The Oscars’ largest controversies, scandals, and WTF moments (together with some you might have forgotten)

The Academy Awards are just like the Tremendous Bowl for film nerds, a time of celebration the place one of the best and brightest stars and filmmakers are honored for his or her laborious work. However as any loyal Oscars viewer will inform you, they don't at all times go off with no hitch.

Oscar controversies have plagued the Academy for the reason that starting, from shady marketing campaign shenanigans to awkward stay TV moments. These scandals vary in severity, from class displays that diverge from the norm (who may overlook Envelopegate) to inappropriate statements or actions that offend viewers.

Forward, we're taking a stroll by means of Oscar historical past, highlighting the largest controversies and scandals that stick in our minds greater than a few of the winners.

01 of 19

Maugham's the phrase

As soon as upon a time, Academy voters may write in nominees. That observe began with Bette Davis turning within the then-performance of the century in 1934's Of Human Bondage. Davis, who had fought for meatier roles to sink her enamel into, burned a gap within the display as doomed cockney waitress Mildred on this in any other case meh adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's epic novel.

When she didn’t nab an Oscar nomination, Hollywood went into an excellent old school uproar, forcing the hand of the Academy to permit write-in votes. Davis misplaced, however when write-in nominee Hal Mohr received for his cinematography in A Midsummer Night time's Dream the next 12 months, the observe was discontinued perpetually. —Lester Fabian Brathwaite

02 of 19

That Oscar's gone…with the wind?

Hattie McDaniel made historical past as the primary Black Oscar winner for her lauded, however controversial (even on the time), efficiency as Mammy in 1939's Gone With the Wind. For the reason that resort the place the Oscars have been held had a strict "no Blacks" segregation coverage, McDaniel was pressured to sit down at a separate desk away from everybody else. McDaniel received a plaque as a substitute of a trophy, as was the customized for all supporting appearing winners till 1943.

When she died in 1952, McDaniel willed her Oscar to Howard College, and after a mysterious, circuitous journey, it will definitely received there…in 1961. However, a decade later, it went lacking.

In 2023, the Academy introduced it might change the plaque — presenting it to the Howard College Chadwick A. Boseman Faculty of Effective Arts, the place McDaniel had initially bequeathed her award. Her Oscar continues to be lacking. Then once more, in spite of everything that plaque has been by means of, it could not need to be discovered. —L.F.B.

03 of 19

A zero Chill marketing campaign

Actors have been implementing questionable ways when campaigning for an Oscar for the reason that starting, however Chill Wills nonetheless takes the cake. Wills was nominated for Finest Supporting Actor for the John Wayne-directed The Alamo in 1961. A veteran actor and buddy of Wayne, Wills employed a publicity agent to assist him snag the gold. Not a nasty concept, however the agent was W.S. "Bow-Wow" Wojciechowicz. And Bow-Wow wagged Wills' tail throughout Hollywood, taking out one For Your Consideration advert through which each Academy member's identify seems, in alphabetical order, alongside an image of Wills with the really terrible quote, "Win, lose or draw, you're all my cousins and I like you all."

Bow-Wow shoulda stop whereas he was behind, however the subsequent FYC advert put Chill's Oscar hopes on ice. The advert featured pictures of everybody within the Alamo forged, surrounding good ole Chill, and pissed lots of people off with this quote: "We of the Alamo forged are praying more durable — than the actual Texans prayed for his or her lives within the Alamo — for Chill Wills to win the Oscar as finest supporting actor. Cousin Chill's appearing was nice. Your Alamo cousins." Spartacus' Peter Ustinov received Finest Supporting Actor that 12 months. —L.F.B.

04 of 19

Hepburn, Babs, and the Oscar tie

Katharine Hepburn received 4 Oscars and by no means bothered to point out up even as soon as to select them up. It was no totally different in 1969, when Hepburn, nominated for The Lion in Winter, received her third Finest Actress Oscar, and second consecutive award after 1968's absentee win for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. However as a substitute of presenter Ingrid Bergman accepting the Oscar on Hepburn's behalf, she introduced the winners as Hepburn and Barbra Streisand.

It was the primary and final precise tie in an appearing class — Fredric March had crushed Wallace Beery by one vote in 1932 however in accordance with the foundations on the time, that was shut sufficient to a tie they usually each obtained Oscars, to the chagrin of the only real different nominee, Alfred Lunt. With Hepburn being too cool for varsity, Babs and her sheer, sequined sailor pantsuit had the second all to herself. And it was "attractive." —L.F.B.

05 of 19

An Oscar he can refuse

Marlon Brando received his second Finest Actor Oscar for The Godfather, however when his identify was referred to as on the 1973 ceremony, actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather made her method to the stage and alerted the bewildered viewers that Brando wouldn’t be accepting the award as a consequence of Hollywood's depiction of Native People and in mild of the protests at Wounded Knee in South Dakota. Littlefeather was greeted with boos and mock from the viewers, and he or she later claimed John Wayne needed to be bodily restrained from making an attempt to take away her from the stage.

