Top 10 Shocking Moments From Award Shows
These award show moments are like a car crash...you just can't look away. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the wildest and most outrageous moments from award shows that might not exactly be considered award-worthy themselves.
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00:00 [Music]
00:08 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the wildest and most outrageous
00:12 moments from award shows that might not exactly be considered award-worthy themselves.
00:17 "This is exactly what's on the card."
00:22 10. Bob Dylan Gets Soybombed - 40th Annual Grammy Awards The year was 1998. Legendary singer Bob
00:31 Dylan had taken home three awards at the Grammys and was slated to close the ceremony with the song
00:37 "Lovesick." "My feet are so tired, my brain is on wire." The performance starts off pretty normal,
00:45 but around the halfway point, one of the background dancers, Michael Portnoy,
00:50 decides to steal the spotlight. Portnoy, shirtless and adorned with the words "Soybomb" across his
00:56 chest, runs up beside Dylan and engages in an eccentric contortion dance. Despite the disruption,
01:03 Dylan, ever the professional, barely acknowledges Portnoy, displaying only a hint of bemusement.
01:09 "I'm sick of love. I hear the clock tick."
01:15 It takes a full 35 seconds for security to intervene and escort the "Soybomb" dancer
01:22 off the stage, but by then, his mission was already accomplished.
01:27 9. Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke's Racy Performance - 30th MTV Video Music Awards
01:36 2013 was the year that Miley Cyrus' transformation from teen idol
01:40 to young adult provocateur became complete.
01:43 "Red cuffs and sweaty bodies everywhere, hands in the air like we don't care."
01:49 The pop star had just released her hit single "We Can't Stop" and went on to perform the song
01:53 at that year's VMAs. During the show, she was joined on stage by Robin Thicke for a medley that
01:59 included his own global smash, "Blurred Lines." "Just let me liberate you, you don't need no paper."
02:06 After stripping down to a nude illusion bikini, Cyrus proceeded to dance suggestively around Thicke,
02:12 ultimately giving a raunchy performance that probably should have been kept private.
02:17 Needless to say, many were left horrified. If Cyrus' aim was to kill off her Disney persona,
02:23 then this was, beyond reasonable doubt, murder in the first degree.
02:27 8. Madonna, Britney, and Christina Kiss - 20th MTV Video Music Awards
02:37 The VMAs always stir up controversy, and the 20th edition was no exception.
02:42 "Shout your life out, this time it's got to be good."
02:48 Two years after turning heads by dancing with an albino python,
02:52 Britney Spears returned for yet another scandalous performance.
02:55 "Cause you're in Hollywood, you're in Hollywood."
03:00 This time, Spears and Christina Aguilera, dressed as brides,
03:03 joined Madonna, who dons a groom's attire, for a medley of her songs.
03:08 The two generations of pop stars perform "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood,"
03:12 leading to a climactic moment in which Madonna suddenly kisses Spears.
03:17 "How could it hurt you when it looks so good?"
03:22 The cameras immediately cut to Spears' ex, Justin Timberlake, whose expression
03:27 likely mirrored the shock of the entire audience. Not stopping there, Madonna also
03:31 shares a kiss with Aguilera, creating an instantly iconic moment that would be discussed for years.
03:38 "Yo, yo, yo, who that be? Mr. Yosemite."
03:42 7. Ricky Gervais' searing opening monologue
03:46 68th Golden Globe Awards
03:48 Ricky Gervais certainly didn't hold back when he took the stage at the 2011 Golden Globes.
03:53 Gervais had also hosted the previous year,
03:56 but no one was prepared for what would ensue in his opening monologue.
03:59 "It's gonna be a night of partying and heavy drinking.
04:02 Or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast."
04:07 Right off the bat, the host goes for the jugular, roasting everyone from Charlie Sheen to Cher
04:12 to a certain famous Scientologist whose name we won't mention — for legal reasons, of course.
04:18 "Probably."
04:23 However, the focal point of his searing roast was the romantic thriller The Tourist,
04:28 which, surprisingly, received nominations in the musical and comedy categories,
04:34 despite being panned by critics.
04:36 "And I'd like to quash this ridiculous rumor going around that the only reason The Tourist
04:41 was nominated was so the Hollywood foreign press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina
04:45 Jolie. That is, that is rubbish. That is not the only reason. They also accepted bribes."
04:51 While the celebrities in the audience appeared to handle the jokes with grace,
04:54 Gervais was criticized by some outlets for being too corrosive.
04:59 "Shall we get on with it?"
05:00 6. Marlon Brando declines the Best Actor Oscar
05:04 45th Academy Awards
05:06 In 1973, Marlon Brando was widely expected to win the Best Actor Oscar for his transformative
05:12 performance in The Godfather.
05:14 "I can't remember the last time that you invited me to your house for a cup of coffee,
05:18 even though my wife was godmother to your only child."
05:23 That prediction ultimately materialized. However, what no one expected was that Brando would reject
05:29 the prestigious award. The actor refused to even attend the ceremony, instead sending actress and
05:35 activist Sachin Littlefeather in his place.
05:38 "I was distressed that people should have booed and whistled and stomped,
05:44 even though perhaps it was directed at myself. They should have at least had the courtesy to
05:51 listen to her."
05:52 When Brando's name was announced, Littlefeather declined the award on his behalf,
05:56 stating that the actor regretfully couldn't accept it. Due to time constraints,
06:00 Littlefeather summarized Brando's message, revealing his protest against the unfair
06:05 treatment of Native Americans in the film industry, as well as the wounded knee occupation.
