Top 10 Times Celebs Celebrated Too Early at Award Shows
#10: Michael Keaton’s Unheard Speech
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“87th Academy Awards” (2015) Going into this year’s Best Actor showdown, the consensus seemed to be that the race was between Michael Keaton for “Birdman” and Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything.” After Redmayne won at BAFTA and SAG, it wasn’t entirely surprising when he went on to win the Oscar. It was still hard not to feel bummed for Keaton, especially after Vine user Beefyrhetoric noticed something. As the envelope was about to be opened, Keaton seemingly had a piece of paper in hand. Many theorized that this was an acceptance speech, which he tucked into his jacket pocket as Redmayne made his way to the stage. Whether or not that’s indeed the case, we hope Keaton gets to deliver an Oscar acceptance speech someday.
#9: Chris Brown… or Rihanna… or Drake?
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“11th BET Awards” (2011) Chris Brown is a controversial artist due in part to a 2009 domestic violence incident involving his then-girlfriend Rihanna. This made it all the more uncomfortable two years later when BET contest winner Tiffany Greene got to read off the victor for the Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award. Greene initially announced Brown’s “Look at Me Now” as the winner, only to clarify seconds later that the true recipient was Rihanna for “What’s My Name.” Collaborator Drake accepted on Rihanna’s behalf, calling out the awkwardness. Things only got more awkward, as host Kevin Hart closed the show revealing that Brown did indeed win. Greene claimed that the tablet read Brown while the teleprompter read Rihanna. BET’s Stephen G. Hill accepted the blame, calling it his “human error.’
#8: They Got Robbed
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“21st MOBO Awards” (2016) The 2016 MOBO Awards was a mixed bag for British music group WSTRN with a massive hiccup occurring during the Best Song announcement. Presenters Rickie Haywood Williams and Melvin Odoom proclaimed WSTRN’s “In2” the winner, but something was clearly amiss as Abra Cadabra and Krept & Konan’s “Robbery” started to play. Shortly after WSTRN finished accepting this award, it was revealed that “Robbery” actually won. The presenters accidentally received the wrong envelope, which MOBO chalked up to “human error” in a statement. WSTRN didn’t go home empty handed, as they won Best Newcomer. Abra Cadabra and Krept & Konan were also given a chance to have their moment on stage, but the fact that their song was entitled “Robbery” added a level of irony to the whole mix-up.
#7: Taylor Turning Red
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“56th Annual Grammy Awards” (2014) Tensions are heightened when two of the nominees begin with the same letter. At the 2014 Grammys, Taylor Swift’s “Red” and Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” were up for Album of the Year. Announcing the winner, Alicia Keys started to say “Random.” As the first syllable emanated from Keys’ mouth, a startled expression crept up on Swift’s face, seemingly thinking that she was saying “Red.” It didn’t take long for Swift to piece together that Daft Punk won. In just a few seconds, Swift took us on an emotional journey, as she went from looking surprised, to holding back her disappointment, to being a good sport. As for Daft Punk, it’s hard to say what they were thinking because… well, you know. Masks!
#6: Disturbing Rihanna’s Night
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“10th NRJ Music Awards” (2009) Once again, Rihanna found herself at the center of an embarrassing awards show miscommunication. In this case, Rihanna’s “Disturbia” won the NRJ Music Award for International Song of the Year. However, Katy Perry’s name was called out for “I Kissed a Girl.” An excited Perry picked up the award, although the fact that “Disturbia” was playing indicated that somebody dropped the ball. Later in the ceremony, host Nikos Alliagas broke the news that Rihanna really won and Perry’s name had been put in the envelope by mistake. Perry reportedly wasn’t thrilled about this blunder, but the night turned around when she won Best International Album for “One of the Boys.” Why can’t Rihanna ever accept an award in peace, though?
#5: Happy Birthday, Mr. Artist of the Millennium
“19th MTV Video Music Awards” (2002) Sometimes even when someone wins, they can turn a victory into a fail. The 2002 VMAs took place on Michael Jackson’s 44th birthday. What better way to honor him than having the Princess of Pop present the King of Pop with a special birthday prize? The purpose of the award got lost in translation, though, as Britney Spears described Jackson as “the artist of the Millenium.” Jackson thus took this to mean that he was accepting the Artist of the Millennium Award. Had Jackson taken a moment, he might’ve realized that no such award exists. Even if it did, wouldn’t they have presented it two years earlier… or in another 998 years? Instead, Jackson jumped the gun, accepting a fake award.
#4: A Tale of Two Franks
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“6th Academy Awards” (1934) As host Will Rogers delivered the Best Director Oscar, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” The thing is, the category had two Franks: Frank Lloyd for “Cavalcade” and Frank Capra for “Lady for a Day.” What happened next has been debated. Capra recalled in his autobiography, “The Name Above the Title,” that he thought he won. Rushing to the stage, though, Capra realized Lloyd had prevailed. According to another book, “Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success,” Rogers presented the award to Lloyd. After that, he called up Capra, who came in second, and fellow nominee, George Cukor, who came in third. Whichever account is more accurate, Capra was likely confused, but he’d get his due next year when “It Happened One Night” swept.
#3: A Star Is Burned
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“27th Academy Awards” (1955) Judy Garland infamously never won a competitive Academy Award, although experts thought she was a shoo-in for 1954’s “A Star Is Born.” Since Garland’s son, Joseph Luft, had just been born, she chose not to attend the ceremony. Being an apparent lock, however, a camera crew set up shop in Garland’s room to film her inevitable acceptance speech. It was considered a monumental upset when Best Actress instead went to Grace Kelly for “The Country Girl.” The TV crew swiftly packed up and left Garland while Kelly made her way to the stage. Groucho Marx would send Garland a message, calling her loss “the biggest robbery since Brink’s.” Decades later, many still look back at Garland’s omission as the Oscar that got away.
#2: And the Winner Is… the Runner-Up!
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“64th Miss Universe Pageant” (2015) When somebody says that they “pulled a Steve Harvey,” we all know what they’re talking about. But in case you don’t, here’s the deal. Hosting the 2015 Miss Universe Pageant, the comedian ecstatically declared Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutiérrez, the winner. Gutiérrez cried tears of joy, the crowd went wild, the crown was presented, and anyone who turned off their TV after this immediately regretted it. Harvey uncomfortably returned to the spotlight, explaining that get got confused while reading the card and Gutiérrez was only the 1st runner-up. Gutiérrez thus relinquished the crown and sash to the true winner, Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines. Of course, when a mistake like this happens on such a huge scale, it’s hard for anyone to feel like a winner.
#1: Another Day of Moonlight
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“89th Academy Awards” (2017) The idea that the Oscars, the pinnacle of entertainment accolades, could mix up envelopes is hard to fathom. What’s even more unthinkable is that it could happen with the biggest award of the night. When Faye Dunaway announced perceived frontrunner “La La Land” as the Best Picture, it came as a surprise to nobody. It came as a surprise to everybody when producer Fred Berger closed his acceptance speech saying, “we lost, by the way.” To prove this wasn’t a joke, fellow producer Jordan Horowitz held up a card reading “Moonlight,” the actual Best Picture winner. PwC accountant Brian Cullinan had handed Warren Beatty the wrong envelope, which was for Emma Stone’s Best Actress win. The result was an Oscar Night nobody will ever forget.