The Academy issued an apology to Littlefeather for her mistreatment on the ceremony in 2022, lower than two months earlier than she died at age 75. After her dying, nonetheless, Littlefeather's sister stated she had been mendacity about her indigenous heritage, maybe complicating an already difficult incident. —L.F.B.

06 of 19

Win, lose, or streak

America used to have an actual massive streaking drawback, notably in 1974, amid the peak of the sexual revolution and an obvious dearth in safety guards. Enter Robert Opel, operating, bare because the day he was born, on stage on the '74 Oscars, with unflappable host David Niven remarking, "Isn't it fascinating to assume that most likely the one giggle that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and displaying his shortcomings?"

Opel's shortcomings may need really been deliberate, together with Niven's comment, which might clarify how a unadorned man snuck backstage at one of the closely guarded occasions of any given 12 months. Opel's story was instructed in 2011 by his nephew within the documentary Uncle Bob, which revealed him to be a efficiency artist and homosexual rights activist who was fatally shot in 1979. —L.F.B.

07 of 19

The longest 11 minutes in historical past

Should you assume awards present opening musical numbers are unhealthy now — Ariana DeBose rapping about Angela Bassett and the factor she did however — strap in. It's 1989, Rob Lowe seems the identical. There's no host (a transfer the Oscars has revisited repeatedly), and to fill time as a result of the Oscars by no means go on lengthy sufficient, Grease producer Allan Carr devised a few musical numbers.

The worst, amongst a smorgasbord of terrible, featured Lowe alongside poor, never-gonna-work-in-this-town once more newcomer Eileen Bowman as Snow White, Merv Griffin, and a harmful rendition of "Proud Mary" that went on for ELEVEN MINUTES. On the finish of all of it, Lily Tomlin strolled out, and the Oscars, sadly, had simply begun. —L.F.B.

08 of 19

Tomei?! No approach!

Let's simply be clear: This author believes Marisa Tomei as Mona Lisa Vito in My Cousin Vinny is likely one of the nice comedic performances in cinematic historical past and it's aged like a superb wine. Tomei's Finest Supporting Actress win, nonetheless, got here as a shock and a rumor continued for years that it was really a mistake. As a result of the Oscars hate comedy.

And in addition as a result of a 12 months after her win, The Hollywood Reporter ran a narrative citing a rumor that Tomei had been awarded the trophy by confused presenter Jack Palance, and in 1997, movie critic Rex Reed picked up the rumor, claiming Palance was drunk or stoned when he introduced Tomei over the closely favored Vanessa Redgrave in Howards Finish.

After all, these accountants from Value Waterhouse Coopers are at all times stationed within the wings (since 1953) in case the mistaken winner is known as, as we'll quickly see. Tomei, understandably, discovered the rumors hurtful, however she would have the final giggle, incomes two extra Oscar nominations for 2001's Within the Bed room and 2008's The Wrestler. Mona Lisa could be proud. —L.F.B.

09 of 19

There's kissing cousins after which there's this…

Angelina Jolie was wild, children. Positive, as of late she's higher referred to as a mom, reclusive star, and humanitarian, however throughout her '90s ascent to film stardom, we have been having enjoyable. The Hackers/Gia/Woman, Interrupted Jolie was on the Golden Globes leaping right into a pool along with her robe nonetheless on. She was carrying Billy Bob Thornton's blood round her neck. Along with her flip in 1999's Woman, Interrupted, Jolie would win her first Oscar and go on to star in Tomb Raider, and the remainder is herstory.

When she received her Finest Supporting Actress trophy, Jolie thanked her brother James Haven, saying she was "so in love" with him. After the ceremony, she demonstrated that love with a short kiss on the lips, which went the 2000 model of viral. Jolie denied the kiss was something apart from "cohesion"; in the meantime, she and Haven stay shut. In 2013, Jolie received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar as a girl nobody would dare interrupt. —L.F.B.

Who has won the most Oscars? See record-holders in major categories 25 actors who have shockingly never won an Oscar, from Glenn Close to Tom Cruise 10 of 19

Blame LSD!

Rather a lot was taking place on the 2000 Oscars. Other than Angelina Jolie being in love along with her brother, we had South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone excessive on LSD on the crimson carpet, carrying derelict copies of Jennifer Lopez's immediately iconic plunging Versace Grammys costume and Gwyneth Paltrow's pale pink Ralph Lauren Oscars costume. Parker was nominated, together with Marc Shaiman, for "Blame Canada" from the South Park film, Larger, Longer, and Uncut. Parker introduced Stone as his date, they dropped acid, and hit the busiest crimson carpet in human existence.

