Top 20 Stars Who Were Booed at Award Shows
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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Stars Who Were Booed at Award Shows. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most notable instances in which celebrities were noticeably booed or heckled at an awards ceremony. What do you make of this behavior? Let us know in the comments below!
Beyoncé set numerous records at the “65th Annual Grammy Awards.” With her 88th nomination, she became the most-nominated artist in the show’s history (coincidentally tied with her husband, Jay-Z). That night, she won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, making her the most awarded artist ever, with 32 wins. But that wasn’t enough for some fans. When Harry Styles controversially won Album of the Year for “Harry’s House” over Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” many people didn’t take kindly to it. During his speech, Styles was audibly heckled by some audience members. You could say that the Crypto.com Arena was not Harry’s House that night.
Hardwell is the stage name for Robbert van de Corput, a prominent DJ from the Netherlands. He is a regular fixture at the DJ Awards, which are meant to honor EDM and are held annually in Ibiza, Spain. Hardwell won Best International DJ in 2017, making that his seventh win of the awards ceremony. However, many people wanted British DJ Carl Cox to win. Cox is the undisputed champion of the awards ceremony, having received multiple consecutive nominations and won Best International DJ three times, at that point. Hardwell was reportedly booed as he took the stage to accept his award, with the Spanish crowd audibly showing their support for his rival.
TRIC stands for the Television and Radio Industries Club, a British institution that holds an annual awards ceremony, usually in March. In 2023, the controversial Nigel Farage was named News Presenter of the Year for his work on GB News. Farage played a key role in the campaign for Brexit, and even served as Leader of the Brexit Party between 2019 and 2021. His reputation, combined with the win over favorites Eamonn Holmes and Susanna Reid, resulted in Farage being loudly booed at the ceremony. But the host didn’t waste time heckling the hecklers, telling them that they were out of touch and would soon be out of a job.
Plan B is a successful British rapper, who scored a multi-platinum album with his sophomore release “The Defamation of Strickland Banks”. Plan B earned multiple nominations at the 2011 Brit Awards, where he also performed one of the singles from the album “Prayin’”. During the climax of the performance, the rapper set fire to a stuntman dressed as a police officer. The meaning of this was left ambiguous, but many took it in a negative way and booed Plan B as the performance came to an end. However, the controversy didn’t stop the rapper from taking home the award for British Male Solo Artist.
For many, award shows are an honored institution that deserve to be respected. So when someone doesn’t show up - especially a winner - it’s seen as an offense against the ceremony and its work. The MOBO Awards, as the name suggests, honors Music of Black Origin, including rock and roll, hip hop, and soul. At the 2008 ceremony, Leona Lewis won both Best Video and Best Album, while rapper Dizzee Rascal took home Best Male. Both were reportedly on tour and couldn’t make the event, so neither collected their award in person. Regardless, the audience booed both winners for not bothering to show up, prompting a condemnation from host Mel B.
It was March 23, 2003, and the 75th Academy Awards were in full swing. “Chicago” would be the night’s big winner, but Michael Moore left the Kodak Theatre as the show’s biggest talking point. Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” had won Best Documentary Feature to rapturous applause, but many didn’t like the resulting speech. Moore quickly segued from the importance of non-fiction to criticizing President George Bush and the war in Iraq, resulting in a deafening boo from the audience. The uproar drowned out Moore’s speech, and loud music quickly played him off the stage. Luckily for Moore, he was finally given the chance to finish his speech at the 2018 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.
The Junos are held by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and honor the greatest in Canadian music. The 2023 ceremony belonged to The Weeknd, with the artist earning six nominations and five wins, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “Dawn FM”. These wins also made him the second most awarded artist in Junos history, behind only Anne Murray. Despite this, The Weeknd was a total no-show. He left behind a statement thanking the ceremony but failed to accept the award in person, resulting in massive boos from the crowd. Maybe he was just…taking an extended weekend.
Launched in 1988, The Source is a very popular magazine that hosted a now-defunct awards show honoring the best in rap and hip hop. Enter the 2003 iteration, which saw 50 Cent winning big with “Get Rich or Die Tryin'”. Also in attendance was Ja Rule, who didn’t seem to fare well with the crowd. First, he was booed after winning R&B/Rap Collaboration of the Year for “Thug Lovin’”. The rapper later performed both “The Crown” and “Clap Back” and received a further set of boos upon its conclusion. It’s clear that something had the audience in a tizzy. Maybe it was the very public feud that he had with the Aftermath crew at the time.
