Top 20 VIRAL Unscripted Award Show Moments
These off the cuff award show moments shocked everyone! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the craziest and most unpredictable things to have happened at major award ceremonies.
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00:00 "The fall on the way up to the stage, was that on purpose?"
00:03 "Absolutely."
00:04 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the craziest and most unpredictable things that have happened at major awards ceremonies.
00:12 "Miley, what's good?"
00:14 You never know what you're gonna get at live award shows.
00:22 It could be a major mishap, a simple trip, or a mind-boggling mispronunciation.
00:27 "I have to ask about Adele Dazeem and just get it over with."
00:30 "Who is that?"
00:31 Frozen dominated the 2013 holiday season, and Idina Menzel was invited to perform "Let It Go" at the 2014 Oscars.
00:39 John Travolta was tasked with introducing the iconic performer, and he gave us a bungle for the ages.
00:45 Somehow, someway, Travolta mispronounced a phonetically spelled Idina Menzel as Adele Dazeem,
00:52 inviting widespread ridicule from both social media and the mainstream press.
00:57 "They said, 'Oh, by the way, we've changed Idina's name to a phonetic spelling.'
01:01 I went, 'But, but, what, what, what do you mean? Go!'
01:04 So I go out there, and I get to her thing, and I thought, 'Hmm?'"
01:07 Menzel took the gaffe in stride, replacing her name on fake playbills with Adele Dazeem,
01:12 and returning the favor at the 2015 Oscars ceremony.
01:16 "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage my very dear friend, Glong Gzingo."
01:22 Number 19. Adrian Brody Kisses Halle Berry - The 75th Academy Awards
01:27 March 25th, 2003 was the night of Adrian Brody's life.
01:31 Not only did he win Best Actor for The Pianist,
01:34 he became the youngest person to win the award at just 29 years old.
01:38 While accepting his award, Brody embraced Halle Berry,
01:42 dipped her backwards and kissed her square on the lips.
01:45 This kiss was positively received at the time,
01:47 earning loud cheers and being regarded as a highlight of the night.
01:51 "Have you seen Halle Berry recently?"
01:53 "No."
01:53 "What is a memory of that?"
01:55 "That, sure, was probably one of the most memorable moments ever.
02:00 You could say time slowed down."
02:01 Some even see it as an iconic moment in Oscars history,
02:04 but it has also come under some scrutiny in recent years,
02:07 particularly in the midst of the Me Too movement.
02:10 "I knew nothing about it."
02:11 "Okay."
02:12 "Can I say it for real?"
02:13 "Yeah."
02:14 "I was like, 'What the f*** is happening?'"
02:16 Berry has admitted that she did not consent to the kiss,
02:20 and had no idea that it was coming.
02:22 At the 2017 Oscars ceremony,
02:30 Casey Affleck stepped out of his older brother's shadow,
02:33 winning Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea.
02:48 However, this win was slightly overshadowed by Brie Larson,
02:52 who was presenting Affleck with the award.
02:54 Larson was friendly and cordial with Affleck,
02:57 even giving him a hug as he grabbed the trophy.
02:59 However, she also refused to clap while everyone else gave Affleck a standing ovation.
03:04 Social media was quick to notice and began to speculate.
03:07 Larson later told Vanity Fair that the move was intentional and, quote, "spoke for itself."
03:12 This action was in protest to Affleck's problematic history,
03:15 as he settled two sexual harassment lawsuits in the early 2010s.
03:20 Number 17. Christian Slater doesn't get Tom Hiddleston.
03:37 The 74th Golden Globe Awards
03:39 After winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a miniseries or television film,
03:44 Tom Hiddleston launched into a rather bizarre and self-aggrandizing speech about the power of art.
03:49 The speech started well enough,
04:00 with Hiddleston speaking on the socio-political situation in South Sudan.
04:05 But then he started talking about the night manager and how aid workers had
04:08 binged it during an artillery barrage. Christian Slater, for one, did not look impressed.
04:13 The reaction was turned into a jiff and spread far and wide,
04:28 becoming the public face of Hiddleston's curious speech.
04:31 He later apologized, calling his message, quote, "inelegantly expressed."