Earlier than that terrible determination, they determined they might not handle their attire…in any respect. As a substitute, when requested about them, they might merely say, "It's a magical night time tonight." A few of the different Oscar nominees didn't take the duo's flippant angle too properly, however, like, it's the dudes from South Park. What have been they anticipating, reverence? What's worse, for Parker at the least, was dropping to private nemesis Phil Collins. —L.F.B.

11 of 19

Preserve that Pianist in your pants, Brody

There have been a number of brow-raising moments on the 2003 Oscars, and practically all of them needed to do with The Pianist. Gingerly side-stepping the truth that Roman Polanski received Finest Director for the movie however couldn’t attend the ceremony since he'd been in self-imposed exile from America since being accused of drugging and raping a 13-year-old lady in 1978…what the movie's star, Adrien Brody, did after profitable the Finest Actor Oscar appears much less surprising. However then once more, you weren't Halle Berry.

Brody turned the youngest Finest Actor winner at 29 and, swept up within the second, grabbed presenter Berry (who had received Finest Actress the 12 months earlier than), and planted a giant kiss on her lips. In a 2017 look on Watch What Occurs Dwell, Berry revealed what was occurring in her head in the meanwhile, specifically, "What the f— is occurring proper now?" However having been swept up within the second, Berry knew "the sensation of being out of your physique" and "simply f—ing went with it." —L.F.B.

12 of 19

How many individuals let this occur?

In 2012, nationwide treasure Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars for the ninth time and it went easily, for essentially the most half. Besides the Blackface. Billy Crystal popularized his Sammy Davis Jr. impersonation within the '80s on Saturday Night Live. It was a unique time, as they are saying, however 2012 was not that way back.

So, Crystal does his well-known bit the place he walks by means of the nominated footage by way of CGI, and he dusts off Sammy for a Midnight in Paris bit with Justin Bieber. The criticism was swift, however maybe comic Paul Scheer stated it finest when Octavia Spencer received Finest Supporting Actress for The Assist later within the ceremony. "Octavia Spencer's win reveals simply how far we've come since Billy Crystal carried out in Blackface." —L.F.B.

13 of 19

Alone, but…no, simply alone

The identify Bruce Broughton will lengthy stay in Academy Awards infamy. In 2014, Broughton was nominated for Finest Unique Track for "Alone But Not Alone," from the movie of the identical identify — a $7 million "Christian captivity narrative historic drama" that didn't even clear one million on the field workplace, however someway managed to attain an Oscar nod. Huh.

Seems Broughton, a former Academy governor, had, as an govt committee member of the Academy's music department, made improper contact with different department members about his sadly titled track. Broughton instructed EW he merely "wrote some individuals and stated, 'May you simply have a look.' That was actually the extent of the campaigning." However the Academy determined it was much less harmless than that and revoked Broughton's nomination, a transfer it's made solely a handful of occasions earlier than. Christian captivity narrative historic dramas have by no means been the identical. —L.F.B.

14 of 19

And the Twitter goes to…

Billy Crystal's Blackface wasn't the tip of the Oscars' race drawback: In 2015, all appearing nominations went to white actors and Twitter (now X) consumer April Reign coined the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. In fact, the Oscars have at all times been so white, even when it got here to elements for non-white actors. Luise Rainer, a white lady, (in)famously received Finest Actress in 1938 for The Good Earth for enjoying a Chinese language farmer. And it took 74 years for Halle Berry to grow to be the primary Black lady to win Finest Actress — and he or she's nonetheless the one one.

However the hashtag introduced renewed consideration to the Oscars' lengthy historical past of exclusion, ultimately upsetting the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences to diversify its membership. Michelle Yeoh made historical past in 2023 as the primary Asian actress to win the Oscar for Finest Actress. Take that, ghost of Luise Rainer! —L.F.B.

15 of 19

Bonnie and Clyde strike once more

Everybody simply depart Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty alone. Between them, they've given us a few of the best cinema of the twentieth century, very a lot together with Mommie Dearest. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of their landmark movie Bonnie and Clyde, the Academy invited Beatty and Dunaway to announce the Finest Image winner. Alongside the best way, somebody tousled and gave the appearing legends the mistaken envelope, for Finest Actress, which had gone to Emma Stone for La La Land. A confused Beatty confirmed Dunaway, who, being Faye Dunaway, simply ran with it, asserting La La Land because the Finest Image winner.

We have been properly into some heartfelt acceptance speeches when these Value Waterhouse Coopers people stormed the stage, resulting in La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz dropping a bomb on the ceremony: "There's been a mistake. Moonlight, you guys received Finest Image. This isn’t a joke." It wasn't, however when you seen a bemused Ryan Gosling watching all of it unfold from the facet of the stage, you'd be excused for considering it was. Till the 2022 ceremony, this was simply essentially the most WTF second on the Oscars. However then… —L.F.B.