“27th National Television Awards” (2022)
On the night of October 13, 2022, London’s Wembley Arena hosted the 27th National Television Awards, honoring the best in…well, you can probably guess. One of the night’s big winners was “This Morning,” an ITV program that won the Best Daytime Award. Its hosts at the time were Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who were in the midst of a controversy called “Queuegate.” Basically, fans believed that the TV hosts skipped a twelve-hour line to see the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth lying in state. Schofield, ITV, and many celebrities said otherwise, claiming that they had media accreditation. Needless to say, the defense was largely ignored and both Schofield and Willoughby were booed by those in attendance.
No matter what Chris Brown does from here on out, it will never excuse what he did in 2009. For those unaware, Brown infamously assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna and sent her to the hospital with some pretty significant injuries. It’s the type of thing you never live down, and that was evident at the American Music Awards of 2022. Brown won Favorite Male R&B Artist but was not there to collect the award, having had a personal clash with the producers of the show. Kelly Rowland presented the category and angrily confronted the audience after they started booing Brown.
Anne Hathaway did not have a great start to the 2013 BAFTAs. According to the actress, her dress ripped before the ceremony, which resulted in her being late to the show. She was then forced to run past her fans that had been waiting in the cold, rain, and sleet all day, causing them to boo her as she ran by. Getting booed by your own fans can’t feel too good, especially if you’re sick with the flu! However, her night dramatically improved when she won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in “Les Misérables.”
Stewart’s reputation took a bit of a hit in 2012 when she was caught on camera with her “Snow White and the Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders. As a result, Sanders’ wife filed for divorce, and Stewart and Robert Pattinson split. It seems as if the “Twilight” fans were on Edward Cullen’s side, as Stewart was allegedly booed at the 2012 VMAs after an exclusive clip of “Breaking Dawn” was shown to the audience. Meanwhile, host Kevin Hart defended Kristen, saying that the audience should move on from her mistake, since they clearly hadn’t yet.
The Soul Train Awards crowd can be vicious. Whitney Houston was booed there in 1988, and the audience didn't hold back for Vanilla Ice in 1991. Vanilla Ice’s “To the Extreme” was widely released in September 1990, and its success led to his getting a Soul Train nomination for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist. However, the audience clearly wasn’t having it, and started booing as soon as his name was read. To make matters worse, the presenter jokingly announced Ice’s win, complete with the quip “Vanilla I-don’t think so” before declaring Mariah Carey the real winner. You know you’re hated when…
This boo wasn’t necessarily due to Sheeran’s win, but what it represented. At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Ed Sheeran won the award for Best Pop Solo Performance for his song “Shape of You”. Unfortunately for Sheeran - who wasn’t actually there - his win was booed by a few in attendance who protested the recognition. Sheeran was the only male nominee, and many felt that the women were far more deserving of the award, especially Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” and Kesha’s “Praying”, the latter of which is about the artist’s struggles with suicidal thoughts. For some, a song about a woman’s body – which is what Sheeran’s tune is about - simply couldn’t compare.
The Billboard Music Awards might not be as welcoming as some of the other, more prestigious events. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” megastars Kendall and Kylie Jenner took the stage at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards to introduce their brother-in-law, Kanye West. However, the crowd apparently wasn’t too happy with their presence on stage, and they were quite audibly booed from many in attendance. To their credit, the women soldiered through with smiles and ignored the boos, but that still can’t be too great for the ol’ confidence all the same.
The 2013 VMAs are well-known for the famous Miley Cyrus-Robin Thicke performance, and it somewhat overshadowed everything else that happened that night, including the malicious booing that One Direction received. The boy band was booed after winning the award for Best Song of the Summer, either because people simply don’t like One Direction or because they thought there were more deserving songs, such as “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines”. Either way, the band took the booing well, and were met backstage by Lady Gaga, who comforted them and defended their win and success.
In 2002, Eminem was on top of the world. His fourth studio album, “The Eminem Show”, was selling millions, and he was grabbing every accolade that came his way, including this VMA for Best Male Video. However, he also made some enemies. After Eminem called out “the little Moby girl,” he was treated to some audible boos from the audience. In true Eminem fashion, his head shot up to give a nasty glare to the audience, complete with the threats “keep booing, little girl” and “I will hit a man with glasses.” Naturally, this resulted in even louder boos, not that Em seemed to care.