04:35 Number 16. Dick Poop, the Academy Award nomination ceremony
04:40 For achievement in cinematography, the nominees are...
04:44 We just have to include the hilarious Dick Poop gaffe courtesy of Academy President Cheryl Boone
04:48 Isaacs. Isaacs stood alongside Chris Pine to announce the 2015 Oscar nominees for Best
04:54 Cinematography. She eventually came to Dick Pope, who had received a nomination for Mr. Turner.
04:59 However, Isaacs mispronounced his name rather terribly. Isaacs subtly chuckles at the mistake,
05:05 and if we're not mistaken, Pine gives us a small lip twitch.
05:10 Dick Poop. Dick Pope. For Mr. Turner.
05:14 We never truly lose our juvenile sense of humor, as evidenced by the president of the
05:18 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences laughing at a poop joke.
05:22 Number 15. Major Winner Mix-Up, the 11th BET Awards
05:32 The Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award was a complete mess, and we've never seen anything like it.
05:49 Let's break it down. Both Chris Brown and Rihanna were up for the award. Contest winner and presenter
05:55 Tiffany Green looks confused for a moment before announcing Chris Brown as the winner.
05:59 Seconds later, she apologizes and claims that Rihanna is the real winner. Okay, fair enough.
06:04 But then fellow presenter Terrence Jenkins adds to the confusion, claiming that it was actually Drake
06:09 who won, though he was apparently just coming to collect the award on behalf of Rihanna.
06:24 BET later clarified on Twitter that no, Chris Brown was in fact the real winner all along.
06:30 It was a true mess, and one that left social media thoroughly confused.
06:34 Number 14. 21 Pilots Stand in Their Underwear, the 59th Annual Grammy Awards
06:43 Awards ceremonies are usually black tie events, so yes, it is a little odd to see someone standing
06:49 on stage in their underwear. Enter 21 Pilots, who took home Best Pop Duo or Group Performance
06:55 at the 59th Grammy Awards. Immediately after the announcement was made, both Tyler Joseph
07:07 and Josh Dunn unbuckled their belts, dropped trow, and proudly waltzed to the stage to accept their
07:12 award. The moment instantly went viral, but it actually comes with a rather touching story.
07:17 As Joseph explains, he and Dunn were watching the Grammys as poor unknown musicians when Dunn
07:22 had an idea. If one day they somehow managed to win a Grammy, they should accept in their underwear.
07:27 They proved that dreams come true, and it was iconic.
07:47 Number 13. Nicki Minaj Calls Out Miley Cyrus, the 32nd MTV Video Music Awards
08:03 It was the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, and Nicki Minaj had just won for Best Hip Hop Video.
08:09 She then stunned the audience by turning to Miley Cyrus, calling her a "not so nice name"
08:15 and asking her, "Miley, what's good?" This was the culmination of a back and forth between the
08:20 two artists, in which Cyrus called some of Minaj's tweets "not too kind." Cyrus responded to Minaj's
08:27 onstage attack courteously enough, but was reportedly quite mad about it behind the scenes,
08:31 with a source telling E! News that she "stormed backstage cursing and yelling."
08:44 Number 12. Natalie Portman Singles Out Male Nominees, the 75th Golden Globe Awards
08:50 One of the biggest moments of the 2018 Golden Globes was Natalie Portman's off-the-cuff
08:54 stinger regarding the abundance of male nominees in the Best Director category.
08:59 After the category's scripted introduction, Portman went off-script,
09:02 to the visible surprise of many in the audience.
09:10 Reception to this remark was split. Some felt it was in keeping with the night's theme of
09:14 empowerment, while others felt that it was an immature jab that ruined the nominees' moment.
09:19 Well, it certainly gave us all something to talk about, that's for sure.
09:37 Like the overly scripted speeches and jokes, the musical performances at award shows can be
09:42 painfully boring and creatively stifled. So, it was extremely refreshing to see Adele taking her
09:48 art so seriously at the 2017 Grammys, that she was willing to stop her tribute to the
09:54 late George Michael and start again in order to get it right. It showed that Adele truly
10:07 cared for Michael and his legacy, and wasn't just going through the motions.
