Oscars 2025: From the slap to the #OscarsSoWhite drama, shocking controversies that shook Hollywood

The Academy Awards are known for glitz, glamour, and career-defining wins, but let¡¯s be real, we also tune in for the unexpected drama. From awkward flubs to full-blown scandals, the Oscars stage has seen it all. Some moments leave us in awe, some make us cringe, and others go down in history as pop culture legends. Over the years, Hollywood¡¯s biggest night has given us viral memes, heated debates, and jaw-dropping controversies that no one saw coming. Before the stars hit the red carpet for Oscars 2025, let¡¯s take a look back at the most shocking moments that stole the spotlight, for better or worse.

When La La Land stole Moonlight¡¯s moment - 2017

There are Oscars moments you watch and then there are Oscars moments you feel. The infamous 2017 Best Picture debacle was the latter. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty confidently announced La La Land as the winner, sending the film¡¯s team up to accept their golden trophies, only for producer Jordan Horowitz to suddenly realize, and announce, that the actual winner was Moonlight. Cue collective gasps, frantic envelope-checking, and the Moonlight cast sprinting to the stage to claim what was rightfully theirs. Director Barry Jenkins later reflected on the surreal moment, stating that it was beyond anything he had ever imagined, adding, "This is real, and I can¡¯t believe it."

The hashtag that shook Hollywood: #OscarsSoWhite - 2015

One viral tweet turned into a global reckoning when April Reign called out the Academy for its complete lack of diversity in its 2015 nominations. For two consecutive years, all 20 acting nominees were white, prompting outrage from stars like Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith, who called for a boycott of the awards. The conversation even reached the White House, with then-President Barack Obama emphasizing that inclusivity would only elevate the industry. As a result, the Academy restructured its membership policies to introduce more diversity. While progress has been made, the debate over representation in Hollywood is far from over.

The slap that broke the internet - 2022

You didn¡¯t have to watch the 2022 Oscars to know about the slap. Mid-ceremony, Will Smith walked onto the stage and struck host Chris Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith¡¯s shaved head, a result of her battle with alopecia. A stunned Rock barely had time to react before Smith, now back in his seat, yelled across the room, "Keep my wife¡¯s name out of your f***ing mouth!" The incident sent the internet into an absolute frenzy. In the aftermath, Smith resigned from the Academy and later admitted that the moment was a boiling point of emotions that had been brewing beneath the surface.

Marlon Brando¡¯s protest shakes the Oscars - 1973

In 1973, Marlon Brando staged one of the most politically charged moments in Oscars history. After winning Best Actor for The Godfather, Brando refused to accept his award. Instead, he sent Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather to reject the Oscar on his behalf, using the moment to call out Hollywood¡¯s mistreatment of Native Americans. The audience reacted with a mix of boos and applause, but the backlash was severe, Littlefeather later revealed that she was threatened with arrest if she didn¡¯t keep her speech brief. It took almost 50 years, but in 2022, the Academy finally issued a formal apology, acknowledging the unjust treatment she endured for speaking out.

John Travolta butchers Idina Menzel¡¯s name - 2014

If you didn¡¯t know who Idina Menzel was before the 2014 Oscars, you definitely knew her after John Travolta¡¯s disastrous attempt at introducing her. While about to welcome her to the stage for a performance of Frozen¡¯s Let It Go, Travolta confidently mispronounced her name as "Adele Dazeem," sending social media into a meltdown. The flub was so iconic that even Menzel poked fun at it in later interviews. To this day, "Adele Dazeem" lives on as an inside joke for both theatre kids and pop culture enthusiasts alike.

Angelina Jolie and that kiss - 2000

Oscar fashion? A major talking point. Oscar speeches? Also a big deal. But at the 2000 Academy Awards, Angelina Jolie gave the world something else to obsess over: a headline-making moment with her brother, James Haven. After winning Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted, Jolie declared how deeply in love she was with her brother. If that wasn¡¯t eyebrow-raising enough, later in the evening, the two were photographed sharing a kiss on the lips. The media frenzy that followed was intense, with tabloids speculating about their relationship for years. Jolie later clarified that it was an innocent moment taken out of context, but the internet never forgets.

These are just a few of the most shocking, awkward, and game-changing controversies that have shaped the Academy Awards over the years. Whether it¡¯s an accidental award mix-up, a slap that became meme-worthy, or a protest that changed the industry forever, one thing is for sure: when it comes to the Oscars, the drama never stays behind the curtain.