Top 30 Most Awkward Award Show Moments Ever

“34th American Music Awards” (2006)
Other than a chair falling over, the Pussycat Dolls’ performance at the 2006 AMA Awards almost went off without a hitch. Then, with less than a minute left, Melody Thornton stormed onto the stage. If you forgot that this group had a sixth member, you definitely remembered as Thornton started singing off-pitch over Nicole Scherzinger. The performance left many feeling confused and probably pressed a few buttons. 14 years later, Thornton explained that a lost passport caused her to miss rehearsals, landing shortly before the show. So, if you thought Thornton’s “grand finale” looked unrehearsed, that’s because it was. Feeling “worthless” in the group, Thornton went solo a few years later and announced that she wasn’t taking part in the reunion.

“58th Golden Globe Awards” (2001)
Elizabeth Taylor is the definition of a screen legend, making her more than qualified to present the Best Picture - Drama Golden Globe. Jeff Bridges gave Taylor the introduction she deserved, building her up as one of the all-time greats. Taylor received a standing ovation and then… well, for somebody who won so many awards during her lifetime, she seemingly forgot how award shows work. Prematurely opening the envelope, Taylor needed Dick Clark to come onstage and remind her to read the nominees first. Taylor proceeded to list off the nominees… very slowly with her words slurred, finally announcing “Gladiator” as the winner. Whether or not Taylor had been drinking as some have speculated, one thing’s for certain. Jinkx Monsoon does a dead-on impression of Liz!

“76th Golden Globe Awards” (2019)
Hollywood has made great strides for diversity in recent years with films like “Crazy Rich Asians.” However, that doesn’t undo the mistakes that the industry was still making only a few years earlier. Co-hosting the Golden Globes, Sandra Oh confronted the problematic casting of “Ghost in the Shell,” which enlisted Scarlett Johansson over an Asian lead, and “Aloha,” which starred Emma Stone as a captain who’s supposed to be part Chinese and Hawaiian. Stone was in attendance that night, having been nominated for “The Favourite.” Although the camera didn’t cut to her, Stone could be heard shouting, “I’m sorry,” in the distance. The joke itself is biting, but having Stone present elevated the moment to another level of hilarious awkwardness.

“7th National Television Awards” (2001)
Wardrobe malfunctions didn’t start with the Super Bowl. At Britain’s “7th National Television Awards”, television presenter Judy Finnigan experienced something very embarrassing at what should have been one of the best moments of her life. Upon accepting the award for Most Popular Daytime Programme with her husband, Richard Madeley, the top of Finnigan’s dress popped open up...and stayed open, exposing her white bra. The audience was in hysterics, and Madeley thought it was because they wanted him to do his Ali G impression. It's not until someone runs on stage to fix Finnigan up that she appears to realize what's going on. She got an award, and the viewers got a moment they’d never forget.

“56th Annual Grammy Awards” (2014)
So far, Taylor Swift has won the Grammy for Album of the Year three times, but in 2014, her album “Red” was beaten out by French electronic duo Daft Punk’s final album, “Random Access Memories”. As the winner is announced, Swift’s jaw drops and her team looks positively energized by the news. That is, until the full title is read and, well, it’s not “Red”. To her credit, Swift recovers quite well from the momentary confusion, clapping and giving the winners a standing ovation. We’re just glad this wasn’t a “Zoolander” moment.

“89th Academy Awards” (2017)
There’s nothing weird about clapping at an awards show. However, there was something weird about how Nicole Kidman was clapping at the 2017 Oscars. The one-time Best Actress winner, nominated for Best Supporting Actress at that year’s ceremony, clapped in a way that might be more appropriate for Sea World than the Oscars. Kidman later explained it was to protect the expensive jewelry she was wearing, which included 119 carats in diamonds. Some might feel they have to choose between looking glamorous and looking congratulatory. Kidman went for both, and we appreciate her willingness to look a little silly.

