"Bear Stearns Is Fine!" — Narrator: It Was Not Fine

Just six days after Cramer's emphatic reassurance, Bear Stearns collapsed entirely. On March 16, 2008, JPMorgan Chase acquired Bear Stearns in an emergency sale for just $2 per share — down from $93 the week Cramer made this call. The deal was later raised to $10 per share, but investors who followed Cramer's advice lost approximately 90% of their investment almost overnight.

This remains one of the most infamous calls in financial television history, and is frequently cited as Exhibit A for why viewers should be skeptical of TV pundits' stock picks.