A look back at the most shocking and unexpected moments in Oscars history, including Will Smith's slap and the infamous Best Picture mix-up.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Anything can happen on live television, and fancy black-tie events featuring the most beautiful people in the world are no exception.
While we can’t predict what crazy shenanigans will happen at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, we can look back to the wildest, most jaw-dropping moments from Oscars past.Jordan Horowitz, producer of "La La Land," shows the envelope revealing "Moonlight" as the true winner of best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Presenter Warren Beatty and host Jimmy Kimmel look on from right. 2017 was a weird year for award shows. Not only did Adele beat Beyoncé to win the Grammy for Album of the Year , but the Oscars experienced its most embarrassing moment to date when the wrong Best Picture winner was announced. Looking back, the moment seemed incredibly preventable. Warren Beatty had been given the wrong envelope , opened said envelope, realized he’s not looking at the right card , looked back into the envelope to see if the correct card happens to be there, decided to hand the card off to Faye Dunaway so it’ll be her fault when they’re wrong, and she gleefully announced “La La Land” as the winner. Why Beatty didn’t just say, “Hey, someone gave me the wrong card, this one says Emma Stone won again,” the world may never know. In Dunaway and Beatty’s defense, “La La Land” had received the most nominations and wins that year. It was a strong Best Picture contender, and it had already won Best Director, and the two categories correlate about 72% of the time. They had a very good chance of being correct, even if they had been holding a Domino’s menu instead of the actual card. Although, of course, they weren’t. Eventually, of course, the “La La Land” producers are given the correct envelope, and in the middle of his speech, Fred Berger unceremoniously says, “We lost, by the way, but you know.” Jordan Horowitz then jumped in to clear everything up, announcing “Moonlight” as the actual Best Picture winner. The whole thing might be kind of funny if it didn’t give me heart palpitations watching it back almost a decade later.HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. If I’m being honest, I refused to believe Will Smith slapping Oscars host Chris Rock in 2022 was a real thing. I understood that it happened, but I really assumed it was a prewritten bit or a publicity stunt .After Rock joked that Jada Pinkett Smith looked like G.I. Jane due to her bald head, which she’s openly said was caused by alopecia, Smith yelled at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f——g mouth.” Rock laughed off the yell before Smith suddenly but calmly walked up to the stage and slapping the comedian. Smith was forced to resign from the Academy after the incident and was banned from Oscars events for 10 years. So it definitely wasn’t a bit.Sacheen Littlefeather appears at the Academy Awards ceremony to announce that Marlon Brando was declining his Oscar as best actor for his role in "The Godfather," on March 27, 1973. The move was meant to protest Hollywood's treatment of American Indians. Nearly 50 years later, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has apologized to Littlefeather for the abuse she endured. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday said that it will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of “conversation, healing and celebration” on Sept. 17. Marlon Brando made huge waves when he didn’t even show up to the 45th Academy Awards despite being the favorite to win Best Actor for his performance in “The Godfather.” Instead, he sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his place. Littlefeather explained that Brando could not accept the award due to “the treatment of American Indians by the film industry and on television, in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.” Some audience members booed, some cheered, but the controversy didn’t end there. After Littlefeather’s death, her family claimed she wasn’t Native American at all.Angelina Jolie poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Eddington' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Friday, May 16, 2025. Adrien Brody’s impromptu kiss with presenter Halle Berry after winning the award for Best Actor for “The Pianist” wasn’t the only weird lip action seen at the Oscars over the years. Three years earlier, Angelina Jolie mouth-kissed her brother at the Oscars red carpet in 2000 and gave him a strange shout-out during her speech after winning for Best Supporting Actress for “Girl, Interrupted.” Her speech started normally enough. “I’m surprised nobody’s ever fainted up here,” she said. “I’m in shock. And I’m so in love with my brother right now. He just held me and said he loved me and I know he’s so happy for me.”As it turns out, the Oscars weren’t the only place Jolie has swapped spit with her brother, which only makes it weirder.'I love you. I feel kinda weird. I don’t know what to expect tomorrow. You’ve never done anything like this for me before.'Good morning, Central Ohio! Secure loose objects today as winds increase into the afternoon. Wind speeds will reach 20-30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. A Wind AdTwo people are dead and a teenager is in custody following a crash in North Columbus Saturday afternoon involving a vehicle that was actively fleeing from law eLocal vocal groups compete in Show Choir Showcase in Marysville It was a busy weekend at Marsyville High School as vocal groups from around the country came into town to compete in the Show Choir Showcase Invitational.
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