20 awards show moments that turned into iconic memes

One of the most iconic memes on the internet, from an awards show or not, came out of the 2015 SAG Awards. Legendary actress Meryl Streep was caught shouting from the crowd, and the moment has become a great meme for anyone trying to get their point across. 

After Bad Bunny made history with his Album of the Year win at the 2026 Grammys, he was too shocked to stand. He remained in his seat for several seconds, rubbing his face, making for a meme that can be used in a variety of situations. 

Beyoncé was perhaps the most surprised person in the room at the 2025 Grammys when her name was called for Best Country Album. The footage has been turned into a meme for anyone caught off guard. 

Amy Poehler has given pop culture aficionados some of the greatest moments in awards show history, but one of the best came from the 2015 Emmys when she was chillin’ in the audience wearing a hoodie and sunglasses. An icon. 

Elizabeth Debicki truly couldn’t believe she had won an award for her performance in The Crown at the 2024 SAG Awards. Her look of shock became instantly iconic, and the internet has her to thank for a truly epic meme.

Performers winning awards make for some of the best memes. Ryan Gosling was also completely shocked when his song “I’m Just Ken,” sung for Barbie, won at the Critics' Choice Awards in 2024, and his face showed it. 

Pedro Pascal is basically a human meme generator. The camera filmed the actor pointing during Jimmy Kimmel's monologue at the 2023 Oscars, and the moment became a meme for anyone who’s on to something. 

When Emma Stone presented an award at the Oscars for the first time in 2012, she also became a meme. The star actress said, “Let’s dance,” to Jonah Hill, and her exuberance quickly caught fire on the internet. 

On the other side of Emma Stone saying, “Let’s dance” was Jonah Hill rejecting her. His reaction became just as good a meme as Stone’s original suggestion. 

Some actors are just meant to become memes. When Emma Stone won at the 2024 Golden Globes, it appeared that her excitement took over, and she needed help finding her way to accept the award. The moment was instantly meme-ified. 

For several years after the 2015 Golden Globes, Chrissy Teigen crying was arguably the most popular meme on the internet. Her awkward expression became the perfect way to say a lot without saying anything. 

Nicole Kidman clapping at the 2017 Oscars became a meme out of sheer confusion more than anything. Why was she clapping like that? What was wrong with her hands? The actress later shared that she was clapping that way to protect the diamond rings she was wearing. But the reason didn’t matter. The meme had already been born. 

Ariana DeBose rapping at the 2023 BAFTAs is quite possibly the most viral moment to ever come from that awards show. Her line, “Angela Bassett did the thing” quickly became a meme thanks to DeBose’s very specific delivery. 

Okay, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars wasn’t a great moment, but the memes that came from it are great. 

In 2024, dog Messi from Anatomy of a Fall attended the Oscars, bowtie and all, which was notable for obvious reasons. His presence quickly became a meme, and his body has been photoshopped onto numerous backgrounds since. 

A quick pan to Jonathan Lithgow at the 2025 Oscars became a fantastic meme. The legendary actor looked the slightest bit disappointed, and the moment is now one of the best reaction memes available. 

After winning for her performance in American Horror Story at the 2016 Golden Globes, Lady Gaga walked to the stage to accept her award. On her way, she bumped into Leonardo DiCaprio, who was sitting in the audience, and his reaction became one of his best memes. 

Leonardo DiCaprio typically saves his emotions for the movies, but at the 2026 Golden Globes, he put them on full display while talking to someone from across the room. His facial expressions were priceless and made for multiple great memes. 

At the 2013 Golden Globes, Tommy Lee Jones was caught looking deeply unimpressed by the jokes being cracked by presenters Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell. The moment is still one of the best award show memes.

Tom Hanks was caught grimacing at the 2020 Golden Globes, and his face was too good not to meme-ify. It’s still a relevant reaction meme.