While A-list celebs from Ryan Gosling to Johnny Depp appeared at San Diego Comic-Con to promote their blockbuster studio projects, several brands launched free activations for fans downtown — with or without the pricey passes.

Here’s a rundown of the top activations:

Carnie Wilson had a “fangirl” moment with Kristy McNichol decades after the actress’ retirement.

“Totally fangirling!!!” the singer, 58, recently gushed via Facebook. “Kris ( Kristy McNichol) was a part of my youth. I adored her in her movies … especially ‘Little Darlings’ and ‘The End.’”

The Wilson Phillips member told McNichol, who left the entertainment industry in 2001, “how meaningful her movies are to [her] and [her] bestie.”

Carnie noted in the July 20 upload that she and her pal “were just talking about her … and how special” the 63-year-old is.

Calling McNichol a “gracious sweetie,” she concluded that the “Bionic Woman” star “sure is loved.”

She snapped a selfie with the rarely-seen star, with McNichol smiling in a zip-up jacket and white tee.

Carnie, for her part, sported a patterned top and a black beanie in the cozy shot.

McNichol was a child star who won two Emmys for her role as Letitia “Buddy” Lawrence on “Family” between 1976 and 1980.

Her other notable TV role included Barbara Weston in “Empty Nest,” a “Golden Girls” spinoff.

She is best known for playing Angel in “Little Darlings” in 1980 and Polly in “Only When I Laugh” the following year.

McNichol was nominated for a Golden Globe for the latter.

When she retired from the entertainment industry, McNichol released a statement reading, “My feeling was that it was time to play my biggest part – myself! I must say that it has been the best thing that ever happened to me. So many fans are disappointed that I’m not currently acting; however, some may not realize that the process I’m in at this time is necessary and vital for my personal happiness.”

She chatted with People about the decision in 2014.

“I was on the big stage between ages 8 and 30,” McNichol explained. “I left show business for a variety of reasons, but a big one was my interest in learning what else there is in life.

“This phase of my life is so good,” she continued. “My home life is happy and serene. I love singing. I also enjoy traveling and seeing the world. One of my favorite stops is Hawaii. I like everything about it and may eventually move there part-time.” 

When asked about plans to return to her Hollywood career, McNichol quipped, “Never say never.”

Usher quickly put a stop to sexily serenading a fan onstage after she got visibly uncomfortable.

In a now-viral moment from the singer’s performance in Nashville on The R&B Tour with Chris Brown on Saturday, a woman from the audience got pulled onstage as the chosen fan Usher sings to. But as a shirtless Usher started singing to her, she looked painfully uncomfortable, though he continued to try to interact with her by lightly touching her chin and face.

But when he tried to get her to recline on the onstage bed and she stiffly moved back, the 47-year-old singer pulled away.

“I don’t think she want to be on the stage, huh?” he asked the audience, looking bewildered.

Eventually, the “Yeah!” singer stepped away from her completely and waved his hand backwards towards the stage in a signal to bring the fan off, looking annoyed as some fans began to boo.

The fan later took to social media to clap back at criticism she received, responding to comments that she should have never agreed to go onstage if she didn’t want to be there.

“First off NOBODY is declining to go on stage,” she wrote. “I looked good asf, you think I wasn’t going to let THOUSANDS of people see me?”

She shared that she and her mom had floor seats to the show, and she was moved up to the VIP section before the concert even started due to “pretty privileges.”

“They don’t say who you’re going up there for!” she wrote. “Y’all wanted me to go up there and f–k him atp?”

On Sunday, she posted selfies, and pointedly captioned her post, “Unbothered 😘.”

But she continued to defend herself on her Instagram Stories, insisting her attitude wasn’t “nasty.”

“Y’all aren’t gonna get on the internet calling me out my name and disrespecting me and expect me to keep it cool!” she expressed, adding, “Don’t think that yall are gonna bully me about an experience that yall didn’t get!”

Usher is known for his spicy concert interactions with fans. His bodyguard hilariously went viral in 2024 for seemingly looking disgusted on the Past Present Future Tour, during the part of the singer’s show when he would let audience members seductively eat cherries.

Usher’s co-headliner, Chris Brown, also went viral in September 2025 but for an entirely different reaction that he got to pulling a fan onstage — that fan being Travis Kelce’s ex Kayla Nicole.

Brown, 37, gave Nicole, 34, a sensual lap dance while singing his 2007 hit, “Take You Down,” during the singer’s Breezy Bowl XX Tour stop in Los Angeles, prompting mixed reaction online. Some fans thought the two went too far, while others praised Nicole for seizing the moment.