10:11 Of course, some people called her out as unprofessional, but hey, that's the internet
10:20 for you. You can't please everyone.
10:22 It seems as if Nicole Kidman can't help herself from going viral at award shows.
10:33 First, it was her infamous kiss with Alexander Skarsgård at the 2017 Emmys that got everyone
10:38 talking. And then her botched kiss with husband Keith Urban at the 2018 Golden Globes got them
10:43 talking again. After winning the award for Best Actress in a Limited Series, Kidman stood up and
10:49 tried kissing her husband. However, Urban wasn't quite ready, which resulted in the actress kissing
10:54 the air and various parts of his head before finally reaching his mouth. And let us tell you,
10:59 it did not take long for the internet to scrutinize every second of this failed smooch.
11:03 Musical performances of this caliber take a lot of preparation and practice.
11:21 That being said, there's always the chance for something to go wrong.
11:26 This performance marked Madonna's first appearance at the Brit Awards in 20 years.
11:30 But rather than talking about her brilliant return, everyone was talking about her brilliant wipeout.
11:35 While performing "Living for Love", the dancers yanked on her cape with the intention of
11:48 theatrically ripping it off. However, because it was secured too tightly, it pulled Madonna
11:53 off the stage instead. She continued the performance like a trooper, although it didn't
11:58 even matter. Everyone already had their topic of discussion.
12:01 This probably isn't how Brandon Fraser wanted to become a meme, but hey, viral is viral.
12:22 This incident took place at the 2010 Golden Globes. After speaker Robert De Niro made a joke,
12:28 the camera cut to Fraser, who laughed and did the most awkward clap in the history of Clapdom.
12:34 The brief clip instantly took off, as the internet created gifs, parodies, musical remixes,
12:48 and movie edits with the clip. To Fraser's credit, at least he has a sense of humor about
12:52 the whole thing, because not every celebrity is able to keep an even keel about this sort of thing.
12:57 -And then the camera gets a red light over it, and so I was sitting there, and Martin Scorsese's
13:00 in making a speech, and I'm like, "I'm not confused," and all of a sudden there's a red
13:04 light on, and I just spazzed.
13:06 Who knew that a simple bump could cause so much controversy and discussion?
13:24 After winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries, Gaga bumped into Leonardo DiCaprio,
13:30 whose arm was slightly protruding into the aisle. This immediately caused a firestorm of
13:36 interpretations. Did Gaga intentionally bump him? Was Leo laughing at Gaga, which caused her to bump
13:41 him in retaliation? Was Leo sticking his arm out as some sort of prank? Was Leo's reaction funny
13:47 or immature? Then again, it just could have been an accident that was blown massively out of
13:51 proportion. The possibilities are endless.
13:55 Just when we thought Winona Ryder was back to normal. Not too many people pay attention to
14:11 the Screen Actors Guild Awards, not mainstream audiences anyway, but the awards went viral in
14:16 2017 thanks to Winona Ryder's baffling reactions.
14:20 "How do I find you? What should I do?"
14:22 The cast of Stranger Things had won the SAG Award for Best Ensemble,
14:30 prompting actor David Harbour to lead the acceptance speech.
14:34 "That serve as a forceful reminder to folks that when they feel broken and afraid and tired,
14:43 they are not alone."
14:45 Despite the fantastic speech, all eyes were on Winona Ryder, who was making faces showcasing
14:50 varying degrees of bafflement, excitement, confusion and happiness throughout the speech.
14:56 We don't know what was going on, but it was intense.
14:59 Jennifer Lawrence proved her maturity as an actress by winning an Oscar for Silver Linings
15:09 Playbook. However, this win was somewhat upstaged by the manner in which she accepted it.
15:14 The popular actress tripped on her way up the stage, and while it wasn't a hard fall,
15:19 it was certainly embarrassing. This is epitomized through the now-iconic image of Lawrence kneeling
15:24 on the steps and face-palming. The moment instantly went viral, both because of the trip
15:29 and because it was It Girl Jennifer Lawrence.
15:31 "The fall on the way up to the stage?"
15:33 "Was that on purpose? Absolutely."
15:34 "Wasn't it a fall? What happened?"