Justin Bieber is certainly no stranger to facing hate. At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, Bieber received the first ever Milestone Award over Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift. There were cheers, but the boos were much louder, causing Bieber to stand dumbfoundedly and wait for the boos to stop. It’s probably one of the most awkward moments in award show history, and you can’t help but feel a little bad for the guy. He didn't fare much better at the Junos the following year either, leaving Serena Ryder to defend the Biebs after he was booed for collecting the Fan Choice Award.
Airing at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rivalry, the 1995 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards ceremony was a hotbed of tension. The audience was openly taking sides, resulting in loud boos throughout. All the big players were there, including Suge Knight, Snoop Dogg, Dre, and Biggie, and the place was electric. Meanwhile, there was a new group in the game called OutKast, who came from Atlanta. So, when they won the award for Best New Artist, the place erupted in boos, as OutKast didn’t represent either the East or West, and the South didn’t have a foothold in the rap market. OutKast changed that though…
When it comes to hated celebrities being booed, there’s simply no competing with the infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle of 2009. While Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, Kanye sauntered on stage, took the mic from Swift, and congratulated her before arguing that Beyoncé should have won for her “Single Ladies” video. West was loudly booed by the outraged audience, after which he shrugged his shoulders, and left the stage, leaving everyone, and most of all Taylor Swift, in a state of shock. The incident was an instant Internet classic and remains one of the most notable and controversial events in award show history.
#20: Harry Styles
“65th Annual Grammy Awards” (2023)Beyoncé set numerous records at the “65th Annual Grammy Awards.” With her 88th nomination, she became the most-nominated artist in the show’s history (coincidentally tied with her husband, Jay-Z). That night, she won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, making her the most awarded artist ever, with 32 wins. But that wasn’t enough for some fans. When Harry Styles controversially won Album of the Year for “Harry’s House” over Beyoncé’s “Renaissance,” many people didn’t take kindly to it. During his speech, Styles was audibly heckled by some audience members. You could say that the Crypto.com Arena was not Harry’s House that night.
#19: Hardwell
“20th Edition DJ Awards” (2017)Hardwell is the stage name for Robbert van de Corput, a prominent DJ from the Netherlands. He is a regular fixture at the DJ Awards, which are meant to honor EDM and are held annually in Ibiza, Spain. Hardwell won Best International DJ in 2017, making that his seventh win of the awards ceremony. However, many people wanted British DJ Carl Cox to win. Cox is the undisputed champion of the awards ceremony, having received multiple consecutive nominations and won Best International DJ three times, at that point. Hardwell was reportedly booed as he took the stage to accept his award, with the Spanish crowd audibly showing their support for his rival.
#18: Nigel Farage
“54th TRIC Awards” (2023)TRIC stands for the Television and Radio Industries Club, a British institution that holds an annual awards ceremony, usually in March. In 2023, the controversial Nigel Farage was named News Presenter of the Year for his work on GB News. Farage played a key role in the campaign for Brexit, and even served as Leader of the Brexit Party between 2019 and 2021. His reputation, combined with the win over favorites Eamonn Holmes and Susanna Reid, resulted in Farage being loudly booed at the ceremony. But the host didn’t waste time heckling the hecklers, telling them that they were out of touch and would soon be out of a job.
#17: Plan B
“31st Brit Awards” (2011)Plan B is a successful British rapper, who scored a multi-platinum album with his sophomore release “The Defamation of Strickland Banks”. Plan B earned multiple nominations at the 2011 Brit Awards, where he also performed one of the singles from the album “Prayin’”. During the climax of the performance, the rapper set fire to a stuntman dressed as a police officer. The meaning of this was left ambiguous, but many took it in a negative way and booed Plan B as the performance came to an end. However, the controversy didn’t stop the rapper from taking home the award for British Male Solo Artist.
#16: Leona Lewis & Dizzee Rascal
“13th MOBO Awards” (2008)For many, award shows are an honored institution that deserve to be respected. So when someone doesn’t show up - especially a winner - it’s seen as an offense against the ceremony and its work. The MOBO Awards, as the name suggests, honors Music of Black Origin, including rock and roll, hip hop, and soul. At the 2008 ceremony, Leona Lewis won both Best Video and Best Album, while rapper Dizzee Rascal took home Best Male. Both were reportedly on tour and couldn’t make the event, so neither collected their award in person. Regardless, the audience booed both winners for not bothering to show up, prompting a condemnation from host Mel B.
