Top 10 Award Show Controversies & Scandals

We’re not here to deny the fact that Jim Parsons is an outstanding comedic actor, but this win definitely left many fans of “The Office” disappointed. Steve Carell was also nominated, and this year was his final chance to win an Emmy for his role as Michael Scott in “The Office”. Parsons had already won the previous year, and went on to win a total of four times for his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper - so he likely would’ve been just fine losing out to Carell! Other nominees this year also included Alec Baldwin and Matt LeBlanc, admittedly it must have been a pretty tough decision.

At the 1990 Grammy Awards, Milli Vanilli won the award for Best New Artist, but something seemed a bit off. Their acceptance speech seemed to hint at the duo’s guilt over beating the other nominated artists. It wasn’t until November of 1990 however that their producer, Frank Farian, revealed it had all been a lie. Rob and Fab, the duo that made up Milli Vanilli, weren’t only lip syncing at concerts, they weren’t even the ones singing on the recordings at all. Their Grammy was revoked, and many were upset that it was possible for something so completely fraudulent to have been rewarded at all by such a reputable institution of the music industry.

Apparently, despite being one of the biggest names in hip-hop in 2014, Macklemore felt like his best rap album win was undeserved. He texted fellow nominee Kendrick Lamar saying he felt like Lamar had been robbed and that he was the one who deserved to win, which could have been a nice gesture if he left it at that. Instead, Macklemore decided to post a screenshot of the text to Instagram, instantly turning a private moment of recognition for a fellow artist into a performative gesture that just seemed self-congratulatory instead of genuine. Many criticized this move, including Drake, who felt the text was as unnecessary as Macklemore’s guilt over winning the award in the first place.

Once friends, these two British singer-songwriters had a falling out that saw them publicly expressing their hostility. This back and forth came to a head during Williams’ acceptance speech for his Best Single BRIT award, in which he challenged the Oasis singer to a televised fight with a total prize of two hundred grand. The fight never happened, and the whole thing just feels awkward and random. This actually wasn’t the first time this happened to Gallagher. Three years prior he was dared to fight by none other than Sporty Spice herself, Melanie C. Considering that beforehand he’d said he’d “smack” the Spice Girls if he saw them, we can’t say her challenge was out of order.

When Tiffany Green won a contest to be a guest presenter at the 2011 BET Awards, she couldn’t have expected how awkward things would get. She first announced the winner of the Viewer’s Choice Award as Chris Brown, the name on the tablet screen she was reading from. Immediately after, she corrected herself and announced Rihanna as the winner, reading off the teleprompter in front of her. This slip-up was made especially awkward with the added knowledge that, two years prior, Chris Brown pled guilty to assault in a domestic violence case involving his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Drake accepted the award for Rihanna ... but at the end of the night it was revealed Brown had been the intended winner after all. Yikes!

Before Britney’s disastrous lip-sync performance at the 2007 VMAs, she was involved in another infamous moment. During MTV’s 2003 award show, she and Madonna locked lips onstage in the middle of a performance. Some consider the moment iconic, while others, like Stevie Nicks, saw it as obnoxious. Less well known is the kiss between Madonna and Christina Aguilera, which happened immediately after Spears’ kiss, but was cut from the broadcast in favor of showing Justin Timberlake’s reaction to the first kiss. Aguilera was not a fan of the editing choice, and described it as a “cheap shot” cashing in on the recent breakup between Timberlake and Spears. With such mixed reactions, it’s no surprise this kiss is still remembered today.

Nicki Minaj’s music video for “Anaconda” set a Vevo record for the most views in 24 hours, taking that crown from Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball”. When “Anaconda” wasn’t nominated for best video of the year, Nicki Minaj expressed her dissatisfaction on Twitter. Miley Cyrus wasn’t impressed, describing her in an interview as “not too kind”. A few days later, the two came face-to-face when Miley hosted the 2015 VMAs. While accepting her award for Best Hip-Hop Video, Nicki Minaj delivered her now infamous clap back. This was a bold move that no one was expecting, but Cyrus managed to deescalate the situation while also congratulating Minaj on her win. Nonetheless, watching Rebel Wilson’s face totally sums up how most of us reacted in the moment.

At the 2019 Grammy Awards, Cardi B made history when she became the first female recipient of the best rap album award. But it wasn’t long before the controversies started. Ariana Grande impulsively tweeted the f-word and the word “trash” as Cardi B accepted the award. She later cleared up that she was not calling Cardi B “trash”, she was just really hoping to see her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller win posthumously. Additionally, BET reacted to Cardi’s win by Tweeting that “Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj is being dragged by her lace front”. In response, Minaj pulled out of the BET Experience concert series.

When it was announced that Eminem was performing at the 2001 Grammy awards, the show was picketed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. They argued that lyrics in his most recent album were homophobic. Openly gay music legend Elton John didn’t see it that way, and agreed to show his support for Eminem by joining him in his performance. The two sang Eminem’s “Stan” together and hugged while simultaneously being protested from outside the arena. Many still weren’t convinced that Eminem never meant to demean the LGBTQ+ community, but nevertheless he and Elton John have remained good friends long after their joint performance. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Outkast Causes Outrage Among Native Americans, “46th Annual Grammy Awards” (2004) Their Performance Used Native American Stereotypes Faith Hill Loses to Carrie Underwood, “37th Country Music Association Awards” (2003) When Underwood Won, Hill Looked Outraged, Later Said She Was Joking Sean Spicer’s Guest Appearance , “69th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2017) The Controversial White House Press Secretary Was Invited to Be Part of the Opening Monologue. Dame Helen Mirren Avoids Censorship, “58th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2006) Censors Failed to Bleep Some Profanity During Her Acceptance Speech. Russell Brand’s Polarizing Sense of Humor, “27th BRIT Awards” (2007) Host Russell Brand Made Many Controversial Jokes & Was Never Asked to Host Again

#1: Kanye Interrupts Taylor “26th MTV Video Music Awards” (2009)

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It’s one of the most infamous award show moments in memory. The image of Kanye West taking the microphone from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for best female video will haunt us forever. 19-year-old Swift, along with a completely stunned audience, looked on in shock as Kanye insisted that Beyonce should have won the award. Thankfully, Kanye was quickly booed offstage as the whole crowd turned against him. But the moment was officially ruined for Swift. As a testament to her professionalism and maturity, she went on to perform later that night as if nothing had happened, and even got the chance to try her speech again when Beyonce graciously invited her onstage at the end of the night.