“35th Annual American Music Awards” (2007)
Some award show moments hurt to watch because they’re so embarrassing. This one hurts to watch because it involves actual physical pain. When the Jonas Brothers kicked off their performance of “S.O.S.” at the 2007 American Music Awards, glass panels shattered right before they walked down the stage. Joe, in the middle, took a bit of a tumble, falling on the broken glass. But he didn’t let pain get in the way of performing. To reference “S.O.S.”, you better believe Joe bled. According to the singer, he didn’t even realize how bad he was bleeding until he got backstage. The Jonas Brothers’ cool factor definitely went up with this moment, even if the tumble was a little awkward.

“20th Screen Actors Guild Awards” (2014)
When Cate Blanchett won the SAG Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Blue Jasmine”, she was visibly excited. She even got a little feisty when fighting for as much speaking time as earlier award winner, Matthew McConaughey. But it was what she did, not what she said, that garnered the most attention. During her speech, there’s a brief moment where Blanchett rapidly strokes her award up and down while breathing loudly. She later won the same award at the Academy Awards two months later, and it was another memorable speech. Thankfully, there was no stroking to be seen during that one.

“71st Golden Globe Awards” (2014)
It’s not uncommon for people to become emotional during award shows, but Jacqueline Bisset had an especially hard time collecting herself when she won a Golden Globe for her supporting performance in “Dancing on the Edge.” After a lengthy walk to the stage, the English actress struggled to find the right words before finally unleashing a meandering speech. It wasn’t long until the music started to play her off, but that didn’t stop Bisset from thanking several others and dropping a couple curse words. Bisset made several more rambling remarks backstage, asking somebody to clean her glasses. While undeniably awkward, we can’t blame Bisset for feeling so overwhelmed, as she really wasn’t expecting to win.

“39th Annie Awards” (2012)
About five years before another envelope mixup, animation’s biggest night had a similar fiasco. Presenting Best Animated Television Production - Preschool, actress Brittany Snow announced the winner, “The Amazing World of Gumball.” Almost everyone quickly realized that something was amiss, seeing how “Gumball” wasn’t a nominee. “Gumball” actually won Best Animated Television Production – Children, which was supposed to be announced later. Host Patton Oswalt hurried onto the stage, explaining the situation with some well-timed one-liners and embracing the awkwardness of it all. Before having the “Gumball” crew come up and accept, Patton cracked a few more jokes at co-presenter Jason Marsden’s expense and assured Snow it was alright. We mean, it’s not like she was presenting Best Picture at the Academy Awards…

“61st Golden Globe Awards” (2004)
Michael Douglas has had a storied career, and you definitely felt its length when he received the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Danny DeVito and Sharon Stone spent nearly 10 minutes reminiscing about Douglas’ cinematic contributions, complete with drawn-out clips. This might be acceptable at the Governors Awards or the AFI Life Achievement Awards, but the Golden Globes are already lengthy enough with nearly two dozen other statutes to hand out. Then when Douglas’ tribute FINALLY wrapped up, it suddenly dawned on the audience that he still needed to give a speech. He did not keep it short. After nearly 20 minutes of squirming in their seats and checking their watches, the uncomfortable viewers breathed a sigh of relief as they cut to commercial.

“73rd Golden Globe Awards” (2016)
If Leonardo DiCaprio has a new movie out, you can most-certainly count on his award show appearances. In 2016, the same year he won a Best Actor Golden Globe, plenty of attention was placed on his interaction with Lady Gaga, who won her own Golden Globe for her role on "American Horror Story: Hotel". While walking up to the stage, Gaga made brief physical contact with the eventual Oscar winner. He quickly jerks his arm back and, for the briefest moment, shoots her a bit of a funny look. Speaking with "Entertainment Tonight", DiCaprio later clarified that he was just surprised by the sudden contact. To be fair to Gaga, the Golden Globes seating arrangements do look awfully crowded.

