From cringe-worthy performances to shocking moments that left audiences stunned, we're diving into the most infamous award show disasters. Get ready for a wild ride through the most uncomfortable, controversial, and downright bizarre moments in televised award show history!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're taking a look at the worst acceptance speeches, performances,
00:09and bits across all televised award shows.
00:12While some of these might be enjoyably bad, they all live in infamy for a reason.
00:23Number 10, City of Moonlight, 89th Academy Awards.
00:28This Best Picture announcement was a slow-motion train wreck, although audiences didn't realize
00:32what they were watching until the unthinkable happened.
00:34While we sensed something was up as Warren Beatty hesitated to read the winner, all seemed
00:39well as the La La Land producers delivered their acceptance speeches.
00:45That was until Fred Berger mentioned they lost.
00:48Even after Jordan Horowitz revealed Moonlight actually won, many were in disbelief until
00:52he presented the card as evidence.
00:58The Moonlight team got their moment in the spotlight, but the mix-up overshadowed the
01:01underdog film's victory and its message, which carried significant weight following
01:05a difficult year like 2016.
01:08For some, it was a hilarious blunder, but for others, a powerful moment for African
01:12Americans and LGBTQ plus cinema was undercut.
01:25Number 9, Dan Schneider's Lifetime Achievement Blimp, 27th Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
01:31In her memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jeannette McCurdy opened up about her experiences with
01:35the creator, presumably Dan Schneider.
01:38In one passage, McCurdy wrote that the creator's most cherished life accomplishment was his
01:42Kids' Choice Award blimps.
01:54In 2014, Schneider received Nickelodeon's first Lifetime Achievement Award for his tenor
01:58of hits.
01:59Surrounded by Nickelodeon alumni, Schneider thanked those who brought him to this stage.
02:04What seemed like a sweet moment took on a disturbing sentiment over the following years
02:08As numerous stars and behind-the-scenes talent came forward, alleging Schneider had traumatized
02:12them.
02:20Although Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider, this award is a reminder that he was once
02:24the network's golden boy, casting a shadow over the childhood of every 90s and 2000s
02:29kid.
02:368.
02:37Angela Bassett Did The Thing, 76th British Academy Film Awards
02:41To celebrate that year's female nominees, the Baftas enlisted Ariana DeBose to commence
02:46the ceremony with an empowering ballad to women.
02:48While it kind of felt like the British Academy was patting themselves on the back for diversity,
02:52the idea wasn't bad.
02:53The execution was all wrong, though, as DeBose started rapping off names.
03:04The rhymes ranged from forced to unbelievably corny, with the internet gravitating towards
03:09DeBose's line about Angela Bassett doing the thing.
03:14What thing?
03:15Nobody seems to know, which sums up this misguided number.
03:18Although some defended DeBose's performance, the backlash was so vocal online that she
03:23deactivated her Twitter page.
03:25DeBose later explained that she recently had walking pneumonia, but even in better health,
03:29little could have saved those lyrics or choreography.
03:367.
03:40Absolutely Nothing, 60th Primetime Emmy Awards
03:43Commemorating the inaugural category for reality TV hosts, all five nominees headlined that
03:48year's Emmys.
03:49Five sounded like an excessive number to host, but we were curious how Tom, Heidi, Howie,
03:54Jeff, and Ryan would open the awards show.
04:06Maybe they could compete against each other in a parody of Survivor or perform a musical
04:10number poking fun at American Idol.
04:12Instead, the five engaged in a few minutes of inept rambling before confessing they had
04:16nothing.
04:29Did George Costanza write this?
04:31Probably not, since none of this felt even remotely scripted.
04:34It was more like five students didn't bother to do their group project.
04:38This was as lazy as awards show bits get, although it would lead to a funny callback
04:41four years later.
04:556.
05:00A Failed Comeback, 24th MTV Video Music Awards
05:04Let's address up front that the public relentlessly kicked Britney Spears when she was down and
05:08the media did her dirty.
05:10We should all look back at this dark period in Spears' life with some regret.
05:21That said, there is likely regret on Spears' side as well.
05:24Among the most viral missteps was her performance at the 2007 VMAs.
05:28On the heels of bad press, Spears' opening act was seen as a potential comeback.
05:36Instead, it provided further fodder for comedians and gossip columnists, as Spears practically
05:43sleptwalked through Gimme More, looking uncomfortable to be there.
05:49Besides YouTuber Kara Cunningham, virtually nobody had any supportive words for Spears.