#15: Michael Moore
“75th Academy Awards” (2003)It was March 23, 2003, and the 75th Academy Awards were in full swing. “Chicago” would be the night’s big winner, but Michael Moore left the Kodak Theatre as the show’s biggest talking point. Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine” had won Best Documentary Feature to rapturous applause, but many didn’t like the resulting speech. Moore quickly segued from the importance of non-fiction to criticizing President George Bush and the war in Iraq, resulting in a deafening boo from the audience. The uproar drowned out Moore’s speech, and loud music quickly played him off the stage. Luckily for Moore, he was finally given the chance to finish his speech at the 2018 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.
#14: The Weeknd
“52nd Annual Juno Awards” (2023)The Junos are held by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and honor the greatest in Canadian music. The 2023 ceremony belonged to The Weeknd, with the artist earning six nominations and five wins, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “Dawn FM”. These wins also made him the second most awarded artist in Junos history, behind only Anne Murray. Despite this, The Weeknd was a total no-show. He left behind a statement thanking the ceremony but failed to accept the award in person, resulting in massive boos from the crowd. Maybe he was just…taking an extended weekend.
#13: Ja Rule
“6th Source Awards” (2003)Launched in 1988, The Source is a very popular magazine that hosted a now-defunct awards show honoring the best in rap and hip hop. Enter the 2003 iteration, which saw 50 Cent winning big with “Get Rich or Die Tryin'”. Also in attendance was Ja Rule, who didn’t seem to fare well with the crowd. First, he was booed after winning R&B/Rap Collaboration of the Year for “Thug Lovin’”. The rapper later performed both “The Crown” and “Clap Back” and received a further set of boos upon its conclusion. It’s clear that something had the audience in a tizzy. Maybe it was the very public feud that he had with the Aftermath crew at the time.
#12: Phillip Schofield & Holly Willoughby
“27th National Television Awards” (2022)
On the night of October 13, 2022, London’s Wembley Arena hosted the 27th National Television Awards, honoring the best in…well, you can probably guess. One of the night’s big winners was “This Morning,” an ITV program that won the Best Daytime Award. Its hosts at the time were Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, who were in the midst of a controversy called “Queuegate.” Basically, fans believed that the TV hosts skipped a twelve-hour line to see the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth lying in state. Schofield, ITV, and many celebrities said otherwise, claiming that they had media accreditation. Needless to say, the defense was largely ignored and both Schofield and Willoughby were booed by those in attendance.
#11: Chris Brown
“50th American Music Awards” (2022)No matter what Chris Brown does from here on out, it will never excuse what he did in 2009. For those unaware, Brown infamously assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna and sent her to the hospital with some pretty significant injuries. It’s the type of thing you never live down, and that was evident at the American Music Awards of 2022. Brown won Favorite Male R&B Artist but was not there to collect the award, having had a personal clash with the producers of the show. Kelly Rowland presented the category and angrily confronted the audience after they started booing Brown.
#10: Anne Hathaway
“66th British Academy Film Awards” (2013)Anne Hathaway did not have a great start to the 2013 BAFTAs. According to the actress, her dress ripped before the ceremony, which resulted in her being late to the show. She was then forced to run past her fans that had been waiting in the cold, rain, and sleet all day, causing them to boo her as she ran by. Getting booed by your own fans can’t feel too good, especially if you’re sick with the flu! However, her night dramatically improved when she won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in “Les Misérables.”
#9: Kristen Stewart
“29th MTV Video Music Awards” (2012)Stewart’s reputation took a bit of a hit in 2012 when she was caught on camera with her “Snow White and the Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders. As a result, Sanders’ wife filed for divorce, and Stewart and Robert Pattinson split. It seems as if the “Twilight” fans were on Edward Cullen’s side, as Stewart was allegedly booed at the 2012 VMAs after an exclusive clip of “Breaking Dawn” was shown to the audience. Meanwhile, host Kevin Hart defended Kristen, saying that the audience should move on from her mistake, since they clearly hadn’t yet.
