By Ringo Chiu - Shutterstock
In any given year, awards season is already painfully awkward.
Whether it be La La Land mistakenly receiving Best Picture or Jimmy Kimmel asking Steven Spielberg for weed, the Oscars are often riddled with puzzling moments. But after a year like this one, the 2021 Oscars were filled with some especially jarring moments that set the internet ablaze.
Aside from the fact that the award show was half Zoom acceptance speeches, half in-person, and mostly glitchy comic relief, there were a handful of painful moments that stood above the rest. Here are the most awkward:
Regina King Tripping on Stage
Regina King collectively embodied our biggest fear when she slightly tripped while heading to the award stage to present. Let it be known that King looked so beautiful and her outfit was so stunning that she made the falter look unusually graceful. She also recovered like a pro, “Live TV, here we go,” she said with a glowing smile.
Daniel Kaluuya Thanked His Parents for Banging
In what was initially a heartwarming and moving acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor, Daniel Kaluuya spoke on fate and how amazing it was that we were all alive and breathing and able to exist on this earth, especially after a year that seemingly exposed the frailty of our shared mortality.
He spoke on the power of unity, the power of the Black Panthers, and the power of self-love. Then the speech took a different turn. “My mom, my dad, they had sex, it’s amazing, you know what I’m saying?” Kaluuya said. His mother’s reaction, with her seemingly saying, “What is he talking about?” was absolutely incredible.
Marlee Matlin’s ASL Speech Got Cut Off
Having Marlee Matlin present an award, then cut away from her entirely while she’s speaking so you just hear the in… https://t.co/NYHqdzAu6y— Dr. Lisa Duffy 🎥🎶 (@Dr. Lisa Duffy 🎥🎶) 1619400910
The Oscars asked Marlee Matlin to present an award in American Sign Language, which at first glance was a seemingly good choice. But then they cut away from her while she was signing, instead opting for a graphic and the interpreter’s voice, so viewers couldn’t actually see her use ASL. It was disrespectful, to say the least.
Brad Pitt Mispronounced Maria Bakalova’s Name
We love Brad Pitt, we appreciate Brad Pitt, but we don’t love Brad Pitt when he butchers the name of a famous Bulgarian actress. “For Maria Ba-ka-lava, it was all about Marilyn Monroe,” the actor said. Frankly, Maria looked too starstruck by Brad Pitt saying her name to even care. “Maria, welcome,” he concluded, to which Maria almost passed out.
Glenn Close Twerking and Getting Censored
Despite the idea that an Oscars music trivia game feels unnecessary, Glenn Close met the moment and then some when she was quizzed on whether she knew about the iconic go-go track “Da Butt.” Needless to say, she knew plenty.
“I remember this: Spike Lee had it written for his brilliant movie School Daze, and my friends at the Oscars missed it, and it wasn’t nominated, so it couldn’t have won,” she said as her sequin dress sparkled. “And I think it’s a godd**n tragedy.” The Oscars bleeped her out, and everyone around her was shocked. But once she was asked to do the track’s signature dance, well, as host Lil Rel Howery put it: “It’s dope and uncomfortable at the same time.”
Anthony Hopkins Awkwardly Winning the Last Award of the Night
Joaquin Phoenix
Almost everyone predicted that Chadwick Boseman would posthumously win Best Actor, and the hype around the award came to a boiling point when it was swapped with Best Picture to be the final award of the night. But, as many witnessed, the Oscars closed out like a wet fart.
The award was given to Sir Anthony Hopkins, who had long been asleep by the time his name was called considering he lives in Wales. So in his absence, Joaquin Phoenix accepted it the award, and then the Oscars just sort of…ended.
