17 Wild And Memorable Awards Show Moments And Scandals That Prove This Season Is Always Messy, Petty, And Fun

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1. First, in 1974, while introducing Elizabeth Taylor at the Academy Awards to present Best Picture, host David Niven was surprised by a streaker named Robert Opel. He ran across the stage naked while flashing a peace sign. Then, the audience burst into laughter, with Niven joking, "Well, ladies and gentlemen. That was almost bound to happen. Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?"

2. 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.

3. In 2008, Katherine Heigl made headlines after it was revealed that she wasn't going to submit herself for the Emmy Awards for her work on Grey's Anatomy. At the time, Heigl said, "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination, and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention." After this statement, Grey's producers and writers were reportedly "angered" by this and considered it a "slap in the face" to their hard work. Heigl had won an Emmy the previous year for her work in Season 3.

4. 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.

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5. In 1965, Julie Andrews won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical for her work in Mary Poppins. While accepting her award, Andrews shaded My Fair Lady producer Jack Warner by thanking him for making this possible. Despite her success playing the role of Eliza Doolittle on Broadway, Warner notably didn't cast Andrews in the film adaptation and instead went with Audrey Hepburn, citing that they needed "a name." Ultimately, Andrews and Hepburn were pitted against each other all awards season, with Andrews winning both the Globe and Oscar for Mary Poppins.

6. In 2000, Jennifer Lopez notably attended the Grammy Awards wearing a green Versace silk chiffon dress that was cut very low. At the time, the dress was considered pretty scandalous, with Lopez's then-stylist reportedly trying to stop her from wearing it because other celebs had already worn it. "It caused, you know, quite a stir," Lopez recalled to Vogue. Lopez wearing the dress literally led to the invention of Google Images, with people wanting to SEE the look, not just read about it.

7. In 2004, Evanescence won Best New Artist at the Grammys, beating out 50 Cent, Fountains of Wayne, Heather Headley, and Sean Paul. While they were on stage accepting the award, 50 Cent got up on stage, too, and crossed behind the band. Lead singer Amy Lee shrugged it off and thanked him before jumping into an acceptance speech. While getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020, 50 Cent alluded to still being annoyed at this loss, saying, "You got the largest debut hip hop album [but] you don't got no Best New Artist trophy. The Best New Artist, they gave that shit to Evanescence."

8. In 2017, while presenting the award for Best Picture at the Oscars, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty accidentally announced La La Land as the winner. The producers and cast got on stage before an Oscars crew member came on stage and explained there was a mixup. La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz notably stepped up to the mic and proclaimed that Moonlight had actually won the award and even flashed the envelope. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Beatty was handed the wrong envelope. It was the one that contained the name of the Best Actress winner, Emma Stone, for La La Land.

9. In 2014, John Travolta took the stage at the Oscars to introduce a performance of "Let It Go" from Frozen. He notably mispronounced Idina Menzel's name as "Adele Dazeem." 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.

10. In 1985, Betty Thomas won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Hill Street Blues. However, before she could actually reach the stage to accept her award, a random man jumped up on stage and told the audience that she could not be there and accepted on her behalf. The audience went along with it until they saw a very confused Thomas. The broadcast reportedly quickly cut to a commercial break and then Thomas gave her speech when the show returned. According to the LA Times, he was later arrested backstage.

11. In 1998, while performing on stage at the Grammy Awards, Bob Dylan — who was one of the most nominated artists that year for Time Out of Mind — attempted to perform "Love Sick" when he was interrupted by Michael Portnoy, an extra who was hired to appear in the background of the performance. Shortly after the song began, Portnoy started aggressively dancing and took off his shirt, revealing the words "SOY BOMB" written on his chest. No one knew what "SOY BOMB" was supposed to mean.

12. In 1983, Eddie Murphy and Joan Rivers hosted the Emmys. However, most of the night is remembered for the vulgar language used by both comedians, but mostly Rivers. Not only was the duo an odd pairing from the start, but Rivers shocked the audience by delivering several offensive jokes. There was notably one about "a Black, a Jew, two women, and a cripple," that many deemed extremely inappropriate.

13. 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.

14. In 2013, Seth MacFarlane hosted the Oscars for the first time. During his opening monologue, MacFarlane sang a song titled "We Saw Your Boobs," where he listed out movies that featured nude scenes from famous actresses. While he was singing, the camera notably panned the audience to some of the celebs he was mentioning, like Charlize Theron. Women both in the audience and at home were angered and "shocked." Sony producer and executive VP Elizabeth Cantillon told Business Insider, "Tabloids can do what they do. That's the cross of the business, but not the Oscars. I would be surprised if there was any woman in the movie business who was at the Oscars or watched the Oscars who wasn't offended by that."

15. In 2009, Taylor Swift won Best Female Video for "You Belong with Me" at the MTV Video Music Awards. While on stage accepting her award, Kanye West notably went on stage, took the microphone, and said, "You, Taylor, I'm really happy for you. I'mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time." Beyoncé was nominated in the same category for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." Ye left the stage and was reportedly removed from the venue. This moment kicked off a decades-spanning feud between Swift and Ye.

16. In 2022, Chris Rock was on stage at the Oscars to present Best Documentary Feature. He made a joke directed at Jada Pinkett Smith, who was sitting in the audience with Will Smith, comparing her shaved head to that of Demi Moore's character in G.I. Jane. Moments later, Smith got up on stage and slapped Rock. He then returned to his seat but continued yelling at Rock, saying, "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth!" About 40 minutes later, Rock won his first Oscar for Best Actor for his work in King Richard.

17. And finally, in 2025, Karla Sofía Gascón was nominated for Best Actress for her work in Emilia Pérez, making her the first openly trans person nominated in the category. 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.

We can't fit everything into one post, so which other awards show scandals do you always remember? Tell us in the comments below!

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