Vitalii Sediuk

Vitalii Sediuk was born on November 14, 1988, in Boryspil, Ukraine. After graduating from high school, he began attending Wisconsin International University in Ukraine to pursue a degree in economics. At 19, Sediuk, who was still a second-year student at his university, decided to become a television personality.

Vitalii Sediuk began his professional career as an intern for the Ukrainian TV "TET" channel. He joined ‘Breakfast’ in 2009 and in the next two years, interviewed the likes of Bill Clinton, Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue, Toni Braxton, Will Smith, Pamela Anderson, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Monica Bellucci. He first drew public attention in 2011 during the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Sediuk, dressed as a Ukrainian Prince, asked a BBC presenter if she would marry him.

It was the incident with Madonna that made both the celebrities and the public truly aware of Sediuk. He knew beforehand how much the pop icon hates hydrangeas. At the 2011 Venice Film Festival on 1 September, he gifted her a bouquet of the flowers and she was seen expressing her disdain before the press. It sparked a controversy about Madonna’s apparent treatment of her fans.

On May 18, 2012, he was slapped by Will Smith after he kissed the actor at the premiere of ‘Men in Black 3’ in Moscow. Smith, understandably agitated, asked, “What the hell is your problem, buddy?” Sediuk later apologised to Smith in an appearance on CBS.

At the 2013 Grammy Awards, he got on the stage without any ticket and credential. Adele was receiving her award for best solo performance at the time. Sediuk ran up to the microphone and murmured, “A moment broadcast around the world but noticed by very few." He was later charged with several offences to which he pleaded no contest and was subsequently suspended for six months.

He tried to make a grand entrance at the 85th Academy Awards wearing a drag costume but was turned away by the security. In January 2014, he debuted a new prank where he would kneel at a celebrity’ feet and bury his face in his groin. His first victim was Bradley Cooper who was attending the 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards when the incident occurred. Leonard DiCaprio was subjected to this as well, at the 2014 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. However, when he attempted the same with Brad Pitt, he ended up being arrested by the Los Angeles police.