"Adele Dazeem"
In 2014, John Travolta introduced legendary singer Idina Menzel’s performance of “Let It Go” from "Frozen." For some reason, he called her "Adele Dazeem" with a weird accent. It immediately spawned many, many jokes on social media. A year later, Travolta and Dazeem — ahem, Menzel — presented together as a joke, and he kept touching her face.
Jennifer Lawrence's fall
At the 2013 Oscars, Jennifer Lawrence got her first win for best actress for “Silver Linings Playbook." Dressed in a white and wide Dior gown, she tripped on her way up to the stage. In an act of notable chivalry, Hugh Jackman popped up from his seat to assist her, as did the presenter, best actor winner Jean Dujardin ("The Artist").
When she got a standing ovation, Lawrence joked that people were only doing it because they felt bad that she fell.
Seth Macfarlane 'saw your boobs'
Seth Macfarlane hosted the Oscars in 2013 and got a generally terrible reception from Hollywood and viewers across the country. The New Yorker called it a “hostile, ugly, sexist night.”
Macfarlane opened the ceremony with a song called "We Saw Your Boobs," which called out actresses in the audience who had shown their boobs in movies. The whole bit demeaned serious actresses for serious roles in serious movies (some of the movies he pointed out involved rape scenes), just because they happened to be topless at some point.
Björk lays an egg
Singer Björk arrived at the 2001 Oscars in what is now known as the "swan dress," which was exactly what it sounds like. To enhance the look, Björk created “ostrich bags” that allowed her to lay eggs on the red carpet. Although it appears on many worst-dressed lists, it’s become iconic, and even has its own Wikipedia page. In 2015, the dress made it to an exhibit in her honor at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Angelina Jolie's uncomfortable kiss with her brother
On the Oscars red carpet in 2000, first-time nominee Angelina Jolie brought her brother, Jamie Haven, as her guest. They shocked everyone when they shared an intimate kiss on the lips. Later that night, Jolie won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role in “Girl, Interrupted” and ended the speech talking about how much she loves her brother who she kissed on the actual mouth earlier. Rumors of an incestuous relationship spread, but soon faltered: It turns out they’re just siblings who really, really, really like each other.
Jolie's right leg
Jolie has provided repeated red-carpet bemusement.
At the 2012 Oscars, Jolie posed on the red carpet with her right leg sticking out. "Angie’s right leg" quickly became a trend on social media that night, then circled the internet for weeks after the ceremony. Now most starlets are very careful when showing off some leg if their dress has a high slit.
The streaker
In 1974, as actor and host David Niven introduced Elizabeth Taylor to the stage to present the Oscar for best picture, a naked man ran across the stage right behind him. The streaker? Robert Opel, a photographer for LGBT publication The Advocate. Following the streak, Niven memorably said, “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?”
Some think the incident was staged, but we like to think it was pure Oscar magic.
Sam Smith thinks he's the first gay man to win an Oscar
In 2016, the singer won best original song for "Writing's on the Wall" from the James Bond film "Spectre." Smith announced how thrilled he was that he’d just become the first openly gay man to win an Oscar. (He was incorrect. There had already been several.)
Smith got a lot of flack from the LGBT community and from Lady Gaga fans, who were upset that he beat her out for best original song. Her song, “Til It Happens To You" was a frontrunner. The whole misunderstanding (and pressure from Gaga fans) caused Smith to quit Twitter.
James Cameron quotes himself
At the 1998 Academy Awards, "Titanic" won pretty much everything. When James Cameron won the Oscar for best director, he ended his speech with the famous line from his own movie, which he also wrote: “I’m king of the world! Woo!” It seemed over-the-top event in the moment. Cameron hasn’t won an Oscar since.
Rob Lowe sings with Snow White
In 1989, Rob Lowe, in an attempt to revamp his image after a sex-tape scandal, opened the ceremony with an excruciating musical number that made everyone uncomfortable, both at home and in the theater. He sang off-key and danced with a young unknown actress who was dressed as Snow White. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times wrote that the show earned "a permanent place in the annals of Oscar embarrassments."
The industry publication also reported that Disney was upset about the use of its copyrighted Snow White and sued the Academy. Days later, 17 Hollywood stars including Julie Andrews, Paul Newman, and Gregory Peck signed an open letter calling the program "an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire motion picture industry."
James Franco and Anne Hathaway host
In a misguided attempt to boost ratings with young viewers, the Academy invited James Franco and Anne Hathaway to host the 2011 Oscars as a duo. They had absolutely no chemistry. Franco didn't even appear to be trying, while Hathaway appeared to be trying too hard. And in an attempt to show off Franco's comedic side, he appeared onstage in a dress, while Hathaway appeared in a tux, for one of the strange yet dull jokes of the night.
Adrien Brody makes out with Halle Berry
At the 2003 Oscars, Halle Berry presented the award for best actor to Adrien Brody for his work in "The Pianist." He was so excited to win for his first nomination (and to be the youngest to win in this category) that he gave Halle Berry a passionate kiss before starting his acceptance speech.
Stacey Dash
At the 2016 Oscars, host Chris Rock introduced "Clueless" actress and outspoken detractor of the Black Lives Matter movement to the stage. She got very little applause. She was on the stage for barely 30 seconds, and simply wished the audience a "happy Black History Month." (As a Fox News personality, she had also opposed Black History Month.)
The silence was awkward, and Chris Teigen's reaction became a famous GIF pretty much immediately.