Top 10 Worst Award Show Hosts Ever

“81st Golden Globe Awards” (2024)

Koy claimed that he was only given the gig of hosting the Golden Globes 10 days before the ceremony took place. And, boy, does it show in his opening monologue. What should have been a defining moment in the stand-up comedian’s career was instead riddled with miscalculated and lazy jokes that were met with pitiful smiles, cringing, and icy glares from some stars. The one positive from his set was that Koy acknowledged that the jokes weren’t all landing, which was a little refreshing in its openness - although throwing his writers under the bus wasn’t. After the wave of criticism in reaction to his monologue, Koy acknowledged that it was an “off night.”

“45th Primetime Emmy Awards” (1993)

“Murder, She Wrote” legend Angela Lansbury was an Emmys icon. Between 1983 and 2005, she was nominated for an award 18 times and unfortunately didn’t win once. With that rich history, Lansbury was given the hosting reins at the “45th Primetime Emmy Awards” in 1993. But it was a mixed bag. While she was described as charming by some reviewers, not everyone was a fan of the more traditional approach Lansbury took. While an immensely talented star, she didn’t boast the purely comedic chops that the Emmys hosts usually have. With Lansbury, the grace and style was there, but the funny entertainment… not so much.

“40th Annual Grammy Awards” (1998)

Kelsey Grammer hosting the Grammy Awards' in 1998 sounded like a perfect match. After all, in “Frasier,” he was the titular star radio host very comfortable as the center of attention. But Grammer was out of his depth on this fateful music night, and his discomfort was palpable from the start. It got worse when he had to utter words and phrases like “Gettin' Jiggy Wit It” or “MMMBop.” In one review of his performance, Grammar was compared to a “nervous substitute teacher.” Yikes. Regardless, having the actor hosting still worked in the Grammys' favor, as they brought in their highest TV ratings in 5 years.

“70th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2018)

Since 2014, Michael Che and Colin Jost have been the faces of “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.” So when the familiar duo were set to host the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018, it was not clear how their style of awkwardly edgy comedy would go over. And once they got on stage, both seemed somewhat out of sorts without a desk and defaulted to more stilted joke deliveries. Several of the topics they chose to jest about, particularly in the opening monologue, were too raw and sensitive to land well, and numerous jokes fell flat with the audience, getting mostly uncomfortable laughter.

“2010 MTV Video Music Awards” (2010)

If you’re announced as the host of an award ceremony and the network feels the need to pre-emptively defend the appointment as an “unexpected choice,” you’re not off to a great start. And that’s what happened when Chelsea Handler was the face of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. And from her walking onto the stage, it was a rough experience. Handler seemed to let her inner-hyperactive toddler out and produced a bizarre and somewhat incoherent display. Critics took shots at her inauthentic performance, the underwhelming skits and jokes, and her “crass” behavior and statements. This hosting flop might explain why, the year after, MTV went with a host-less event with multiple presenters, before returning to the familiar format in 2012 with Kevin Hart.

“49th Primetime Emmy Awards” (1997)

In 1997, CBS poached Bryant Gumbel from NBC. And following that coup, in addition to his usual type of journalistic and sports work, he was chosen by the network to host the Emmys. Critics were bemused by the appointment, and their concerns were proven warranted when the ceremony got underway. Gumbel performed the role as straight as possible. After a light-hearted opening leaning into his lack of experience in this field, he did the rest of the job with no real zing or pageantry. And that was the problem — it was pretty dull. People were unhappy an entertainer wasn’t selected to at least make the event at least a little exciting. Instead, the 1997 ceremony was a lackluster edition.

“67th Academy Awards” (1995)

Even decades after this event, David Letterman still can’t shake off the stink of hosting the 67th Academy Awards. In his opening monologue, he attempted a joke about the first names of celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Uma Thurman, saying their names repeatedly as he practiced introducing them to each other. It was awkward and made the audience sink into their seats before the cringe could overwhelm them. And it got worse as Letterman doubled down without success. The spinning dog skit later on also didn’t help the former talk show legend. In 2020, Letterman described this infamous night as the “biggest professional embarrassment of my life.”

“60th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2008)

You know the expression “Too many cooks spoil the broth”? Seemingly, the organizers for the Emmys in 2008 had never heard of this bit of wisdom, as they brought in a whopping 5 hosts! This unprecedented number was composed of the nominees for the inaugural category “Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program”: Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest. And it was a mess from the very beginning. After they arrived on stage, the fivesome did a load of awkward banter -- if we can call it that -- and were strangely positioned as the stars of the event. Thankfully, all the celeb award presenters helped take the edge off the hosting awkwardness.

“85th Academy Awards” (2013)

As we know from many of Seth MacFarlane’s projects, he likes to push boundaries in comedy. However, he greatly misjudged his ill-fated opening song at 2013’s Oscars. As part of a skit with William Shatner as Captain Kirk, MacFarlane went into a tune about seeing the exposed chests of various actors in films, pointing at the performers in the audience as he crooned. Yikes. Even the pre-recorded self-aware reactions of Charlize Theron and Naomi Watts didn’t help. Critics and watchers at home were livid at the crass opening of the biggest entertainment ceremony of the year. MacFarlane also made further inappropriate jokes throughout the Oscars, including referencing Chris Brown and Rihanna.

“83rd Academy Awards” (2011)

If you’re going to have two hosts for an awards ceremony, you need to make sure they have some chemistry. Unfortunately, nobody seemingly checked this before James Franco and Anne Hathaway walked onto the stage at the 2011 Academy Awards. The two were reportedly chosen to appeal to a younger audience. Instead, they appealed to no one. While Hathaway came out of the experience slightly damaged by association, Franco tanked badly with his sleepy energy and smarmy attitude. The two seemed at odds with each other, leading to rumors of genuine dislike between them. At least Hathaway can joke about it years later. In 2022, she stated they “sucked” when she was on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”

Who would you like to see host an award show? Let us know in the comments!