05:54Even if some reviewers were overly harsh, a bad performance is a bad performance, and
05:59this was B.A.D.
06:02Bad.
06:055.
06:08Alan Carr's Folly, 61st Academy Awards
06:12Alan Carr was a producer of Stage and Screen, best known for producing the film Grease and
06:17the Tony Award-winning musical La Cage aux Folles.
06:20However, he was also the recipient of the first Razzie for Worst Picture for Can't
06:24Stop the Music.
06:25So, naturally, the Academy asked him to produce the Oscar several years later.
06:29Despite a few critical duds, Carr was known for spectacle, giving the Academy hope he
06:33might breathe new life into the ceremony.
06:36The results were anything but hip, as Carr paid homage to an obscure musical review and
06:41enlisted golden-age stars who had been mostly forgotten.
06:53Among the only names younger audiences would have recognized were Rob Lowe and Snow White,
06:58mostly by Eileen Bowman.
06:59Disney wasn't pleased, and Lowe's sex-tape scandal didn't help.
07:12Apologizing to Disney to avoid a lawsuit, the Academy also answered to bewildered audiences
07:17and angry AmPass members who were embarrassed to sit through the 12-minute opening.
07:34The East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry reached a pivotal turning point at the 1995
07:39Source Awards when Suge Knight alluded to Bad Boy Records and its founder, Sean Combs.
07:44As Knight proclaimed Death Row Records the superior label, he was met with applause and
07:49boos.
07:58Just over a year later, Knight was driving alongside Tupac Shakur in a shooting that
08:03turned fatal for the latter.
08:05Biggie Smalls was gunned down months later, likely in retaliation for Shakur's murder.
08:14There's no way of knowing if Knight's comments at the Source Awards factored into
08:20this tragic turn of events.
08:22In any case, it bleakly foreshadowed the deaths of two hip-hop legends.
08:26Even the future legal troubles that awaited Knight and Diddy only adds to the tension.
08:41Remember when interrupting someone else's speech was the most outrageous thing Kanye
08:45West had done?
08:46To be fair, it's still up there after all these years.
08:49For those who weren't alive when the memes first started dominating social media, let's
08:52rewind to 2009.
08:53Taylor Swift was a relatively fresh face in the industry, winning Best Female Video
08:57at the VMAs.
09:04The song was You Belong With Me, but West felt the award belonged with Beyoncé.
09:08West didn't hesitate to share his opinion with the world, yanking the mic away.
09:17Swift got to finish her speech later thanks to Beyoncé.
09:20Since then, Swift has moved on to other hits, and Kanye has moved on to other controversies,
09:25but neither may ever shake off this incident.
09:38Number 2.
09:39The Slap – 94th Academy Awards Before 2022, people might have associated
09:44The Slap with the NBC miniseries.
09:47That changed after Chris Rock compared Jada Pinkett Smith to GI Jane at the Academy Awards.
10:02Will Smith seemed to take the jab in good humor, making it all the more confusing-slash-jaw-dropping
10:07when he walked on stage, slapped Rock across the face, returned to his seat, and cussed
10:11the comic out.
10:19While some found Rock's comment in bad taste given Pinkett Smith's alopecia, many agreed
10:23violence wasn't the answer.
10:25Piling onto the PR nightmare, Smith ultimately won Best Actor, delivering a long, teary-eyed
10:29speech that epitomized the phrase, sorry not sorry.
10:33He'd be seen dancing with his Oscar at the afterparty, although Ampass banned Smith from
10:37future ceremonies for a decade.
11:00Number 1.
11:01Thank You, Harvey Weinstein – Various What's the only thing cringier than seeing
11:05Harvey Weinstein accept an award?
11:07Listening to others praise the former Hollywood mogul in their acceptance speeches.
11:19According to a court study, Weinstein was mentioned 34 times in Oscar acceptance speeches
11:24over a 20-year period.
11:25That's as many times as God was thanked, with only Steven Spielberg receiving more
11:29shout-outs.
11:31This doesn't even include all the other award shows where Weinstein was thanked.
11:45Following Weinstein's arrest and eventual convictions for years of abuse, these acceptance
11:49speeches were tainted, along with the projects and performances attached to them.
11:53Some might have reservations about thanking Weinstein knowing what we know now.
11:57Given Weinstein's reputation though, failing to thank him could have potentially damaged
12:00someone's career, even with an Oscar.
12:13What do you think is the worst moment in award show history?
12:15Let us know in the comments.