40 Controversial Moments From Awards Shows That Viewers Won’t Ever Forget

When host Will Rogers announced the Best Director winner at the 1934 Academy Awards, he called out, "Come up and get it, Frank!" So, Lady for a Day director Frank Capra began making his way to the stage — but Will had actually meant Cavalcade director Frank Lloyd. The walk back to his seat was "the longest, saddest, most shattering walk in [his] life."

In 1990, after winning Best New Artist at the Grammys, Milli Vanilli — who was comprised of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan — were forced to give back their Best New Artist award after it was revealed that they didn't actually perform any of the songs on their album Girl You Know It's True, but rather lip-synched to the songs. Nine months after the ceremony, the Recording Academy revoked their award. Apparently, it was a poorly kept secret that the duo didn't actually sing on the album and they even suggested the Best New Artist award be given to the album's actual singers.

Most award show hosts get months to prep material, but comedian Jo Koy was at a disadvantage with less than three weeks’ notice. His widely panned opening monologue saw him likening Barry Keoghan's private parts in Saltburn to Bradley Cooper's prosthetic nose in Maestro and reducing Barbie to a film about a "plastic doll with big chest" - which had the crowd recoiling in their seats, to say the least. Realizing he was bombing, Koy quickly threw his writers under the bus - "a rookie move" considering the previous year's writers' strike. But his crash-and-burn performance ended up doing the Globes a favor, clearing the way for roast MVP Nikki Glaser to host the following year.

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's sizzling on-screen chemistry in A Star Is Born had everyone speculating about a real-life romance, especially after their steamy Shallow performance at the 2019 Oscars. Their breakups only fueled the rumors — Lady Gaga ended her engagement to Christian Carino, while Cooper split from Irina Shayk.

In 1969, Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn tied for Best Actress at the Oscars. Streisand won for Funny Girl, while Hepburn won for The Lion in Winter. Notably, Hepburn did not attend the ceremony, so Anthony Harvey accepted the award on her behalf. This marked Hepburn's third Oscar for Best Actress and Streisand's first. This is the first and only time the Best Actress race has ended in a tie.

Later in the night, as they were being photographed ahead of the Vanity Fair afterparty, Angelina and James briefly kissed. It was actually their second red carpet kiss, following a moment from the Golden Globes a few months earlier.

Mary Pickford's first adult role as Norma Besant in Coquette was poorly received, as was the film itself. So, she invited the five Board of Judges members (who chose Oscar winners at the time) to have tea at her legendary Beverly Hills estate, Pickford. In exchange, they named her Best Actress at the 1928–29 Academy Awards.
Her obvious bribery resulted in protests. So, as a result, the Academy changed the rules so that all members can vote for who wins.

Jimmy Kimmel and Will Arnett presented the award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. Arnett pulled Kimmel on stage, joking that he'd had too many skinny margaritas after losing his category. While Arnett presented the award, Kimmel stayed on the floor. When Quinta was announced as the winner, Kimmel remained lying down during her acceptance speech. The internet quickly called out Jimmy Kimmel, criticizing his actions as disrespectful and pointing out how it reflected white men overshadowing Black women.

In the days and weeks that followed, Travolta was the subject of jokes online and everyone was discussing the misstep. Looking back on the incident 10 years later with Vanity Fair, Menzel recalled standing on stage thinking, "What the hell did he just say? Oh no. Why did he just say that? This was my big opportunity." Travolta later revealed he was looking at the phonetic spelling of Menzel's name and it tripped him up.

Organizers had drafted in Anne Hathaway and James Franco to host the ceremony in a bid to modernize it and appeal to a younger audience.
But this star power did not translate on screen, with the hosts being widely panned for their mismatched energy on the night. While Anne was peppy and enthusiastic, James appeared to be completely nonchalant — with some viewers even questioning if he was “high” on the night.

The two also appeared to be at odds with one another, which led to a ton of awkward moments.

The 1989 Oscars were considered a year of many firsts: the ceremony was the first time the red carpet as we know and love it was hosted, it was the first time the infamous "And the Oscar goes to..." was said before each award, and it marked the first time the show didn't have a host.

Instead of the traditional monologue, audiences were forced to sit through one of the strangest opening numbers of all-time: Rob Lowe and Snow White performing an 11-minute version of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," with the lyrics tweaked to fit the show's theme.

Not only was the performance incredibly cringeworthy, it was also illegal. Disney promptly filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Academy for using Snow White's image without permission. To make matters worse, a group of 17 Hollywood heavyweights joined together to write a scathing letter to the Academy, calling the show an embarrassment to the actors and artists who were nominated.

Years after the fact, Rob Lowe admitted he knew the performance wasn't a good move after he saw director Barry Levinson, who was nominated that night for Rain Man, mouth "What the f**k" during the number. Apparently after the performance, a dejected Lowe sat next to Lucille Ball in the greenroom, where the pair contemplated if his career was over.

After Marisa Tomei won Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny, a rumor spread that presenter Jack Palance had read the wrong name and that she hadn’t actually won. The Academy has repeatedly denied this, but the theory persists.

In 1982, Pia Zadora was named New Star of the Year at the Golden Globes. Zadora's win was a shock, considering she was a totally unknown actor and it was for the film The Butterfly, which was about father-daughter incest. Many believed the film's billionaire backer, Meshulam Riklis — who was also Zadora's husband — bought the award. He notably held screenings for voters in Vegas and at his home. There was also an extensive media campaign that saw Zadora in Playboy and on billboards in Hollywood.

The gig was interrupted by an artist named Michael Portnoy who, in the middle of the song, ripped off his shirt showing the words "Soy Bomb" (I am bomb) written in his chest, and started dancing beside Bob and his band although they continued playing as if it were nothing.

A few days after nominations were announced, a bunch of offensive tweets from Gascón began to resurface online. The online posts expressed anti-Islamic sentiment and targeted diversity at the Oscars, the Black Lives Matter movement, and more. She released a lengthy Instagram statement declaring that she's "not racist" and that she would "not apologize for something" that she is not. These resurfaced tweets led Netflix, who produced Emilia Pérez, to distance themselves from Gascón in an attempt to save the film's Oscars chances.

Prior to the VMAs, Miley Cyrus, who was slated to host the show, and Nicki seemed to be on good terms. They even teamed up to present Madonna with an award at that year's Grammys. Both singers had been in the headlines for their recent performances: Just two years earlier, Miley had come under fire for her twerking at the 2013 VMAs, only to rebound with a win for Video of the Year at the 2014 awards show, while Nicki was hurt that the video for her hit "Anaconda" had been snubbed when the nominations for Video of the Year were unveiled.

Fans were disappointed when Taylor Swift appeared to overlook Celine Dion while accepting her Album of the Year award at the 66th Grammy Awards. Fans pointed out that Swift didn't acknowledge Celine Dion and didn't make eye contact, quickly looking back to celebrate the moment with her collaborators instead. Taylor Swift received backlash for being disrespectful by ignoring Celine Dion.

Jim Carrey won Best Villain for The Mask and turned the moment into a bit of performance art. When Alicia Silverstone, then 20, presented the award, Carrey surprised her with a kiss. She seemed to brush it off, though a hint of shock was visible. While Silverstone never commented on the kiss, some reports claimed she was embarrassed, and Jim Carrey reportedly apologized backstage. His playful antics didn’t stop there - he later tried to kiss Will Smith while Smith was accepting the Best Kiss award.

While accepting the Album of the Year award, Harry Styles remarked, "This doesn’t happen to people like me very often" igniting a major backlash and sparking a debate on white privilege, especially considering that white cis men, like him, have historically dominated the category.