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Every year, millions of people tune in to watch award ceremonies such as the Emmys, Golden Globes, Oscars, VMAs, and more. Award ceremonies are supposed to be a solemn event, home to good behavior, golden statues, and posh outfits.
But, as we all know, that’s not always the case, and these ceremonies sometimes do not go off without a hitch. Others are a little more interesting, to say the least. These incidents will live on in infamy, replayed on YouTube millions, if not billions, of times.
Year: 2017
Who’s Involved: The Casts of Moonlight and La La Land
“This is not a joke,” Marc Platt, the producer of La La Land said, “They read the wrong thing.” Those two lines would become the most infamous of the night in 2017, when La La Land was incorrectly named an Oscar winner.
The honor was supposed to go to Moonlight, but there was a mix-up with the cards. Luckily, it only took five minutes to sort out. When La La Land LGF told Moonlight to come up instead of them, there was an audible gasp in the audience, as people were stunned at the fiasco.
Year: 2014
Who’s Involved: Idina Menzel, John Travolta
John Travolta is a legendary actor, but he might want to work on his pronunciation a little more. At the 2014 Oscars, he was presenting an award to singer and actress Idina Menzel for her work on Frozen.
But, rather than pronounce her name correctly, Travolta pronounced it “Adele Dazeem.” That moment would go viral, inspiring tons of memes and even a “random word generator.” Travolta later apologized to Menzel, sending her flowers and a mea culpa note.
Year: 2015
Who’s Involved: Steve Harvey
This was the moment that Steve Harvey called the lowest point of his career, and we can see why. It would garner a lot of backlash for the famous host, as he made the mistake of announcing the wrong Miss Universe in 2015.
He first announced that Miss Colombia was the winner of the competition, only to stride sheepishly onstage a few minutes later to announce that the winner was actually Miss Philippines. To this day, few live TV moments have been more uncomfortable than this one.
Year: 2014
Who’s Involved: P. Diddy, Bono
Sean Combs, AKA P. Diddy, got on Bono’s bad side in 2014 when he speech-bombed the U2 frontman and his band at the Golden Globes. Diddy had been drinking quite a bit before that viral moment, and he meant no harm.
He just “really annoy[ed] Bono,” according to E! Online. When Diddy went to give the U2 singer an awkward hug, a visibly angry Bono dodged that hug in a nonverbal diss heard ‘round the world. Hopefully, the two music superstars are friends again.
Year: 2015
Who’s Involved: Prince, Beck, Beyonce
Prince was the king of side-eye, and he was never one to suppress his emotions. At the 2015 Grammys, he was presenting Album of the Year. He announced that Beck won, immediately side-eying the audience.
It was clear that Prince believed Beyonce’s self-titled album should have won the award, a feeling shared by a lot of the audience. That side-eye later became a viral meme, as we all knew that Prince just wasn’t feelin’ it that night.
Year: 2014
Who’s Involved: Emma Thompson
Superstar actress Emma Thompson has been in Hollywood for decades, and she’s through pretending to be anything she’s not. And what she’s not is a fan of high heels. At the 2014 Golden Globes, Emma threw her shoes while onstage.
She was over the shoes’ uncomfortableness, and she chose to make a statement by tossing them over her shoulder. She finished her onstage appearance barefoot with a martini in hand like the true queen she is.
Year: 2011
Who’s Involved: Ricky Gervais, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie
Really, we could have an entire list dedicated to all the scathing jokes that Ricky Gervais made during his Golden Globes hosting gig in 2011. One of the biggest swipes was directed towards Johnny Depp and Angeline Jolie.
The pair’s movie, The Tourist, had been nominated in a trio of categories. Gervais joked that the movie had only been nominated because the show’s producers “took bribes.” It wasn’t too serious, as Depp and Gervais later made a skit together pretending that the former got revenge on the latter for his teasing.
Year: 2018
Who’s Involved: James Franco, Tommy Wiseau
James Franco waved director Tommy Wiseau up onstage when the former won “Best Actor” at the Golden Globes in 2018. This somewhat made sense, considering that Franco won because he did an incredibly-accurate impersonation of Wiseau.
However, when The Room director went to speak, James Franco refused to give him the mic, snatching it away. Granted, Wiseau is a known oddball, so perhaps Franco was worried about what he’d say if he got ahold of the microphone.
Year: 1973
Who’s Involved: Marlon Brando, Sacheen Littlefeather
Sacheen Littlefeather was a Native American activist in 1973 (though, later, it would be revealed she wasn’t Native, but that’s a whole other story) who Marlon Brando sent onstage at the Oscars that year. Brando had won, but he wanted Littlefeather to deny his Oscar.
Littlefeather did as Brando asked, taking a moment to talk about the representation of Native American peoples in film. Littlefeather’s speech got heavily booed, and MGM star John Wayne even tried to rush the stage as she spoke (luckily, he was restrained by security).
Year: 1988
Who’s Involved: Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy is one of the most talented actors and comedians of all time, and he never hesitates to tell it like it is. At the 1988 Oscars, the star went off script, telling it like it is and surprising the 42.2 million viewers watching.
Murphy walked up to the podium, ditched the script, and gave an impassioned speech about the lack of recognition for Black artists and their achievements at the Oscars. He stated that he barely even wanted to give the Best Picture Award that year, as the Oscars had been making Black people “ride the caboose” of society for years.
Year: 1999
Who’s Involved: Lil’ Kim, Diana Ross, Mary J. Blige
Lil’ Kim, Diana Ross, and Mary J. Blige are all legendary performers, and the first two got a bit friendly at the 1999 VMAs (much to Blige’s dismay). While presenting at the ceremony, Ross touched Lil’ Kim inappropriately.
Though the crowd cheered, Blige would later say she was upset for Lil’ Kim. The rapper didn’t seem to mind, however, Kim called the incident “legendary.” She even said that she’d want Diana Ross to play her mom in a biographical movie, if one came to pass.
Year: 1989
Who’s Involved: Rob Lowe, Allan Carr, Disney
The “honor” of being “The Worst Oscars Ever” easily goes to the 1989 Oscars. Rob Lowe was the host that year, and he performed with Disney characters like Snow White, which later led to a lawsuit from Disney.
The entire award ceremony was cringy, desperate, and awkward, so terrible that it ruined the career of Grease producer Allan Carr, who came up with the concept. The show was so bad, Gregory Peck threatened to give back his Oscar statute if anything like it ever happened again.
Year: 2011
Who’s Involved: Beyonce
This was actually a joyous moment, not a “fail,” but it was so shocking, it makes this list. At the 2011 VMAs, superstar singer Beyonce chose to announce her pregnancy to the world. While performing, she unzipped her jacket, revealing a bump.
She gave her bump a belly rub, and the rest was history. The moment made all the headlines, and, months later, her and Jay-Z’s first daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, was born. Now, Blue Ivy is eleven years old—how time flies!
Year: 1991
Who’s Involved: Jack Palance
Jack Palance played the tough guy in a lot of cowboy movies, and he was famous for films like Shane, City Slickers, Batman, Tango & Cash, Contempt, and more. But, as with many actors, as he got older, he began to fear that Hollywood had forgotten how tough he was.
At the Academy Awards in 1991, Palance chose to prove his mettle by performing a series of awkward one-armed push-ups. He said that he didn’t want producers to grow cautious of him just because he was aging, and those push-ups were meant to show he was still in his prime.