“16th Teen Choice Awards” (2014)
“Lost” and “Vampire Diaries” actor Ian Somerhalder is viewed by many as a heartthrob, but Ariana Grande might not be so smitten. When presenting the pop star with the Choice Female Artist award at the “2014 Teen Choice Awards”, Somerhalder gave her a kiss on the cheek, and it struck viewers as a little funny-looking. Some thought that he was going for Grande’s lips, while others believed it only appeared clumsy because he was going for her left cheek but had to switch to the right one at the last second. Awkward as it might have appeared, it only lasted for a few seconds, and Grande gave a very grateful speech upon receiving her new surfboard.

“7th Annual Premios MTV Latinoamérica” (2008)
Falling once is embarrassing, but it's easy enough to recover from. Two or three times is a little more difficult, but four times? That's what happened to Katy Perry at the Latin America iteration of the VMAs. When her performance of "I Kissed A Girl" concluded, Perry belly-flopped into a huge pink cake and started throwing it into the crowd. Then, after playfully tossing some cake on her guitarist, Perry slipped four times on the icing, getting up and falling down again and again, albeit grinning the whole way through. By the end, she seemed to just give up and crawl instead. All this to say that a successful award show performance isn’t always “a piece of cake”.

“27th MTV Video Music Awards” (2010)
When a dress is displayed in a museum and even gets a Wikipedia page, that must mean it’s either a revelation of fashion or a hand-scratching misfire. Where does the meat dress place? That kind of depends who you ask, but when Lady Gaga accepted Video of the Year in this raw flank steak ensemble, you could hear jaws across the globe hitting the floor. While Gaga was already famed for her elaborate fashion stunts, this was so out-there that a lot of people still don’t know what to think. Of course, vegans have their opinions. Gaga would explain that the dress is a statement about fighting for your rights. While the message is strong, it might’ve been overshadowed by this moment’s sheer absurdity.

“57th Primetime Emmy Awards” (2005)
Capitalizing on “American Idol,” the 2005 Emmy telecast had some of TV’s biggest stars sing popular theme songs. They kicked off “Emmy Idol” with Donald Trump - then best-known for “The Apprentice” - and Megan Mullally in character as Karen Walker. The song? The “Green Acres” theme with Donald trading his blue suit and red tie for farmer attire. Watching this cringey spectacle, we all thought the same thing: eleven years from now, that man is going to be elected president and “Will & Grace” will be revived shortly after. While Trump never won a competitive Emmy, he did share in this Emmy Idol win - which even Mullally regrets. Quite frankly, Kristen Bell should’ve won for her “Fame” rendition, but Trump is known for beating more qualified candidates.

“68th Golden Globe Awards” (2011)
If you hire Ricky Gervais to host your award show, you’re going to get some pretty sharp remarks. During his monologue at the 68th Golden Globe Awards, the comedian snarked about “The Tourist”, a critically panned thriller starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, that somehow received three Golden Globe nominations. Gervais not-so-subtly implied it only received the nominations out of star power and voter bribery. His jokes were met with either muted reactions or surprised laughter - there was really no in-between. (Tough room at the Golden Globes, apparently!) “The Tourist” went home empty-handed, but Gervais and his rabble-rousing style returned to host the Golden Globes three more times.

“24th Screen Actors Guild Awards” (2018)
Morgan Freeman more than earned his Life Achievement Award at the 2018 SAG Awards. However, his acceptance speech was easily among the goofiest moments of his career – and remember… this man once played a vampire on “The Electric Company.” Speaking of which, Freeman’s old co-star, Rita Moreno, presented him with this award. Along the way, she shared several hilarious anecdotes and told Freeman to lift up his baseball cap. Matters took a particularly mystifying turn when Freeman randomly called out somebody in the audience, who was later confirmed to be Lily Tomlin. As odd as this detour was, Freeman closed out his speech with some timely commentary, calling the statue “gender specific.”