#8: Vanilla Ice
“5th Annual Soul Train Music Awards” (1991)The Soul Train Awards crowd can be vicious. Whitney Houston was booed there in 1988, and the audience didn't hold back for Vanilla Ice in 1991. Vanilla Ice’s “To the Extreme” was widely released in September 1990, and its success led to his getting a Soul Train nomination for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist. However, the audience clearly wasn’t having it, and started booing as soon as his name was read. To make matters worse, the presenter jokingly announced Ice’s win, complete with the quip “Vanilla I-don’t think so” before declaring Mariah Carey the real winner. You know you’re hated when…
#7: Ed Sheeran
“60th Annual Grammy Awards” (2018)This boo wasn’t necessarily due to Sheeran’s win, but what it represented. At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Ed Sheeran won the award for Best Pop Solo Performance for his song “Shape of You”. Unfortunately for Sheeran - who wasn’t actually there - his win was booed by a few in attendance who protested the recognition. Sheeran was the only male nominee, and many felt that the women were far more deserving of the award, especially Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” and Kesha’s “Praying”, the latter of which is about the artist’s struggles with suicidal thoughts. For some, a song about a woman’s body – which is what Sheeran’s tune is about - simply couldn’t compare.
#6: Kendall & Kylie Jenner
“22nd Billboard Music Awards” (2015)The Billboard Music Awards might not be as welcoming as some of the other, more prestigious events. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” megastars Kendall and Kylie Jenner took the stage at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards to introduce their brother-in-law, Kanye West. However, the crowd apparently wasn’t too happy with their presence on stage, and they were quite audibly booed from many in attendance. To their credit, the women soldiered through with smiles and ignored the boos, but that still can’t be too great for the ol’ confidence all the same.
#5: One Direction
“30th MTV Video Music Awards” (2013)The 2013 VMAs are well-known for the famous Miley Cyrus-Robin Thicke performance, and it somewhat overshadowed everything else that happened that night, including the malicious booing that One Direction received. The boy band was booed after winning the award for Best Song of the Summer, either because people simply don’t like One Direction or because they thought there were more deserving songs, such as “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines”. Either way, the band took the booing well, and were met backstage by Lady Gaga, who comforted them and defended their win and success.
#4: Eminem
“19th MTV Video Music Awards” (2002)In 2002, Eminem was on top of the world. His fourth studio album, “The Eminem Show”, was selling millions, and he was grabbing every accolade that came his way, including this VMA for Best Male Video. However, he also made some enemies. After Eminem called out “the little Moby girl,” he was treated to some audible boos from the audience. In true Eminem fashion, his head shot up to give a nasty glare to the audience, complete with the threats “keep booing, little girl” and “I will hit a man with glasses.” Naturally, this resulted in even louder boos, not that Em seemed to care.
#3: Justin Bieber
“20th Billboard Music Awards” (2013)Justin Bieber is certainly no stranger to facing hate. At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, Bieber received the first ever Milestone Award over Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift. There were cheers, but the boos were much louder, causing Bieber to stand dumbfoundedly and wait for the boos to stop. It’s probably one of the most awkward moments in award show history, and you can’t help but feel a little bad for the guy. He didn't fare much better at the Junos the following year either, leaving Serena Ryder to defend the Biebs after he was booed for collecting the Fan Choice Award.
#2: OutKast
“Source Hip-Hop Music Awards” (1995)Airing at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rivalry, the 1995 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards ceremony was a hotbed of tension. The audience was openly taking sides, resulting in loud boos throughout. All the big players were there, including Suge Knight, Snoop Dogg, Dre, and Biggie, and the place was electric. Meanwhile, there was a new group in the game called OutKast, who came from Atlanta. So, when they won the award for Best New Artist, the place erupted in boos, as OutKast didn’t represent either the East or West, and the South didn’t have a foothold in the rap market. OutKast changed that though…
#1: Kanye West
“26th MTV Video Music Awards” (2009)When it comes to hated celebrities being booed, there’s simply no competing with the infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle of 2009. While Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, Kanye sauntered on stage, took the mic from Swift, and congratulated her before arguing that Beyoncé should have won for her “Single Ladies” video. West was loudly booed by the outraged audience, after which he shrugged his shoulders, and left the stage, leaving everyone, and most of all Taylor Swift, in a state of shock. The incident was an instant Internet classic and remains one of the most notable and controversial events in award show history.
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