9 Cringe-Worthy Moments That Defined 2024 Award Shows

The couple, who began dating in April 2023, attended their first Golden Globes last year and couldn’t stop kissing at their table during the broadcast.

Timothée was nominated for Best Actor—Musical or Comedy for his role in Wonka. This year, he was nominated for Best Actor—Drama for the biographical film A Complete Unknown, in which he starred as Bob Dylan.

Miley earned her first Grammy last year for her hit self-love anthem, Flowers, which she also performed that night.

While accepting Record of the Year for the song, she stunned viewers with a comment that is rather atypical for someone receiving their first Grammy: "This award is amazing. But I really hope that it doesn't change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday."

During her performance, the pop star called out the celebrities in the crowd for not singing along. "Why are you acting like you don't know this song?" she asked, holding her hands up. 

Before the ceremony, another awkward moment occurred when Miley saw paparazzi photographing her with their smartphones. “iPhones?” she exclaimed in shock.

Katy performed a career-spanning medley at the VMAs, including hits like Roar, Dark Horse, and Firework, before winning the Video Vanguard award—MTV’s equivalent of a lifetime achievement prize.

During the speech, she mentioned that one of the reasons for her success was that she learned to “block the noise” that artists have to fight against, “especially women.”

Her words sparked controversy, as Katy had recently released the music video for Woman’s World, which was slammed for hypersexualizing women in the name of feminism.

Before receiving her lifetime achievement award, the songstress was heavily criticized for collaborating with music producer Dr. Luke, who had been accused of sexual assault and abuse by singer Kesha in 2014.

The show has won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, even though it deals with themes such as suicide, grief, and trauma.

It competed as a comedy because its producers see it as one, and the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences never established a definition of what qualifies as a comedy.

Additionally, some argue that it would receive fewer awards if it competed in the drama category, and that the dark themes give it an interesting twist compared to lighter comedies like Abbott Elementary.

The Godfather actor was in charge of presenting the most anticipated award of the evening: the Oscar for Best Picture.

But his delivery failed to show much enthusiasm. “My eyes see Oppenheimer,” he casually said after opening the envelope containing the winning film’s title.

Additionally, the Hollywood icon didn’t name the other films nominated in the category, which is a tradition at the award show.

Rapper Killer Mike’s triumphant evening at the Grammys took an unexpected turn when he was escorted out in handcuffs and booked for misdemeanor battery shortly after winning three awards, including Best Rap Album.

The 49-year-old’s arrest was in connection with an alleged physical altercation in Los Angeles.

He ultimately avoided criminal charges by completing a community service requirement.

Taylor Swift received her Album of the Year Grammy for Midnights from none other than The Queen of Power Ballads.

Analyzing the clip, some viewers said the Fortnight singer ignored Céline by taking the gramophone from her hands and turning to her collaborators instead of looking at the iconic singer or even acknowledging her presence. 

Emma couldn’t contain her joy when she received her second Academy Award for Best Actress, which she earned for her role as Bella in Poor Things. However, she also couldn’t hide the fact that her Louis Vuitton gown had ripped just moments before she took to the stage.

“My dress!” the 36-year-old actress exclaimed. “It’s broken. I think it happened during [Ryan Gosling’s performance of] I’m Just Ken. Don’t look at it!”

Other nominated actresses included Annette Bening for Nyad, Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon, Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall, and Carey Mulligan for Maestro.

The 25-year-old star performed a medley of her songs Please Please Please, Taste, and Espresso at the MTV Video Music Awards. 

At one point during the performance, Sabrina made out with a blue alien, which had been dancing suggestively with an astronaut just seconds before.

Sabrina took home her first VMA last year for Song of the Year, for the catchy hit Espresso.