16 of 19

Between a Rock and a nasty joke

Will Smith was poised to have the best second of his appearing profession. Along with his third Finest Actor nomination, for King Richard, the erstwhile Contemporary Prince was closely favored to win. However then the West Philadelphian (born and raised) walked as much as the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comic made a dusty G.I. Jane joke about Smith's spouse, Jada, who had not too long ago gone public along with her battle with alopecia. Smith received that night time. And misplaced. In a giant approach. The slap and his "Preserve my spouse's identify out your f—ing mouth!" exclamation rapidly turned essentially the most talked-about second of 2022.

And we're nonetheless speaking about it. Rock debuted a stand-up particular in March 2023, a 12 months after the incident, through which he went in on the Smiths; Will Smith, banned from the ceremony for 10 years, went on an apology tour, and kinda made mild of it; and 2023 host Jimmy Kimmel promised an unslappable present. The Oscars are sometimes boring and predictable, and even take themselves slightly too critically — whereas they want a jolt of power, the slap wasn't the best way anybody wished to see the ceremony's highlight shine brighter. It'll be fascinating to see how it will all play out in 2032 as soon as Smith's ban is over — barring every other incidents, in fact. —L.F.B.

17 of 19

Who Leslie?

Andrea Riseborough discovered herself on the middle of controversy after her shock nomination for To Leslie, a little-seen movie that benefited from a celeb-heavy grassroots advocacy marketing campaign on social media and at small occasions round Hollywood. Whereas Riseborough earned raves as a Texas lady who received the lottery years in the past solely to squander her winnings and battle with alcoholism, barely anybody noticed the movie.

Then, some distinguished Academy-friendly names got here to Riseborough's facet, championing her efficiency: Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Edward Norton, Charlize Theron, Amy Adams, Kate Winslet, and Jane Fonda amongst them. The Academy launched an investigation into the marketing campaign, and although Riseborough didn't get Broughton'd, they concluded the social media marketing campaign's ways "triggered concern."

In the meantime, Riseborough's nomination over Black actresses Viola Davis (The Girl King) and Danielle Deadwyler (Until) revived the #OscarsSoWhite debate, as there have been no Black actors nominated within the lead classes regardless of ample highly effective performances that season. "The movie trade is abhorrently unequal when it comes to alternative," Riseborough told The Hollywood Reporter in February 2023. "I'm aware to not communicate for the expertise of different individuals as a result of they’re higher positioned to talk, and I need to hear." —L.F.B.

18 of 19

Animation isn't only for children

As many working within the trade will inform you, animation is cinema. It's not simply a simple distraction on your children, regardless of what sure Oscar presenters could recommend. Sure feedback made on the 2022 Oscars by Halle Bailey, Lily James, and Naomi Scott — presenters of the Finest Animated Function class, and all stars of live-action variations of animated Disney classics — rankled some animators specifically. "Animated movies make up a few of our most formative film experiences as children," Bailey began. Honest sufficient, however then James added, "So many children watch these films time and again," to which Bailey comically added a number of extra "over"s. Then Scott quipped, "I see some mother and father on the market know precisely what we're speaking about."

With the writers behind the Oscars chargeable for this presenter banter, some within the animation trade took offense to the Academy's messaging that animation is barely children' stuff. "Tremendous cool to place animation as one thing that children watch and adults must endure," wrote Phil Lord on Twitter, who received an Oscar for 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse; he and collaborator Christopher Miller penned a response to the presentation in Variety shortly after. The disrespect continued on the 2024 ceremony when host Jimmy Kimmel joked, "Please increase your hand when you let your child fill out this a part of the poll." —Kevin Jacobsen

19 of 19

Karla Sofía Gascón makes historical past…then loses all goodwill

In 2025, Jacques Audiard's genre-bending crime musical Emilia Pérez earned a whopping 13 Oscar nominations, essentially the most for a non-English-language movie in Academy historical past. Its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, turned the primary brazenly transgender particular person to be nominated for an appearing Oscar — and within the lead actress class, at that. Regardless of the movie's divisive reception on-line, this type of acknowledgment confirmed that it had much more lovers than haters within the trade.

A lot of that goodwill disappeared mere weeks after the nominations when enterprising X customers dug up a few of Gascón's previous tweets which revealed a sample of bigoted viewpoints, with disparaging feedback about Islam among the many most egregious. After numerous trades began reporting on the posts, Gascón issued a sequence of statements over a number of days, asserting she was not a racist, apologizing to those that felt offended, and referencing cancel tradition.

Gascón deactivated her X account and didn’t attend numerous deliberate awards occasions within the weeks that adopted, and, according to Variety, some Academy members felt hesitant to vote for the movie amid its storm of unfavourable buzz. —Okay.J.

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