The Oscars are one of the highest achievements an actor can get. It’s also one of TV's most sophisticated ceremonies. However, things aren’t always going smoothly as you might expect. Despite new rules being added every year, there's always room for problems. Scandals have been piling up since the first Academy Awards in 1929 until now. How can we ignore Will Smith’s slap?
Over the years, these Oscars controversies have aged poorly, turning them into a big stain in the Academy's history. So here are 5 moments when the Academy Awards knew they effed up.
1. The Wrong Frank
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Frank Capra had received Academy Award for Best Director three times before, but his walk to the Oscars stage in 1933 was the most memorable moment of his life. During the announcement of the Best Director winner, presenter Will Rogers called "Frank" to the stage. He didn’t mention any last names, and both Frank Capra and Frank Lloyd were nominated. A disaster was bound to happen, and it did.
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Capra excitedly walked to the stage thinking he was the winner, but the spotlight shined on Lloyd instead. The famous director later recalled his humiliating moment with shame, saying "I wish I could have crawled under the rug like a miserable worm."
2. Adrien Brody Kissed Halle Berry
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During the 2003 Oscar ceremony, Adrien Brody surprisingly won Best Actor. He was so happy that he rushed to the stage and kissed the presenter Halle Berry. The audience and Berry had no idea what was going on, but they all just went with the flow. The actress was too shocked to react. She didn't even remember if the kiss was good or not.
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Over the years, the kiss has aged poorly. Brody unintentionally cornered Berry in a difficult situation. She had all the reasons to feel offended, but she couldn’t push him away because that would cause a scene. The attendees also didn’t know how to react at this moment. They were clearly waiting for a commotion to start, not a surprise kiss.
3. Sacheen Littlefeather’s Speech
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Sacheen Littlefeather’s speech is the darkest moment in the Academy's history. She accepted the award on behalf of Marlon Brando. Her speech was written by Brando himself, which sounded more like a refusal speech to the Academy. The actress took all of her courage and stood in front of the predominantly white members of the industry, exposing the outrageous treatment of American Indians in Hollywood.
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Sacheen brought a message of love and equality, but she received hatred and inhospitality from the audience. Audible "boos" could be heard everywhere in the stadium. John Wayne and other people even tried to storm the stage. The Academy only got the guts to officially apologize for how they treated Sacheen Littlefeather and Native Americans nearly 50 years later.
4. Two Best Picture Winners
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Remember the infamous wrong Miss Universe moment back in 2015? Yeah, that happened at the 2017 Oscars too. La La Land and Moonlight were both nominated for Best Picture winner, which was the most prestigious award of the night. The presenters, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced La La Land as the winner. The film's producers happily went to the stage and started their appreciation speech.
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However, as their speech was almost over, an Academy member intervened and revealed that Moonlight was the actual winner. Someone handed the wrong envelope for Best Actress, which
Emma Stone won. The most awkward moment was when La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz, Jimmy Kimmel, and Beatty began competing for the microphone to explain what happened.
5. The Will Smith Slap
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And last but not least, we have the most recent scandal: The 2022 Will Smith slap. Chris Rock was unaware of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Alopecia, so he made a deeply upsetting joke about Will Smith's wife. Smith laughed along for a short moment before casually walking to the stage and slapping Rock right across his face. Thinking that this was a skit, the audience proceeded to laugh. They soon fell into silence when Smith began to angrily curse at Rock.
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Everybody was so shocked that they couldn’t focus on anything else in the ceremony. Both the attendees and the TV audience were trying to figure out whether the slap was true or not. To top it off, Smith won Best Actor and got the chance to deliver a deeply emotional speech about protecting those he loves. His prize was taken back afterward and the Academy ultimately banned him for 10 years.