Top 10 Disturbing Oscars Moments Because of What We Know Now

Luise Rainer became the first performer to win consecutive Oscars for “The Great Ziegfeld” and “The Good Earth.” If her first Best Actress win wasn’t an indication, her second seemingly confirmed that Rainer had a long career in Hollywood ahead. However, Rainer followed her second victory with three flops in one year. After taking a five-year hiatus from the screen, Rainer returned to make one more film she knew wouldn’t be an Oscar player. She subsequently left Hollywood again, only popping up a couple more times. Rainer reflected on her Oscars as the “worst possible thing” that could’ve happened to her cinematic career, having set an impossible standard going forward. Sometimes, winning the Oscar is a curse rather than a blessing, Rainer being Exhibit A.

On January 23, 2025, Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly transgender acting nominee for “Emilia Pérez.” While the film might’ve been divisive, Gascón’s nomination was a landmark for the transgender community. What started as an inspirational Oscar milestone was soon clouded with controversy as Gascón’s laundry list of hateful social media posts came to light. Many have found Gascón’s attempted apologies insincere, portraying herself as the victim by saying things like, “I haven’t killed a single fly. When I have a spider in my house I put a little glass on it so as not to kill it and take it out to the street.” Although history may remember Gascón’s breakthrough at the Oscars, her problematic behavior is also intertwined with her complicated legacy.

In March 1990, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken picked up their Oscars for co-writing “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid.” It was a joyous night, but Ashman had something he needed to tell Menken. Ashman had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS two years earlier. The songwriting duo continued their work at Disney, with the studio throwing support behind Ashman, whose condition was worsening. In March 1991, one year after the Oscars and several months before “Beauty and the Beast” premiered, Ashman tragically died. It’s bittersweet looking back at Ashman’s only moment on the Oscar stage, although it wouldn’t be his only win. Menken and Ashman’s partner Bill Lauch paid tribute to the late lyricist when “Beauty and the Beast” won Best Original Song.

As Halle Berry tearfully accepted the Best Actress Oscar for “Monster’s Ball,” it seemed like the beginning of a more diverse Academy. Berry returned next year as a presenter, receiving a kiss from Adrien Brody that didn’t age spectacularly. While that year’s Best Actress lineup had one person of color in Salma Hayek, none of the nominees were Black. Since Berry’s watershed win, the Best Actress category has seen less than ten Black nominees as of writing. It’d take another 22 years for Michelle Yeoh to become the second person of color to win Best Actress with Berry co-presenting the award. As monumental as Berry’s win is, it serves as a disheartening reminder of how little progress has been made in more than two decades.

When Marlon Brando won Best Actor for “The Godfather,” actress/civil rights activist Sacheen Littlefeather walked on stage instead. Littlefeather announced that Brando wasn’t accepting his Oscar in protest of how Hollywood had treated Native Americans. While this moment has always been surreal, it’s grown increasingly uncomfortable hearing audience members boo Littlefeather amid mild applause. It’s even more disturbing considering the aftermath. Littlefeather says she was blacklisted and threatened. She even claims shots were fired at her outside Brando’s house, although some have called this into question. Littlefeather’s Native American ancestry has also been debated. In any case, the response to Littlefeather’s Oscar appearance only seemed to prove what she was trying to express. Indigenous peoples have been mistreated with their struggles being unjustly ignored.

The second time she hosted the Oscars in 2014, Ellen DeGeneres literally broke Twitter with a group selfie featuring several A-listers. Becoming the most retweeted post at the time, this was the kind of viral moment that the Academy dreams of. DeGeneres also seemed to epitomize everything that the Academy wanted in a host. She was infectiously upbeat, spontaneous yet not too edgy, and 150% controversy-free… for a period. Six years after the selfie, DeGeneres faced a firestorm of toxic workplace accusations, setting the stage for her early retirement. Looking back at the selfie now, the happy-go-lucky host at the center seems more disingenuous than we remember. The presence of Kevin Spacey doesn’t help, and yeah, let’s talk about that.

In “The Usual Suspects,” Kevin Spacey played a criminal mastermind who slips through the hands of justice. In “American Beauty,” he played a man who lusts after a minor. What makes these performances even more unsettlingly given what we know now? The fact that Spacey won Oscars for both. One could argue that these are still great performances, but for many, it’s impossible not to draw parallels to real life. The same goes for Spacey’s Oscar speeches. In his first, Spacey described Keyser Soze as “the person who manipulates, who hovers over us,” comparing him to his “friend” director Bryan Singer. Winning for “American Beauty,” Spacey said, “This is the highlight of my day. I hope it is not all downhill from here.” It was…

At the 46th Academy Awards, artist Robert Opel ran across the stage completely naked, much to the surprise of David Niven and the audience. As scandalous as this was, everyone seemed to have a good laugh, especially Niven. Looking back, it’s still pretty funny and lighthearted… until you do some digging into what happened to Opel not long after. In 1979, five years following the streaking episode, Opel found himself at gunpoint in his studio. The assailants, Robert E. Kelly and Maurice Keenan, sought drugs and money. When Opel tried turning them away, one of the armed men threatened to shoot him in the head, which is ultimately what happened. Although he waved a peace sign at the Oscars, Opel met a violent end.

After Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 ceremony, people were still processing what happened when “Summer of Soul” won Best Documentary. Who could possibly get the show back on track after such a shocking incident? A pre-scandal P. Diddy, of course! Being the next presenter, Diddy acknowledged the elephant in the room. After asking the audience to give the three female hosts a round of applause, Diddy called this “the most exciting Oscars ever.” He told Smith and Rock they’d resolve this at the gold party, but for now, they’d move on “with love.” A source said Diddy was trying to say “something to heal the moment.” In retrospect, Smith is no longer the most controversial figure who attended the 94th Academy Awards.

If you watch every Oscar telecast between 1966 and 2016, you’d hear quite a few people thank fallen movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. 34 times, in fact, tying with God for the second-most thank yous after Steven Spielberg. Speaking of Mr. Spielberg, people were astounded when his masterpiece “Saving Private Ryan” lost Best Picture to the Miramax-produced “Shakespeare in Love.” Weinstein, who shared in the win as a producer, was accused of resorting to mud-slinging tactics on the campaign trail. This was just one example of how Weinstein misused his power. Although Weinstein’s eventual downfall shocked some, it was a long time coming to others. This included Seth MacFarlane, who called out Weinstein while announcing the Oscar nominations a few years earlier.

Which Oscar moment do you look back at differently? Let us know in the comments.