15:35 "What do you mean what happened? Look at my dress."
15:40 In fact, one writer for British Vogue argued that it had, quote, "a transformative effect
15:44 on the nature of celebrity," introducing the idea of a relatable and imperfect movie star
15:49 who sometimes trips on stairs.
15:51 "What went through my mind when I fell down? Uh, a bad word that I can't say. That starts with F."
16:07 When this moment is written about in the history books, we will proudly look back and declare,
16:12 "I watched that live."
16:13 "First person I have to thank is the man himself, Tommy Wiseau. Come on up here, Tommy."
16:22 When James Franco took the stage to accept his award for his work in The Disaster Artist,
16:26 he surprised everyone by inviting Tommy Wiseau, the subject of the movie, to join him.
16:31 "I did not hit her. It's not true. It's bulls**t. I did not hit her. I did not."
16:37 "Oh, hi, Mark."
16:38 "Oh, hey, Johnny. What's up?"
16:39 "I have a problem with Lisa."
16:41 Seeing Wiseau on stage at the Golden Globes was a moment none of us could have ever predicted,
16:46 yet here it was in all its glorious magic.
16:49 While some were upset at Franco for not allowing Wiseau to speak, others thought it was enough
16:57 to simply have him stand on stage and bask in the spotlight for the first time in his life.
17:03 Number 3. The Wrong Best Picture is Announced. The 89th Academy Awards.
17:08 The Oscars are typically the most stringent, safe, and scripted of all the award shows.
17:17 That being said, some surprising and unscripted moments still make it into the show.
17:22 One of the biggest blunders in Oscars history has to be the infamous 2017 Best Picture disaster,
17:28 where La La Land was declared the winner despite the fact that Moonlight was the real winner.
17:33 What followed was pure pandemonium and confusion, and the internet lapped up every second of it.
17:39 Forget going viral. We'll be talking about this disaster for decades.
17:43 What followed was pure pandemonium and confusion, and the internet lapped up every second of it.
17:50 "Matt Damon looks like he's swallowed his own teeth.
17:52 With sauce."
17:56 "I mean, it was like they were watching their childhood homes catch fire."
18:01 Forget going viral. We'll be talking about this disaster for decades.
18:05 Number 2. Kanye West Ruins Taylor Swift's Night. The 26th MTV Video Music Awards.
18:12 Many of these awkward moments pale in comparison, in viral terms anyway,
18:17 to the infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards debacle.
18:21 For those of you who've been living under a rock,
18:23 the incident took place while Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video.
18:28 To the surprise of everyone, Kanye West hopped on stage,
18:32 took the mic, and voiced his opinion that Beyoncé should've won.
18:34 It resulted in Swift reportedly, quote, "hysterically crying" backstage,
18:48 and even the President of the United States called West a jackass for his actions.
18:52 "The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She's getting her award.
18:55 What's he doing up there? He's a jackass."
18:58 It remains a hot topic even all these years later.
19:02 "I remember being 17 years old, up for my first MTV award with Destiny's Child,
19:08 and it was one of the most exciting moments in my life.
19:11 So I'd like for Taylor to come out and have her moment.
19:15 Where are you?"
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19:33 Number 1. The Slap - The 94th Academy Awards
19:40 Two words, the slap. From now on, that combination of words will refer to one thing
19:45 and one thing only, and everyone will know what you're talking about.
19:49 "It's now a part of our lives forever. We will never stop talking about this. It was so shocking."
19:53 That, of course, is Will Smith sauntering on stage at the 94th Academy Awards,
19:58 slapping Chris Rock and proudly waltzing back to his seat as if he'd just won the Oscar for
20:03 Best Actor of All Time. The slap was in response to a somewhat off-color joke that Chris Rock made
20:08 about Smith's partner Jada Pinkett Smith. Many initially believed that the slap was a bit
20:13 concocted by the two actors, but according to those involved, it was 100% genuine,
20:18 and Smith was banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years.
20:22 Which moment had you gaping at your screen? Let us know in the comments.
20:35 "A whole room full of people, no one lifted a finger. Spider-Man was there,
20:39 Aquaman was there, Catwoman, all sitting on their hands."
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