Top 10 Funniest Things to Happen at Awards Shows

Sliming celebrities was already a Kids’ Choice tradition, but for the 1994 show, producer Albie Hecht set his sights on an especially high-profile star: James Earl Jones. Hecht envisioned an opening with a dressed-up Jones getting slimed at the Pantages Theatre. When Hecht initially reached out to Jones, the revered actor politely declined and hung up. Minutes later, Hecht got a call back from Jones, saying that his granddaughters convinced him to do the sliming, calling it “the biggest honor he could have.” The result was this gem of an opening that initially creates the ambiance of a classy awards banquet. After that, more and more celebs saw the “honor” in being slimed.

Brad Bird rose to fame with animated classics like “The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” marked his foray into live-action. That same year, he received the Winsor McCay Award. Bird wasn’t able to accept in person, as he was, in his own words, tied up. In a pre-recorded speech, Bird announced his plans for a career shift. Something was clearly off with the camera zoomed in and Bird appearing uneasy. The camera eventually pushed out to reveal Bird being held hostage by his own film’s stars. Quite literally tied up. The “Mission: Impossible” stars weren’t at all pleased to be caught on camera, threatening the operator. Nope, nothing to see here.

The Mark Twain Prize is one of the highest honors in comedy that only a select few have received. Will Ferrell became the fourteenth person to join this exclusive group in 2011. And how did Ferrell commemorate this achievement? He dropped the bronze bust on stage, bringing the audience and music to an abrupt halt. The cheers were substituted with laughter as Ferrell attempted to piece the shattered statue back together. All the while, he maintained the demeanor of a kid who just broke their parents’ vase, trying to cover it up. Adding to the awkwardness, Ferrell vowed to take great care of the award. While the stunt was pre-planned, the execution demonstrates why Ferrell deserved this prize.

For television’s biggest night, host Conan O'Brien invaded several shows. Crash landing on a familiar island, O’Brien tries to solve the greatest mystery: why wasn’t “Lost” nominated for Outstanding Drama Series this year? There’s no time to dwell on snubs, as Conan heads down the hatch. Inside, he doesn’t find Desmond, but Dwight, Jim, and the rest of Dunder Mifflin. From there, Conan gets stuck on the phone with Jack Bauer, receives an examination from House, and becomes trapped in the closet with Tom Cruise. Conan winds up on “To Catch a Predator” before finally making it to the Emmys. The show has done similar crossovers, including one where numerous celebrities crash “The Office.” However, Conan’s voyage remains the gold standard.

Released during awards season, Universal had hopes that “Cats” might be their ticket to the Oscars. Instead, the musical bomb won six Razzies, including Worst Picture. Although Rebel Wilson would share in those Razzie “wins,” she had a great sense of humor about the film’s failure at the BAFTAs. Wilson didn’t seem too displeased that the BAFTAs didn’t nominate “Cats,” but she voiced concern over the lack of “feline” representation among those who were honored. With COVID on the rise, Wilson also found a resourceful use for the BAFTA statue. Did we mention this was one of the last in-person award shows for a while?

#5: Any of Tina & Amy’s Monologues “Golden Globe Awards” (2013-15, 2021)

Also in:

Top 10 People Who Tied Winning Awards

Tina Fey has described herself and Amy Poehler as “alphas.” Perhaps that’s why we haven’t gotten a sitcom co-starring them, but the Globes have provided a sample of what could be. During their first year, the hosts implied that they’d be nicer than Ricky Gervais. That quickly went out the window as they proved they had shade to spare. The following year, Fey and Poehler poked fun at George Clooney’s reputation for dating younger women. They targeted Clooney again during their third year, arguing that Amal Alamuddin ​is more accomplished than her husband. Whether shocking the room with a Bill Cosby joke or calling out the HFPA’s lack of diversity, you can never go wrong with these alphas.

Steve Carell won a Golden Globe for his performance as Michael Scott, delivering an uproarious speech from the perspective of his wife. Carell infamously never won an Emmy for the role. But when Ricky Gervais snagged the award for his work in “Extras,” Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert provided a loophole. As funny as it is watching the three hug it out over this “victory” for Carell, the joke didn’t end there. The following year, Gervais did attend the Emmys, and he didn’t shy away from Carell “stealing” his award. Gervais roasted a stone-faced Carell in the audience, making fun of “Evan Almighty” and forcing him to surrender the Emmy. David Brent beats Michael.

There are more than a few flaws with online community voting. For example, a streamer can encourage their legion of followers to vote one way, rigging the awards. This appeared to happen throughout Twitch Chat's Choice Awards, as personality Thomas “Sodapoppin” Morris took credit for influencing the vote during a livestream. The show climaxed with Sodapoppin presenting Game of the Year via video call. Rather than celebrate the nominees, Sodapoppin called it a “trash” year for games. These comments sparked an argument between Sodapoppin and the ceremony’s hosts. Although they immobilized his telepresence robot, they couldn’t stop Sodapoppin from poppin. This is what happens when “Among Us” doesn’t get nominated for the top prize. Whether you call it sabotaging or trolling, this was hilariously legendary.

Andy Serkis’ groundbreaking portrayal of Gollum was a shoo-in for Best Virtual Performance at the MTV Movie Awards. Since Serkis was busy filming “Return of the King,” he graciously thanked MTV and the fans in a pre-recorded speech. However, his moment was interrupted when Gollum himself showed up. He unleashed a profanity-laced tirade taking aim at Serkis, Peter Jackson, and even fellow digital movie star Dobby the House-elf. Nobody was safe from his ever-escalating rage. The speech proved so precious that it’d later win a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. An award show speech winning an award? Is that a first? Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Jim Carrey Channels Jim Morrison, Eric Clapton, & Foghat, “8th MTV Movie Awards” (1999) Another Reason Why He Should’ve Gotten An Oscar Nomination for “The Truman Show” Donald Trump & Karen Walker’s Emmy Idol, “58th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2006) First Green Acres, And Then the 2016 Presidential Election Streaker Storms the Stage, “46th Academy Awards” (1974) “By Stripping Off and Showing His Shortcomings,” Robert Opel Gave Us a Laugh For the Ages Michael Jackson Wins a Non-Existent Award, “19th MTV Video Music Awards” (2002) What Do You Mean There’s No “Artist of the Millennium Award?” Tom Hanks’ Reactions, “77th Golden Globe Awards” (2020) Between Hanks’ Face & Ricky Gervais’ Comments, A Plethora of Memes Were Born

Whenever Robin Williams accepted an award, we could expect a priceless standup routine. As humorous as his Cecil B. DeMille Award speech is, Williams was arguably even funnier when he lost. At the 2003 Critics’ Choice Awards, Best Actor went to Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson in a tie. The only other nominee was Williams for “One Hour Photo,” making it clear who came in last. Claiming to be “baked,” Nicholson asked Williams to come on stage. We were treated to more than five minutes of classic Robin, complete with impressions, dancing, and brilliant improv. Nicholson also butted in with some great lines, especially one about the genre confusion over “About Schmidt.” However, no one could deny that the moment belonged to Williams.