“20th Billboard Music Awards” (2013)
R&B singer Miguel makes the perfect music for intimate moments, but not the kind that happened at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards. While performing his hit song "Adorn", Miguel leapt over the crowd onto a different part of the stage. However, it wasn't a smooth landing, as he landed crotch-first into an audience member's face, also hitting her with his leg. She appears to brush off the incident alright, and Miguel keeps on singing. He perfectly demonstrates that, as long as you play it cool, it doesn't have to be awkward. But, hopefully, he practiced his on-stage acrobatics after this.

“35th BRIT Awards” (2015)
Madonna is no stranger to awkward award show moments, notoriously smooching Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 VMAs. She’s also made plenty of headlines with her bold fashion choices. At the 2015 Brit Awards, though, Madonna learned the hard way that capes almost always backfire. When her dancers attempted to yank off the cape as planned, Madonna realized that it was tied too tight. The Queen of Pop was thus sent flying down the stairs, much to everyone’s shock. Nevertheless, Madonna managed to pull herself together and complete the performance. In a way, it’s fitting that she was singing “Living For Love,” as the song is all about lifting one’s self back up.

“75th Golden Globe Awards” (2018)
Tommy Wiseau supposedly kept “The Room” running for two extra weeks to qualify for Academy Award consideration. Needless to say, his cult classic received no love from the Oscars. About a decade and a half later, though, Wiseau got to attend the Golden Globes when “The Disaster Artist” picked up multiple nominations. After James Franco won the award for his portrayal of Wiseau, he kindly invited him to come up onstage. As Wiseau tried grabbing the microphone, Franco playfully pushed him aside. Franco probably wanted to avoid an awkward moment, but silencing Wiseau was ironically awkward in itself. Had he gotten to speak, Wiseau claims that he would’ve encouraged people to love each other.

“20th BRIT Awards” (2000)
At the 2000 Brit Awards, actress Thora Birch and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones presented the prize for Best Soundtrack Album. Before they could announce that the winner was “Notting Hill,” an intoxicated Brandon Block suddenly ambushed them. Although the DJ wasn’t up for any awards, his friends reportedly told him that he had won “Best Musician of the Year.” As Block screamed his name into the mic, security attempted to escort him off the stage. When Block came charging back, Wood threw his drink in his face and the two exchanged insults. Block was subsequently thrown out of the ceremony, leaving the bewildered audience wondering what the hell had just happened.

“75th Academy Awards” (2003)
With the Iraq War commencing just days earlier, political tensions were high going into the 2003 Oscars. Jack Nicholson reportedly suggested that the Best Actor nominees boycott the ceremony while director Hayao Miyazaki - who won Best Animated Feature that year - refused to attend. Michael Moore was in attendance, however. And when “Bowling for Columbine” won Best Documentary Feature, Moore gave the politically-charged speech his fans might expect. Yet, nothing could prepare the audience for Moore’s comments on George W. Bush, describing everything about his presidency as “fictitious.” The mix of boos and applause only made Moore’s speech more uncomfortable. Moore didn’t get to finish his speech at the Oscars, but he’d finally share the rest at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards almost 15 years later.

“19th MTV Video Music Awards” (2002)
To commemorate Michael Jackson’s 44th birthday, Britney Spears presented him with a special statue at the 2002 VMAs. There was some confusion as to why Jackson was receiving this honor, however. The misunderstanding stemmed from a comment the Princess of Pop made regarding the King of Pop, calling him “the artist of the millennium.” So when Jackson took to the stage, he assumed he was accepting “The Artist of the Millennium” award, which doesn’t even exist. While nobody corrected Jackson during his humble speech, host Jimmy Fallon poked fun at the incident shortly after. Jack Black also parodied the moment one year later, accepting the “Super Genius of the Universe” award.

