10 Most Cringey Oscar Moments in History
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Each year the Academy Awards, a.k.a. The Oscars, is broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide. Many look forward to the glamorous night - a night full of stars regaling us with praises for their industry colleagues, along with pleas for all of us to keep believing in our dreams. Winners will come and go - many of them quickly forgotten except by diehard cinephiles - but these 10 moments across the history of Oscars will forever be iconic, albeit for rather cringey reasons.
The Slap Heard Round The World (2022)
We’ll start with the heavy-hitter (pun intended). When Will Smith walked up onstage in the middle of Chris Rock’s joke, we thought he was about to pull some skits with the comedian. What transpired turned out to be a punchline for the ages, one that nobody can stop talking about even one year in. Each party involved in the slap has said their piece about the incident, so here’s hoping everyone can remain calm now.
ON AMAZON (#ad): King Richard (Blu-ray)
Sacheen Littlefeather Slander (1973)
When Marlon Brando won his Oscar for 1972’s The Godfather, the thespian sent the young Native American girl to refuse the trophy on his behalf, citing protest for the treatment of the indigenous people. In the now infamous clip, Littlefeather received audible booing from the cream of the crop of Hollywood. John Wayne even had to be restrained from charging at her. Nasty behaviour like that would be unforgivable today (though that didn’t stop Will Smith!). In 2022, Littlefeather belatedly received a formal apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (AMPAS) for the humiliation she received and for the mistreatments of Native American actors by the industry. That it took them nearly 50 years to finally apologize certainly indicates how much The Academy still needs to grow. Watch the infamous moment below:
ON AMAZON (#ad): SACHEEN Breaking the silence
The Streaker (1974)
The 70’s continued to give us more cringeworthy moments to remember. A year after the Littlefeather incident, a nude man stormed the stage while host David Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor. Ever the seasoned host, Niven simply good-naturedly quipped, “...to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.” There is more to the "Streaker" - real name Robert Opel - than that infamous act. He was a staunch LGBTQ+ supporter who founded the first gay art gallery in San Francisco. Tragically, Opel was shot dead during a botched robbery in 1979. A dramatic end to a dramatic life. Watch the gasp-inducing moment below:
ON AMAZON (#ad): David Niven's Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Adele Dazeem (2014)
The definition of “you have one job” is surmised by John Travolta as he was introducing Frozen actress and Broadway legend Idina Menzel. Travolta called her “the wickedly talented, one and only Adele Dazeem” - a flub he later blamed the teleprompter for. No matter, Travolta can now add that to the list of internet memes he “inspired”. A year after the faux pas, the duo returned as Oscars presenters and good-naturedly joked about the "incident" on stage. It appeared that Menzel had "let it go." Watch the moment below:
ON AMAZON (#ad): Frozen 2 3D [Blu-ray] [2019]
Adrien Brody’s Kiss Ambush (2003)
When Adrien Brody picked up Best Actor Oscar for The Pianist, he was so visibly moved and ecstatic that the first thing he did onstage was planting a deep, deep smooch on presenter Halle Berry. While it was seen as a spontaneous act of joy at the time, this sort of behavior will have Brody immediately canceled today. And for good reason. Berry later admitted that the kiss took her aback, though she rolled along with it in shock.
ON AMAZON (#ad): The Pianist (2003)
James Franco & Anne Hathaway’s Hellish Hosting (2011)
When this duo was announced as Oscar hosts, many were excited to see the youthful pairing. After all, that’s what they were picked for: to appeal to the younger crowd. But what transpired was a series of painfully awkward gags and a half-stoned Franco phoning it in the entire night while Hathaway desperately overcompensated with increasingly gritted cheerfulness. She deserved better!
ON AMAZON (#ad): Les Misérables (2012) [Blu-ray]
“I’m the King of the world!” (1998)
When Titanic’s director James Cameron won Best Director, he closed out his speech shouting Leonardo DiCaprio’s most famous line from the movie. To his credit, he WAS the king of that night; Titanic sailed off with 11 Oscar wins. Still, his borderline corny antic earned him more than a few groans (though we bet Cameron couldn’t care less). Watch Cameron's crowning moment below:
ON AMAZON (#ad): Titanic (1997)
Jennifer Lawrence’s Stairway Stumble (2013)
In 2013, the queen of relatably awkward young starlet Jennifer Lawrence accepted her Oscar in the most on-brand relatably awkward fashion. As she climbed the stairs in her puffy Dior ballgown, the Silver Linings Playbook actress tripped and fell in front of the whole world. The Internet has since been divided between the “how adorable” camp and the “she staged it” camp.
ON AMAZON (#ad): Silver Linings Playbook [Blu-ray]
Not Chadwick After All (2021)
In what is the dumbest decision the Academy has ever made, no doubt fueled by misguided assurance that the late great Chadwick Boseman was going to win Best Actor posthumously, they decided to award Best Actor last after Best Picture announcement. It turned out not to be the case. Anthony Hopkins won for The Father - he was a no-show, the Oscar ended abruptly with no speech nor touching tribute, presenter Joaquin Phoenix looked pissed he had to be the face of the embarrassment, and Best Picture winner Nomadland lost out on the fanfare it deserved as the biggest winner of the night. The following year, the Oscars went back to its traditional format of Best Picture announcement last, a redirection that never should've been needed in the first place.
ON AMAZON (#ad): The Father (2021)
La La Land - Moonlight Switcheroo (2017)
And of course, the cream of the crop of shitshow. An envelope misplacement led to the greatest embarrassment as the wrong winner was announced as the Best Picture of 2016. Making things worse, the La La Land team was already assembling and congratulating each other onstage before they realized the mishap. Moonlight won, but that night would forever be remembered as the night of the Envelope-gate. On the lighter side, at least that moment produced so many hilarious outtakes, including this legendary Ryan Gosling . Watch the chaos unfolds below:
ON AMAZON (#ad): La La Land (2016)