Biggest Oscars Controversies and Scandals in History: Will Smith’s Slap, Adele Dazeem and More

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Biggest Oscars Controversies and Scandals in History: Will Smith's Slap, Adele Dazeem and More

And the Oscar goes to ... mess. Since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its first awards show in 1929, the ceremony has faced plenty of scandals and criticism. Just one decade into the event's history, the Academy encounter what would become one of the biggest controversies in Oscars history. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award, but because of the "whites only" policy at the Ambassador Hotel, producer David O. Selznick had to call in a favor just to get her in the building. After she accepted her Best Supporting Actress trophy for her performance in Gone With the Wind, McDaniel wasn't permitted to sit with the rest of her costars, including Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. Instead, organizers forced her to sit in the back of the room at a small table with her agent and her escort. When Mo'Nique became the fourth Black woman to win Best Supporting Actress in 2010, she gave a shout-out to McDaniel in her acceptance speech. "First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics," said the Precious star, who wore a gardenia in her hair as McDaniel did 70 years earlier. "I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all that she had to so that I would not have to." [jwplayer fl0HjVlI-zhNYySv2] The awards show has continued to face accusations of racism over the years, perhaps most famously in 2016 when #OscarsSoWhite trended after all the major acting nominations went to white actors for the second year in a row. As a result, Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee said they would boycott the ceremony. “How is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white?" the Do the Right Thing director asked in a January 2016 Instagram post. "And let’s not even get into the other branches. Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all. We can’t act?! WTF!!” Hollywood luminaries threatened a boycott again in 2022 after Oscars producers omitted eight technical categories from the live broadcast. Jessica Chastain, who won the Best Actress trophy that year, said she would skip red carpet interviews if they conflicted with the pre-show presentation of the makeup and hairstyling award. “The most important thing for me is to honor the incredible artisans who work in our industry,” the Zero Dark Thirty actress explained during a March 2022 episode of the “Next Best Picture” podcast. “So much attention is on the actors, we’re like the face in some ways, because you go to a movie and you see us. A lot of people don’t understand how beyond an actor a performance is." When she accepted her trophy for The Eyes of Tammy Faye later that month, she gave a nod to the "incredible" hair and makeup team who worked on the film: Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh. “[They] really helped me find her,” the Interstellar actress said. Keep scrolling for a look back at the biggest Oscars scandals and controversies in history:

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Biggest Oscars Controversies and Scandals in History: Will Smith's Slap, Adele Dazeem and More

And the Oscar goes to ... mess. Since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held its first awards show in 1929, the ceremony has faced plenty of scandals and criticism. Just one decade into the event's history, the Academy encounter what would become one of the biggest controversies in Oscars history. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black actor to win an Academy Award, but because of the "whites only" policy at the Ambassador Hotel, producer David O. Selznick had to call in a favor just to get her in the building. After she accepted her Best Supporting Actress trophy for her performance in Gone With the Wind, McDaniel wasn't permitted to sit with the rest of her costars, including Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. Instead, organizers forced her to sit in the back of the room at a small table with her agent and her escort. When Mo'Nique became the fourth Black woman to win Best Supporting Actress in 2010, she gave a shout-out to McDaniel in her acceptance speech. "First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics," said the Precious star, who wore a gardenia in her hair as McDaniel did 70 years earlier. "I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all that she had to so that I would not have to." [jwplayer fl0HjVlI-zhNYySv2] The awards show has continued to face accusations of racism over the years, perhaps most famously in 2016 when #OscarsSoWhite trended after all the major acting nominations went to white actors for the second year in a row. As a result, Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee said they would boycott the ceremony. “How is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white?" the Do the Right Thing director asked in a January 2016 Instagram post. "And let’s not even get into the other branches. Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all. We can’t act?! WTF!!” Hollywood luminaries threatened a boycott again in 2022 after Oscars producers omitted eight technical categories from the live broadcast. Jessica Chastain, who won the Best Actress trophy that year, said she would skip red carpet interviews if they conflicted with the pre-show presentation of the makeup and hairstyling award. “The most important thing for me is to honor the incredible artisans who work in our industry,” the Zero Dark Thirty actress explained during a March 2022 episode of the “Next Best Picture” podcast. “So much attention is on the actors, we’re like the face in some ways, because you go to a movie and you see us. A lot of people don’t understand how beyond an actor a performance is." When she accepted her trophy for The Eyes of Tammy Faye later that month, she gave a nod to the "incredible" hair and makeup team who worked on the film: Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh. “[They] really helped me find her,” the Interstellar actress said. Keep scrolling for a look back at the biggest Oscars scandals and controversies in history:

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Andrea Riseborough's Campaign

The Amsterdam actress scored a surprise Best Actress nomination in 2023 for her role in To Leslie, a little-seen film that had a budget of less than $1 million. Controversy arose when many of her fellow actors — including Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow and Edward Norton — began praising her performance via social media. The Academy decided not to withdraw Riseborough's nomination after an investigation but noted that some of the campaign "tactics" used were concerning. “The Academy has determined the activity in question does not rise to the level that the film’s nomination should be rescinded,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a January 2023 statement. “However, we did discover social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern. These tactics are being addressed with the responsible parties directly.”

