Past award show mishaps, from Miss Universe mix-ups to Milli Vanilli's lip-syncing scandal, have shaken the entertainment industry.
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Source: A.M.P.A.S. / Oscars® Press Photos
Award shows are designed to be seamless celebrations of artistic achievement, carefully rehearsed and tightly produced to project glamour and prestige. But live television has a way of veering off script. Over the decades, some of the most respected ceremonies in entertainment have been derailed by shocking outbursts, envelope mishaps, political controversies, and deeply uncomfortable onstage moments. In some cases, the fallout lasted far longer than the applause. From the BAFTA Film Awards 2026 N-word slip to Will Smith’s earth-shattering 2022 Oscars slap, here are 7 of the most embarrassing award show blunders of all time.
1. BAFTA 2026 N-Word Controversy
At the BAFTA Film Awards 2026, what should have been a celebratory evening quickly turned into controversy. During the ceremony on Feb. 22, Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson shouted the N-word from the audience while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage presenting the award for special visual effects.
Attendees had reportedly been warned that Davidson, whose life story inspired the film I Swear, might shout involuntary outbursts due to his condition. However, the televised broadcast — which aired on delay — failed to edit out the slur and did not include the warning given to the live audience.
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The moment left viewers stunned and placed Jordan and Lindo in an incredibly uncomfortable position as they continued presenting. BAFTA later issued a statement saying it took “full responsibility” and would “apologise unreservedly,” adding:
“We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.” The controversy deepened when BAFTA judge Jonte Richardson resigned, writing, according to The Guardian, “I cannot and will not contribute my time, energy and expertise to an organisation that has repeatedly failed to safeguard the dignity of its Black guests, members and the Black creative community.”
The BBC ultimately removed the broadcast from iPlayer, but the reputational damage had already been done.
2. Steve Harvey mistakenly crowns Miss Colombia at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant
One of the most infamous live-TV blunders occurred at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant, when host Steve Harvey mistakenly crowned Miss Colombia as the winner. As confetti fell and the contestant began celebrating, Harvey returned to the stage, visibly shaken, to admit he had misread the card. The actual winner was Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach.
The correction unfolded in real time, forcing Miss Colombia to relinquish the crown before a global audience of millions. The painfully awkward exchange became an instant viral moment, overshadowing the achievements of both women.
Harvey later apologized repeatedly, but the incident remains one of the most cringeworthy live announcement errors in television history.
3. Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars Slap
The 2022 Academy Awards delivered a moment so shocking that it eclipsed the entire ceremony. After comedian Chris Rock joked that Jada Pinkett Smith would star in “G.I. Jane 2,” referencing her shaved head, her husband Will Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Rock across the face. The audience initially appeared confused, unsure whether the altercation was staged. It quickly became clear it was not. Smith returned to his seat and shouted at Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth.
Less than an hour later, Smith won Best Actor for his role in King Richard and gave an emotional acceptance speech. The incident sparked widespread debate about comedy, boundaries, and violence, ultimately resulting in Smith resigning from the Academy and receiving a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars.
In a later apology video, Smith said, “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk… So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable. And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
4. The Chris Brown And Rihanna Mix-up at the 2011 BET Awards
The 2011 BET Awards featured an awkward, highly sensitive mix-up involving Chris Brown and Rihanna. A fan named Tiffany Green was given the opportunity of a lifetime to announce the winner of the Viewers’ Choice Award. But the huge opportunity quickly turned left when Green announced Brown as the winner, only to moments later crown Rihanna the winner due to a teleprompter mix-up, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
The confusion was particularly uncomfortable given that Brown had pleaded guilty to felony assault of Rihanna just two years earlier. Drake ultimately accepted the award on Rihanna’s behalf, while social media erupted. Green later tweeted, according to Time, “The tablet f—kin said CHRIS BROWN….the TELEPROMPTER said Rihanna. What the F—k??????”
Oddly, the network later clarified that Brown was actually the winner, meaning Green got it right the first time, but the emotional whiplash of the moment made it one of the night’s defining headlines. What an award show disaster!
5. The Moonlight Mix up 2017 Academy Awards
The 2017 Academy Awards managed to outdo even the Miss Universe fiasco with what is widely considered the most catastrophic envelope error in Oscar history. Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope and announced La La Land as Best Picture. The film’s producers delivered portions of their acceptance speeches before backstage crew members rushed onstage to correct the mistake. The real winner was Moonlight.
In a surreal turn, one La La Land producer held up the correct card and said, “There’s been a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture.” The moment was chaotic and heartbreaking — particularly for the Moonlight cast and crew, whose historic win as a groundbreaking film about Black queer identity was nearly overshadowed by procedural error.
6. Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video was abruptly interrupted by Kanye West, who stormed the stage, grabbed the microphone, and declared, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”
Swift stood stunned while Beyoncé looked visibly uncomfortable in the audience. The interruption became an instant cultural flashpoint, sparking backlash against West and years of public tension between the two artists. What might have been a routine award presentation instead became one of the most replayed and memed moments in pop culture history.
The night took a positive turn when Beyoncé won Video of the Year later that evening and called Swift back on stage to finish her speech.
Kanye later apologized to the pop star for his behavior at the award show.
7. The 1990 Milli Vanilli Grammy Awards lip-sync controversy
The Grammy Awards faced their own credibility crisis in 1990 when pop duo Milli Vanilli won Best New Artist. Months later, it was revealed that the duo — Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan — had not sung on their 1989 debut album Girl You Know It’s True at all. The lip-syncing scandal erupted after a live performance glitch exposed the deception, leading to intense media scrutiny. The Recording Academy ultimately revoked its Grammy, making it one of the few times a major music award has been rescinded.
The scandal was an embarrassing moment for the stars.
“We went from being these loved characters to being laughed at and ridiculed,” Morvan told PEOPLE in October 2023. “We were the butt of all the jokes and easy targets.” According to the outlet, “the duo also experienced racism, which Morvan noted Pilatus took ‘really personally.’” In 1998, Pilatus died of a suspected overdose.
These award show mishaps shook up television like no other.