“93rd Academy Awards” (2021)
After Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor at the BAFTAs, it appeared the late Chadwick Boseman might not be the Oscar frontrunner. At this point, the Oscar producers should’ve reconsidered saving Best Actor for last. They stayed the course, however, hoping to end with a heartfelt speech from Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward. Well, an absent Hopkins won. Whoever you think gave the better performance, abruptly ending on this note was uncomfortable for everybody, especially Boseman’s family and Hopkins - who subsequently recorded a speech. It’d be one thing if the Academy acknowledged that this was a misfire. Instead, co-producer Steven Soderbergh doubled down, saying, “If [Boseman] were to win and his widow were to speak on his behalf, there would be nowhere to go after that.”

“86th Academy Awards” (2014)
If you’re a Broadway fan, you know Idina Menzel for her work in musicals like “Rent” and “Wicked.” For mainstream audiences, it was Menzel’s voiceover performance as Elsa in “Frozen” that made her a household name. John Travolta still couldn’t get her name right at the 2014 Academy Awards, however. Before Menzel performed the Oscar-winning “Let It Go,” Travolta introduced her as “the wickedly talented, one and only, Adele Dazeem.” This flub was so bad it actually inspired an “Adele Dazeem Name Generator,” allowing people to “Travoltify” their names. Making light of the mistake, Menzel playfully turned the tables the following year, announcing Travolta as “Glom Gazingo.”

“72nd Golden Globe Awards” (2015)
You’re bound to find plenty of cleavage at virtually any award show; the key is to not point it out. But “Golden Globes” is a rather suggestive name… so when Jennifer Lopez sported a revealing dress at the 2015 ceremony, Jeremy Renner couldn’t resist connecting the dots. Presenting an award together, Lopez mentioned that she had the nails to open the envelope, to which Renner added that she had the “globes” as well. Igniting laughter and shock, the comment arguably overshadowed Billy Bob Thornton’s win. During his speech, Thornton mentioned that you can get into a lot of trouble “no matter what you say” - it’s a reminder Renner probably wishes he’d heard sooner.

“89th Academy Awards” (2017)
Something was clearly amiss at the 2017 Oscars when Warren Beatty hesitated to announce the Best Picture winner. If you turned off your television after Faye Dunaway declared “La La Land” victorious, you missed a landmark moment in live television. After a few minutes onstage, the “La La Land” producers announced that there was a mix-up and “Moonlight” had actually won. Host Jimmy Kimmel jokingly blamed Steve Harvey, but it was apparently PwC accountant Brian Cullinan who handed Beatty the wrong envelope. While the crews from “La La Land” and “Moonlight” both acted graciously, the fiasco rocked Hollywood like never before. What makes this moment even more surreal is that “BoJack Horseman” totally saw it coming.

“26th MTV Video Music Awards” (2009)
After Taylor Swift won the VMA for Best Female Video, Kanye West jumped onstage and snatched the microphone out of her hands, declaring that Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. West was booed off stage while Swift cried her eyes out backstage, forcing Beyoncé to do some damage control. The moment immediately sparked countless parodies, memes, and discussions. In response to West’s behavior, US President Barack Obama called him a “jackass” while future President Donald Trump called for a Kanye boycott. At least that’s one thing Obama and Trump could agree on. Meanwhile, West also nearly repeated himself at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards when Beck won Album of the Year.

“94th Academy Awards” (2022)
It was the slap heard round the world… except the censored parts. The 2022 Oscars took a turn after Chris Rock compared Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head to G.I. Jane. Since Pinkett Smith has alopecia, nobody would’ve blamed Will Smith if he called out Rock on social media. Instead, Smith literally took matters into his own hands, slapping Rock in front of 16 million viewers. Smith essentially confirmed that this wasn’t a bit as he angrily cursed Rock out. It was hard to move past this display, especially since Smith later won Best Actor, describing himself as a “vessel for love.” Smith has released an apology, but what should’ve been the pinnacle of his career will now be remembered for “one little fight.”

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