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The Slap

Viewers and audience members were shocked in March 2022 when Will Smith rose from his seat mid-show and slapped presenter Chris Rock in the face following a joke about his wife, Pinkett Smith. Later in the evening, the Men in Black star won the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard and apologized to his fellow nominees during his acceptance speech. The Academy later announced that Smith would be banned from all Academy events for the next 10 years, and he resigned as a member of the organization. 

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Anthony Hopkins, 'The Father'

Chadwick Boseman was widely expected to win Best Actor for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in 2021 following his August 2020 death, but the trophy went to Anthony Hopkins instead. When previous Best Actor recipient Joaquin Phoenix announced the winner, he stated simply, "Anthony Hopkins, The Father," shocking viewers around the world. Hopkins, for his part, wasn't at the ceremony and shared his appreciation via social media the next morning.

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Standing Up for 'Parasite'

After Parasite won Best Picture in 2020 — becoming the first movie in history to win both Best Picture and Best International Film — Oscars producers attempted to cut off the film's winners by dimming the lights on them mid-speech. After a spotlight went up on presenter Jane Fonda instead, members of the audience began booing and chanting, "Up! Up! Up!" The lights eventually came back on and Parasite's producers were able to finish giving their speeches.

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The Best Picture Swap

In 2017, presenter Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced La La Land as the winner of Best Picture when the trophy had actually gone to Moonlight. After several La La Land producers had already started giving speeches, producer Jordan Horowitz informed the live audience and his colleagues that there was a mistake. “Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture," he said, brandishing the winning envelope.

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#OscarsSoWhite

In 2015, activist April Reign tweeted, “#OscarsSoWhite they asked to touch my hair,” after all 20 acting nominations went to white stars. The hashtag became a trending topic one year later when all 20 nods again went to white actors, and celebrities including Pinkett Smith and Lee boycotted the ceremony. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, then the president of the Academy, said she was "disappointed" by the nominations in January 2016. "We have got to speed it up," she told Deadline at the time, referring to the Academy's efforts to improve diversity among its ranks.

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Adele Dazeem

John Travolta made headlines in 2014 when he introduced Idina Menzel as "the wickedly talented, one and only Adele Dazeem." The Grease star later claimed that "phonetic spelling" on the teleprompter is what threw him off.

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The Kiss

After Halle Berry announced Adrien Brody as the Best Actor winner in 2003, the Succession alum grabbed her and planted a dramatic kiss on her lips before giving his speech. "That was not planned," Berry explained during a 2015 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. "I was like, 'What the f–k is happening right now?' That is what was going through my mind."

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Marisa Tomei's Supporting Actress Win

Since the Spider-Man: Homecoming star won Best Supporting Actress for My Cousin Vinny in 1993, some celebrity conspiracy theorists have wondered whether her victory was a mistake. The Academy later denied the allegation, and Tomei herself called the rumor "hurtful."

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The Streaker

In 1974, a man named Robert Opel dashed naked across the stage as David Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen," Niven ad-libbed after the surprising moment. “But isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?” Despite theories positing that it was all a bit, Opel maintained that he acted alone and spontaneously.

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Marlon Brando Declines His Award

When the On the Waterfront star won Best Actor for The Godfather in 1973, he sent activist Sacheen Littlefeather to decline his award in protest of Hollywood's portrayal and treatment of Native Americans. Littlefeather was booed by the audience and threatened with violence over the incident. In 2022, the Academy apologized to her in a letter that was later read aloud during an Academy Museum event. "The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified," David Rubin, then-president of the organization, wrote at the time. "The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration."

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A Major Tie

In 1969, the Oscars had its first exact tie in a major category when Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn received the same number of votes for Funny Girl and The Lion in Winter, respectively. Hepburn was not in attendance, and Streisand later said she was shocked to hear her name. "I had to take out my gum and put it on the bottom of the chair and think about what the hell I was going to say," the "People" songstress told Variety in 2019.