19 Oscar Moments We Remember For All The Wrong Reasons
While the Academy Awards have brought many meaningful moments to our screens, they've also gifted us with a whole bunch of moments that were memorable for a totally different reason!
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) / Via giphy.com
Let's run back through 19 of the most awkward moments in Oscar history.
1.Stairway stumble
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) / Via tenor.com
You knew this J. Law moment would make the list, right? In 2013, when accepting her Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, she tripped over her dress on the stage stairs on the way to collect her award. In typical Jennifer style, she laughed about it — all before falling over on the red carpet the following year!
In an interview with W Magazine, she said: "I was at the Oscars, waiting to hear if my name was called, and I kept thinking, cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk. I thought; 'why is "cakewalk” stuck in my head?'"
"And then, as I started to walk up the stairs and the fabric from my dress tucked under my feet, I realized my stylist had told me, “kick, walk, kick, walk.” You are supposed to kick the dress out while you walk, and I totally forgot because I was thinking about cake! And that's why I fell."
We've all been there Jennifer, daydreaming about cake and getting distracted from the task at hand!
2.Wrong winner announced
When Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced the winner for Best Picture, they mistakenly said La La Land had secured the award — but it was in fact Moonlight that had won!
In a supremely cringe-inducing moment, Beatty was pushed aside as the correct slip of paper was brandished at the cameras desperately. It turns out Beatty had been given the Best Actress envelope instead of the Best Picture one, and Emma Stone won for La La Land — hence the awkward mix up!
3.The Kidman Clap is born
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) / Via giphy.com
Nicole Kidman accidentally sparked an influx of "WTF?" reactions online for the most innocuous action — clapping! As the cameras panned across the audience, Nicole was caught clapping like...well, a seal!
She explained afterward that she was wearing jewelry that wasn't her own, and she didn't want to damage it. She also said she certainly didn't want to be the one there not clapping for others, but due to being terrified of damaging the heavy rings (believed to be Harry Winston designs with 13.58 carats), she improvised and clapped in a unique manner, which we'll probably all remember for decades.
4.That John Travolta/ScarJo kiss
There's a series of photos of Scarlett Johansson at the 2015 Oscars, during which John Travolta seemingly sneaks up behind her, grabs her around the waist, and kisses her cheek while she looks somewhat uncomfortable.
The images were a topic of hot debate online, but ScarJo told ABC News that, "There is nothing strange, creepy or inappropriate about John Travolta," and that, "The image that is circulating is an unfortunate still-frame from a live-action encounter that was very sweet and totally welcome."
She even went on to criticize the press, talking about how the media can make a mountain out of a molehill and cause damage. She said: "That still photo does not reflect what preceded and followed if you see the moment live. Yet another way we are misguided, misinformed, and sensationalized by the 24-hour news cycle. I haven't seen John in some years, and it is always a pleasure to be greeted by him."
5.John Travolta renames Idina Menzel
6.Floors? Where we're going, we don't need floors!
7.A display case for your Oscar, perhaps? Nah, the floor will do.
At the 2018 Academy Awards, there were no podiums onstage, so winners had to awkwardly lean down and plonk their Oscars on the floor to give their acceptance speech!
8.When Sam Smith made some questionable claims
9.Streaker onstage!
10.When a person who was very much alive was included in the "In Memoriam" section
Imagine enjoying a lovely night out at the Oscars and suddenly, BAM, there's your face in the In Memoriam segment. The tremendously awkward mishap happened when the part to honor costume designer Janet Patterson featured a photo of producer Jan Chapman, who is very much alive and was "devastated" to see her photo there.
11.When Angelina Jolie kissed her brother on the lips
12.When eight major awards were given offscreen
In 2022, the Academy Awards decided to host a pre-show off-air, with the aim of editing clips into the telecast. This meant that Dune, a fan favorite, had already won four awards behind closed doors before the show had even started.
On top of that, Riz Ahmed won an Oscar — the first Muslim person to win an Oscar for a live-action short film — and no one got to watch it happen. Most people found out on Twitter!
13.When Daniel Kaluuya told us all his parents had sex
14.When Rebel Wilson and James Corden presented in full-body furry cat costumes
15.Regina Hall straight-up gropes a bunch of men
16.Seth MacFarlane's song about boobs
17.When Elinor Burkett seized her Kanye moment
18.When Chrissy Teigen fell asleep
At the 2017 Oscars, Chrissy Teigen was spotted snoozing on husband John Legend's shoulders during Casey Affleck's acceptance speech. Awkward, sure, but hey, celebs are humans, too, and sometimes you just gotta nap!
19.And finally, THAT Will Smith/Chris Rock moment
In 2022, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith looking like GI Jane due to her shaved head. Jada, who has an autoimmune condition called alopecia, which causes hair loss, looked upset. Will went from laughing to aggressively shouting at Chris Rock to "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth," and even barging onstage to slap Chris around the face.
The moment was so shocking that many were convinced it must be a skit, but unfortunately it was not, and Chris was left to move the show along in shock and likely with a painful face!
