Top 10 Award Show Winners Who Had Their Award Taken Away
#10: Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, & Marc Platt “89th Academy Awards” (2017)
When Warren Beatty hesitated to announce the Best Picture winner, everyone thought he was having a laugh. People also thought “La La Land” producer Fred Berger was joking around when he announced that they actually lost. It quickly became clear to the roomful of meme-worth reactions that the unthinkable had happened. “Moonlight” won Best Picture and Damien Chazelle’s musical had been wrongfully declared the victor due to an envelope mix-up courtesy of PwC accountant Brian Cullinan. After basking in the sunlight for almost two minutes, Berger, Horowitz, and Platt gracefully handed the Oscars to the “Moonlight” crew. Weirdly enough, this bittersweet moment somewhat mirrors the ending of “La La Land” as the protagonists imagine what could’ve been before coming back to reality.
#9: Patrika Darbo “45th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards” (2018)
This American actress is known for her appearances on soap operas like “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “Days of Our Lives.” In addition to a Primetime Emmy for her work on “Acting Dead,” Darbo won a Daytime Emmy for her guest role on “The Bay.” The latter victory was unfortunately fleeting. A month after giving out the Emmy, it was determined that Darbo and fellow nominee Thomas Calabro had previously appeared on the show. They were thus deemed ineligible in the guest performer category with Darbo having to give her Emmy back. In a statement, Darbo expressed her disappointment and concern for the Emmy brand, suggesting that NATAS pursue an outside audit of the award show’s submission and voting process to prevent future errors.
#8: Bruce Willis “42nd Golden Raspberry Awards” (2022)
It’s usually disappointing when an award is rescinded, but in this case, it was a sign of respect. The “Die Hard” actor was guaranteed a Golden Raspberry for Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie. Eight of his films were nominated with “Cosmic Sin” coming out on top (or bottom). While it was seemingly all in good fun, the Razzies had a change of tune days later when it was announced that Willis would be retiring due to an aphasia diagnosis. In light of this heartbreaking news, the Razzies revoked Willis’ eight nominations and “win,” stating, “If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.”
#7: Chris Brown, Rihanna, & Drake “11th BET Awards” (2011)
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As shocking as the “La La Land”/“Moonlight” mix-up was, this sort of thing has happened a few times across various award shows. The 2011 BET Awards is among the most unique examples. The true winner was initially announced for the Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award: Chris Brown. Within seconds, presenter Tiffany Greene awkwardly shifted gears, saying that Rihanna actually won. In Rihanna’s absence, Drake accepted the award in confusion. Things came full circle towards the show’s conclusion as host Kevin Hart announced that they were right the first time. Brown won, which Greene read on the tablet. Due to a “human error,” though, the teleprompter read, “Rihanna.” Ironically, Rihanna was up for a song entitled “What’s My Name?.” Well, her name definitely isn’t Chris Brown.
#6: George Stevens Jr. & Catherine Shields “46th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards” (1994)
Revered for his work with the AFI and “Kennedy Center Honors,” George Stevens Jr. has won 14 Primetime Emmys. For a period, he had 16. In 1994, he achieved two Emmys for the documentary “George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin,” which was produced using his father’s footage from the Army Signal Corps. Editor Catherine Shields also picked up an Emmy for the film. Almost a decade earlier, though, Stevens Jr. allowed the BBC to use his dad’s footage for another doc, “D-Day to Berlin: Newsnight Special.” The BBC documentarians didn’t learn about Stevens Jr.’s film until 2019. They contacted the TV Academy, which determined that due to the shared footage, Stevens Jr.’s documentary wasn’t eligible. After almost 26 years, the three Emmys were revoked.
#5: Vanessa Williams “57th Miss America Pageant” (1983)
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Vanessa Williams would go down as the first African-American to be crowned Miss America. Williams only had two months left in her reign when news broke that Penthouse had acquired leaked nude photos of her, which the magazine intended to publish. The photos had been taken years before the pageant and Penthouse hadn’t received Williams’ approval to use them. Nevertheless, the Miss America Organization gave Williams three days to step down. Although some encouraged her to fight it, Williams decided to relinquish her title to runner-up Suzette Charles. The scandal thankfully didn’t derail Williams’ career, as she’s continued to enjoy success as an actress and singer. Williams also returned to judge Miss America 2016 where she received an overdue apology.
#4: Kevin Spacey “45th International Emmy Awards” (2017)
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After several nominations for his work on “House of Cards,” it was announced in June 2017 that Kevin Spacey would be honored with the International Emmy Founders Award. Spacey’s once-esteemed reputation collapsed four months later when Anthony Rapp accused him of an altercation that allegedly occurred 31 years earlier. Following several similar reports, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences stated that they’d be rescinding Spacey’s Emmy, which was to be presented in November. Not long after, Netflix officially fired Spacey, who has since faced additional accusations. It wouldn’t be the last time the International TV Academy revoked an award over sexual misconduct. Upon resigning as New York’s governor in 2021, Andrew Cuomo was stripped of the Emmy he received amid COVID’s peak.
#3: Robert Cohn & Alex Grasshoff “41st Academy Awards” (1969)
Given how many celebrities have recently fallen from grace, the Academy’s policy on revoking Oscars has sparked various discussions. While controversial members like Harvey Weinstein have been expelled, the Academy generally avoids repealing awards. In over 90s years, there’s only been one instance where a film officially won and the Academy had to take the Oscar back. In 1969, Robert Cohn and Alex Grasshoff picked up Best Documentary Feature for “Young Americans.” A month later, the Academy realized that the choir doc made its debut in 1967, missing the eligibility cutoff. “Journey into Self,” which came in second place, was thus given the Oscar instead. According to Grasshoff’s wife Madilyn, they “slept with the Oscar the first night” and giving it back was “painful.”
#2: Bill Cosby “12th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor” (2009)
In 2009, Bill Cosby was considered America’s Dad and a certified comedy legend. Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and former co-star Phylicia Rashad were in attendance to honor Cosby when he was presented with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. It’s shocking how much can change in five years. Around this time, numerous sexual misconduct accusations directed at Cosby came to light. By 2018 when he was found guilty, Cosby had been stripped of several accolades, including his honorary degrees, his statue in the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame, and the Mark Twain Prize. Cosby was released almost three years into his sentence thanks to Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, but don’t expect the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to return his award.
#1: Milli Vanilli “32nd Annual Grammy Awards” (1990)
The R&B duo Milli Vanilli holds a dubious honor in Grammy history, marking the only occasion where the Recording Academy resorted to taking the award back. Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan seemingly hit the ground running with their album “Girl You Know It’s True,” winning the Grammy for Best New Artist. Nine months later, it was reported that the duo didn’t provide their vocals for the album, which producer Frank Farian confirmed. This wasn’t an isolated incident, as Milli Vanilli also lip-synced when they performed at the Grammys that year. Not only did the Recording Academy “overwhelmingly” vote to revoke their award, but an Oakland mother filed a lawsuit, feeling everyone who bought an album deserved a refund. Seriously? Girl, you know it’s true.