06:10 Brando's decision initially received mixed views.
06:14 "There was a larger issue, and it's an issue that nobody in the motion picture
06:18 industry has ever addressed themselves to, unless forced to."
06:22 5. Nicki Minaj calls out Miley Cyrus
06:26 32nd MTV Video Music Awards
06:28 Throughout history, celebrities have repeatedly called each other out,
06:32 but rarely has it happened so publicly.
06:34 "Miley, what's good?"
06:35 After the VMA nominations were announced in 2015, Nicki Minaj criticized the show for
06:41 excluding her song "Anaconda" from the Video of the Year list. When asked about this, Cyrus,
06:46 who was slated to host the ceremony, seemed to imply that Minaj was handling the nomination snub
06:52 poorly.
06:53 "Hey, we're all in this industry. We all do interviews, and we all know how they manipulate
06:59 shit."
06:59 Despite the controversy, Minaj ultimately won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video. However,
07:04 in a shocking turn, she concluded her acceptance speech by confronting Cyrus on live TV. The remark
07:10 clearly caught the singer off guard, but she quickly rebounded, responding that her words
07:15 had been manipulated by the media.
07:17 "Nicki, congratulations. And just because the VMAs have already started, doesn't mean that
07:24 the voting is done."
07:25 4. The Best Picture Mix-Up - 89th Academy Awards
07:30 Shocking doesn't even begin to describe the concluding moments of the 2017 Oscars.
07:34 "The folks who thought they had won Best Picture and then found out that it actually
07:38 belonged to another movie."
07:40 Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway had stepped out to present the award for Best Picture.
07:45 When Beatty opened the envelope, he first hesitated, before showing it to Dunaway,
07:49 who ultimately announced La La Land. However, this turned out to be a grave mistake,
07:55 as the actual winner was Moonlight.
07:57 "There's a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture."
08:01 Beatty had mistakenly been given the envelope for Best Actress,
08:04 which contained Emma Stone's name for La La Land.
08:08 The team had already begun their acceptance speeches when they were informed of the mistake
08:12 and had to relinquish the statuettes to the rightful winners. Absolutely
08:16 no one could have predicted such a bizarre and chaotic ending to an Oscars ceremony.
08:21 "I would like to see you get an Oscar anyway. Why can't we just give out a whole bunch of them?"
08:25 3. Steve Harvey Crowns the Wrong Contestant - 64th Miss Universe Pageant
08:30 The 2017 Oscars mishap was not the first time a wrong winner was announced at an awards ceremony.
08:37 "One of you is about to become our new Miss Universe."
08:43 Just two years prior, Steve Harvey made a similar error at the Miss Universe Pageant.
08:49 With only Miss Columbia and Miss Philippines remaining, Harvey looked at the card and
08:53 announced the former as the winner. For two minutes, Miss Columbia celebrated her apparent
08:58 victory, with the crown on her head and tears streaming down her cheeks. However, her moment
09:03 was abruptly cut short when Harvey revealed that he had misread the card.
09:08 "I have to apologize."
09:09 The real winner was Miss Philippines. The stunned beauty queen had to return to the stage,
09:15 where the crown was removed from Miss Columbia's head and placed on hers.
09:20 "I will take responsibility for this. It was my mistake."
09:24 2. Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock - 94th Academy Awards
09:29 This is the kind of incident you would never believe if you didn't witness it first-hand.
09:34 "The feed goes silent, and so does the audience after Will Smith takes a swing
09:39 at Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars."
09:42 At the 2022 Oscars, comedian Chris Rock was tasked with presenting the award for Best
09:47 Documentary Feature. Before announcing the winner, Rock delivered a brief monologue
09:52 in which he joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
09:55 "GI Jane 2, can't wait to see it."
09:57 In light of the actress' alopecia diagnosis, this joke was deemed insensitive. As a result,
10:03 her husband, Will Smith, took it upon himself to go on stage and slap Rock in the face.
10:09 He then returned to his seat and yelled profanities at the comedian.
10:13 "Clearly shaken and unsure how to proceed,
10:15 Chris responds the best way he knows how, with another joke."
10:19 "That was the greatest night in the history of television."
10:25 Although Smith later won the Best Actor Oscar that night,
10:29 his actions earned him a 10-year ban from future Academy events.
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10:49 1. Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift
10:53 26th MTV Video Music Awards
10:56 Winning your first VMA at 19 is a huge deal for any musician. Taylor Swift achieved this
11:02 rare feat at the 26th edition of the ceremony in 2009, when she secured the award for Best
11:08 Female Video. "I always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday,
11:13 but I never actually thought that would happen." However, her special moment was overshadowed when
11:18 Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech. West took the stage, grabbed the microphone from
11:23 Swift, and declared that Beyoncé was more deserving of the award. "Yo Taylor,
11:27 I'm really happy for you, I'm gonna let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos
11:34 of all time." After the audience booed at him, the rapper nonchalantly returned the mic and walked
11:39 off, leaving Swift sorely embarrassed. Even Beyoncé clearly disapproved of West's actions. Later in
11:46 the night when she won Video of the Year, Beyoncé graciously invited Swift back on stage to complete
11:51 her speech. "Maybe, maybe we could try this again?" Which of these outrageous award show
11:57 moments did you catch live on TV? Let us know in the comments below. "One of the best videos of all
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12:11 [Music]