachella:
Mr. West was not in the building—or should we say the desert?—in 2022, with the rapper canceling his headlining set just days before the festival was set to begin.
At the time, a source close to Ye told E! News the rapper decided to exit the Sunday lineup "to focus on himself" amid his divorce from Kim Kardashian and her relationship with Pete Davidson at the time. As the source shared, "It's a lot of pressure and stress on him right now."
Long before Scandoval was ever a thing, the Bravo universe was rocked by the news that Raquel Leviss—the ex fiancee of James Kennedy—was allegedly spotted making out with Tom Schwartz, the ex-husband of Katie Maloney.
While the pair would eventually go on to kiss at Scheana Marie's Mexico wedding, their first smooch did not happen in Palm Springs. "Guys hate to break it to you," Schwartz tweeted in April 2022, "but I wasn't at Coachella."
And during a season 10 episode of Vanderpump Rules, it was revealed that Raquel's makeout partner was Brock Davies' Australian friend Joey Lennon, who kind of looks like Schwartz if he "had ambition and follow-through," Schwartz joked.
Back in 2015, the Queen of Pop caused quite the stir when she planted a smooch on the "Hotline Bling" rapper, much to his surprise. "Oh s--t," he said on stage. "What the f--k just happened?"
Though his seemingly less-than enthused reaction to the kiss made more headlines than the actual performance did, Drake later cleared the air on social media. "Don't misinterpret my shock!!" he wrote at the time. "I got to make out with the queen Madonna and I feel [100] about that forever."
Less than one week before Solange was slated to take the stage in 2019, the "Don't Touch My Hair" singer—who made a surprise appearance during her big sister Beyonce's historic set the year prior—bowed out. (Queen Bey's set was delayed a year because of her pregnancy, BTW.)
"Due to major production delays, Solange will unfortunately no longer be performing at this year's festival," Coachella tweeted at the time. "She sends her sincerest apologies, and looks forward to performing at Coachella in the future."
Forget music at a sushi restaurant as it was all about the "As It Was" artist's Gucci ring in the desert when Harry lost a lion-themed piece of jewelry while performing on stage during his headlining set in 2022.
After the mishap occurred, the Twitter account @hereharrysring was established by the people who found the ring with the purpose of getting the designer piece returned to Harry's House. And guess what? Mission accomplished.
When Harry appeared on Today the following month, he was rocking the bling. "I think some of the fans kind of like got in touch with someone who found it on the field," he said, "and I got it back yesterday."
Every fashion influencer's favorite online brand Revolve was forced to shut down comparisons between its Revolve Festival and the infamous Fyre Festival after party attendees spoke out on social media about the challenges they said they faced getting transportation, food, water and other essentials while at the 2022 celebration. But the global retailer insisted it had the best intentions in mind while planning the fête.
"In anticipation of the high level of interest in attending REVOLVE Festival this year, REVOLVE worked closely with all appropriate city and safety authorities to ensure a safe and secure path for guests to access the 2-day invitation-only event," a representative exclusively told E! News at teh time. "With an event of this magnitude, city regulations mandate an off-site location for guest check-in and parking, as well as licensed shuttle transportation to and from the venue. The off-site lot was set up with guest parking, as well as rideshare drop-off and pickup access with added WIFI for car booking, restrooms, shade, water, medics and security."
This revelation is NSFDC (aka Not Safe for Disney Channel)! In a December 2021 TikTok, The Jonas Brothers singer revealed that he was high during an iconic photo from the 2016 festival.
"Thinking no one can tell I'm high at Coachella." Joe captioned the photo along with the Tyra Banks TikTok sound originating from America's Next Top Model. "It is so bad, I want to give you a 'zero,'" Joe mouthed in the viral video. "But it's so bad, I give you a 'one.'"