Top 10 Celebrities WASTED at Award Shows

Lights, liquor, action! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Drunk Celeb Award Show Moments.

For this list, we’re looking at times celebrities seemed intoxicated at awards shows, be it on stage or on the red carpet.

"71st Golden Globe Awards" (2014)
With a list of memorable roles that stretches across the pond and back again, British actress Emma Thompson has certainly earned the right to knock back a few martini’s on awards night. It’s a right she clearly indulged at the 2014 Golden Globes - or she’s just that good of an actress. Nominated for her performance in “Saving Mr. Banks”, Thompson was also responsible for presenting the award for Best Screenplay; and boy did she ever. The two-time Golden Globe winner marched out on stage with her high heels in one hand and a martini in the other. Forced to choose between those uncomfortable heels and her martini, she tossed the shoes over her shoulder before announcing the winner.

“67th Golden Globe Awards” (2010)
We don’t know if it’s the fresh air, the awards season buzz, or the non-stop ego boosting, but red-carpet interviews often produce some of the best celebrity quotes. Case in point: this hilarious Julia Roberts - Billy Bush encounter from the 2010 Golden Globes. Flanked by her agent, Tom Hanks, and Rita Wilson, Roberts kicks things off by emphatically wishing Michelle Obama happy birthday. She then proceeds to insult Bush’s network, claiming that NBA is “in the toilet right now”. Although to be fair she wasn’t alone, as Hanks also joined in on the good-natured ribbing. It’s clear Roberts left her filter in the limousine… perhaps along with a couple of empty bottles of champagne.

"11th GQ Men of the Year Awards" (2008)
On hand to host the annual GQ Awards alongside Elton John, British singer Lily Allen clearly had a little too much bubbly throughout the course of the evening. This become wholly apparent near the end of the show, when John called her out for over-imbibing. Allen may have been visibly drunk, but it was John who turned it into a spectacle thanks to his trademark sass. He openly berated the young singer, responding to her comment about his age by quipping, “I could still snort you under the table.” Things seemed to heat up after that, although the celebs insisted they were only joking.

"16th MTV Europe Music Awards" (2009)
Most people nowadays probably don’t immediately think of David Hasselhoff when they hear the word “celebrity”. But in Germany, the Hoff has maintained a steady level of influence for years; and in 2009 he was asked to present the award for Best Rock group at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin. He kicked things off by singing along to the intro song before launching into a tirade about the fall of the Berlin wall. Decked out in one of the shiniest suits we’ve ever seen, Hasselhoff stumbled his way through the speech, tossing in a little German for good measure.

"48th Annual TV Week Logie Awards" (2006)
The Logie Awards celebrate the achievements of the Australian television community; and in 2006 they featured a special guest in Joan Rivers, the late comedian and talk show host. Never one to hold back when sober, Rivers was doubly scandalous after having clearly imbibed her body weight before coming on stage. She spent the majority of the time abrasively asking the crowd why she was even in attendance, before tearing into some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities. From Tom Cruise to Cate Blanchett, no one was safe from Joan Rivers’ drunk wrath. The crowd could barely contain themselves as Rivers dispensed hilarious one-liners in rapid fire succession.

"71st Golden Globe Awards" (2014)

Jacqueline Bisset boasts a career in the film industry that stretches back more than 50 years. But despite numerous performances worthy of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s praise, it wasn’t until 2014 that she finally took home a Golden Globe. However, as evidenced by her acceptance speech, we seriously doubt she expected to win. Bisset struggled to find the right words to express her gratitude and instead awkwardly fumbled through the majority of her speech. Her complete lack of composure in this, her biggest moment, begs the question: is there such a thing as too much liquid courage? Yes. The answer is yes.

"18th Hollywood Film Awards" (2014)
To be honest, we were surprised by the lack of drunken Johnny Depp award show clips on the internet. Fortunately, we have this hilarious moment to keep us warm at night. Depp was tasked with introducing the documentary “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon”, but instead spent his time on stage slurring, stumbling and generally making an ass of himself. Depp was so drunk he could barely read the words on the teleprompter and at one point had to ask the crowd for help. Moral of the story: if Johnny Depp is supposed to do any sort of public speaking, keep him away from the rum!

"21st Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards" (2010)
In 2010 Mariah Carey took home the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for her role in “Precious”. However, she had clearly been celebrating prior to coming on stage, as her acceptance speech was a jumble of slurred words and unfinished sentences. While she was quick to admit that she was inebriated, it didn’t exactly help when she launched into a lengthy tangent about her encounter with Helen Mirren. Thankfully director Lee Daniels was on hand to help her through what was obviously a difficult acceptance speech.

"32nd Annual American Music Awards" (2004)
The story of Anna Nicole Smith is a tragic one. The model and actress enjoyed a run of success in the 90s but fell on hard times in the mid-2000s. In retrospect, her drunken appearance at the 2004 American Music Awards may have been a sign of her downward spiral. On hand to introduce Kanye West, Smith was highly intoxicated. She had trouble speaking and when she did say something discernible, it immediately became fodder for comedians, internet pundits and talk show hosts alike. Her declaration of, “like my body?” would go on to become one of the most infamous awards show quips ever.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:


Sharon Stone
“60th Golden Globe Awards” (2003)

Aubrey Plaza
“22nd MTV Movie & TV Awards” (2013)

“58th Golden Globe Awards” (2001)
We can sum up this award show moment in two words: train wreck. On hand to present the award for Best Motion Picture–Drama at the 58th Golden Globes, Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor clearly over-indulged in the lead up to her big moment. Equal parts funny and depressing, Taylor opens the envelope before announcing the nominees, prompting the crowd to yell at her to stop. Producer Dick Clark had to come on stage to make sure she didn’t ruin the evening. She finally got back on track, but still struggled to announce the winner. It was an extremely embarrassing moment from one of the industry’s most distinguished members.