20 jaw-dropping awards show moments we still can't believe happened

At the 2024 Oscars, John Cena presented the award for costume design without wearing any costume at all. The pro wrestler was nuđe, using a carefully placed card to cover himself up. While the audience didn’t seem to be upset about seeing so much of Cena, it was certainly unexpected. 

If you know Robert Opel for anything, it’s probably streaking across the stage at the 1974 Oscars. He did lots of other things, like write speeches for Ronald Reagan while he was governor, but Opel’s claim to fame is most definitely his streaking. 

In March 2022, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. It might go down as the wildest moment in awards show history. No one knew whether the Fresh Prince slapping the host after cracking a joke about his wife was genuine or a bit. Smith won an Oscar later that evening to make things even more awkward. 

When David Letterman hosted the Oscars in 1995, things went well for the most part, but the gig didn’t start well. Letterman opened with a joke about Uma Thurman and Oprah Winfrey that did not land well. 

No one knew what to do when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift while accepting the award for best music video at the 2009 MTV VMAs, least of all Swift. Beyonce, whom West was arguing on behalf of, was equally perplexed. 

Frozen was all the rage in 2013, and Idina Menzel was set to take the stage to perform “Let It Go” at the Oscars the following year. John Travolta took the stage, too, tasked with introducing the Broadway legend. But rather than saying her actual name, he created an alter ego for the star. We all have Travolta’s awkward moment to thank for Adele Dazeem. 

Giving people who’ve just achieved one of their lifelong dreams a microphone is very risky, but awards show producers continue to do some. Sometimes, it goes well, but most of the time, it goes fine. Every now and again, we end up seeing something like Jack Palance doing one-armed push-ups on stage. 

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway told us all that La La Land had won Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars, and the cast and crew joyously went on stage to accept the award. Moments later, we found out via a La La Land producer that Moonlight was the real winner. A mixup in envelopes made for an incredibly awkward, albeit memorable, awards show moment. 

Lil’ Kim wore one of the most daring red carpet outfits the world had ever seen (at the time) to the 1999 MTV VMAs. One of Lil’ Kim’s breasts was exposed, only made appropriate for the public with a pasty. While presenting on stage with Mary J. Blige and Diana Ross, The Supremes icon jiggled Lil’ Kim’s breast, making many, including Blige, very uncomfortable. 

Kissing on stage usually doesn’t go well at awards shows, unless it’s Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling recreating a moment from The Notebook . After Adrien Brody became the youngest man to ever win Best Actor at the Oscars, he gave Halle Berry a surprising and uncomfortable on-stage kiss. 

Jodie Foster accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Golden Globes, and she used it as an opportunity to publicly comment on her sexuality. Many found it courageous, but it also had lots of people questioning what was happening at the moment. 

Again, kissing on stage doesn’t typically go over well at awards shows. At the 1994 MTV VMAs, Michael Jackson kissed his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley on stage, declaring their marriage lasting despite what people thought would happen. The moment turned out to be awkward and prescient, as the two didn’t stay together. 

After winning two Oscars in one night, Roberto Benigni hopped on top of the seats in the audience and walked on them rather than the floor to accept one of his awards. It was the awards show equivalent of Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch. 

Lady Gaga wearing a meat dress to the 2010 MTV VMAs felt like a fever dream, but it did happen, and no one knew how to react. While Gaga is still eccentric, she hasn’t done anything that shocking in years. 

They say that hosting an awards show is a difficult gig, but Jo Koy at the 2024 Golden Globes made it look tougher than it needs to be. The comedian had an especially rough opening monologue with lots of distasteful jokes. 

Before the Oscars slap heard ‘round the world, arguably the most memorable moment in awards show history was Madonna kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during a performance. Though an iconic moment in retrospect, it was shocking at first. 

Jennifer Lawrence is known for awkward moments, and even winning an Oscar couldn’t stop her from having another one. After winning her award in 2012, the actress tripped up the stairs on her way to accept. She handled it well, though, and the awkward moment turned out to be endearing. 

Years before Miley Cyrus was singing about winning on stage at the Grammys, she was twerking with Robin Thicke at the VMAs. No one will forget the moment, but no one wants to remember it. 

Ariana DeBose is one talented lady. She won an Oscar for her work in Spielberg’s West Side Story, and she’s got plenty of other accolades. But something about the way she rapped “Angela Bassett did the thing” at the 2023 BAFTAs was strange and made audiences very uncomfortable. 

Rob Lowe joined Eileen Bowman dressed as Snow White on stage at the 1989 Oscars for a musical number, and it was met with, well, nothing good. Disney sued the Academy for using Snow White, multiple actors urged the Academy never to put on a skit like that again, and Gregory Peck said he would give his Oscar back if it happened again. Unfortunately, the performance also ruined Eileen Bowman’s career.