15 Iconic Oscar Moments We’ll Never Forget

We knew it would be memorable, but we weren't actually prepared for how searing it would be. During the 2016 telecast (dubbed #OscarsSoWhite), host Chris Rock didn't hold back as he unleashed an opening monologue that absolutely skewered the white Hollywood elite and the Oscars. From referring to the historic annual ceremony as the "White People's Choice Awards" to inserting references to slavery, Rock unloaded on unsuspecting viewers in a way that was both hilarious and insightful. “Hollywood is racist," he said at one point. "But it ain’t that racist that you’ve grown accustomed to... we want opportunity; we want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors."

Has there ever been a more epic awards show fail than this 2017 debacle? Bonnie and Clyde themselves, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, were reunited onstage to announce the night's top award — except they were inadvertently handed the wrong envelope. Instead of receiving the card revealing the Best Picture winner, the pair were handed an extra copy of the Best Actress envelope — which named Emma Stone and her film La La Land. Despite Beatty’s evident hesitation, Dunaway went ahead and announced the throwback musical as the night's big winner. The actual Best Picture winner? The LGBTQ+ indie drama Moonlight, which featured an all-black cast. Still reeling from the previous year's #OscarsSoWhite backlash, this was the Academy's chance to prove that it wasn't out of touch with audiences movie tastes. Although the cringe-worthy gaffe was quickly corrected — and the heartwarming reactions from the Moonlight cast and crew made for a memorable moment — there's no denying that it made for must-see TV.

It was the selfie seen around the globe and later went down in history as the most retweeted entertainment tweet of 2014. TV personality Ellen DeGeneres ensured the world would remember her stint as Oscar host when she playfully gathered together some of the biggest names in Hollywood — Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep — for a quick snap on her phone during the live telecast. Although the photo hasn't aged well aside from the split of Brangelina — we see you, Kevin Spacey — it remains one of those iconic Oscar moments you've heard about even if you didn't watch the ceremony. And, considering its gradual decline in ratings in recent years, this photo op was the sort of viral moment the attention-hungry Oscars crave now more than ever.

Heath Ledger's startling, riveting performance in The Dark Knight was always going to earn him a Best Supporting Actor nod. That's not even up for debate. But to know the Aussie thespian missed out on all the accompanying accolades, which culminated in his inevitable Oscar win, was made all the more poignant when his family (dad Kim, mom Sally and sister Kate) quietly made their way to the podium to accept the award on his behalf. His performance was a game-changer for the action genre and showed stuffy Oscar voters that even "comic book movies" can yield great performances and draw rave reviews. Ledger also made Oscar history as only the second actor ever to win a posthumous award (the first was Best Actor winner Peter Finch for 1977's Network).

Celebs — they really are just like us! Nerves can truly get the best of anyone, even seasoned pros like John Travolta. So it was during the 2014 Oscars ceremony that the Grease star flubbed the name of Frozen singer-actress Idina Menzel, who was on hand to belt “Let It Go” from the Disney smash hit. Reading from the teleprompter, Travolta stumbled his way through the introduction: “Please welcome the wickedly talented, the one and only, Adele Dazeem!” Within seconds the gaffe went viral with one savvy Twitter user going so far as to set up an account for “Adele Dazeem” (which ultimately earned thousands of followers by the end of the night).

Icelandic artist Bjork quite literally swanned onto the red carpet during the 2001 Oscar ceremony, turning heads in a fluffy white dress crafted by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski. It was a sparkly full-body stocking complete with a giant swan head resting on her shoulder, making the fashion choice an instant awards show classic and going down in the books as one of the most memorable red carpet outfits in history. Given the passage of time, we would also like to remind you that the dress came with an egg — which Bjork laid on the red carpet. Cher may have changed the game when it came to Oscar fashion, but Bjork took it to another level. You do you, girl!

History was made in 1964, when Sidney Poitier became the first African-American to win an Oscar for Best Actor. The win wasn't necessarily what caused heads to turn, however. It was the fact that the visibly moved Poitier was congratulated with a peck on the cheek by white presenter Anne Bancroft that caused a minor scandal. (Poitier would later make bigger waves when he shared cinema's first interracial kiss with Katherine Houghton in 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?) His celebrated performance in Lilies of the Field made him only the second black person to ever win an Oscar (the first was Hattie McDaniel, who won Best Supporting Actress for 1939's Gone With the Wind). Despite the monumental achievement, Poitier opted for a short, sincere speech, noting that “it [was] a long journey to this moment."

If we could turn back time we wouldn't change a damn thing about this iconic (and classically Cher) ensemble. From the shimmery jewel-encrusted black sequins to the soaring headdress, this Bob Mackie dress quite nearly upstaged Cher herself as she walked onstage to hand out the award for Best Supporting Actor during the 1986 telecast. You'd be forgiven for forgetting who ultimately won the Oscar she was on hand to announce — psst, it was Don Ameche in Cocoon, for the record — because, in one instant, Cher changed what "proper red carpet attire" meant.

It was 2013 and then-rising star Jennifer Lawrence was on the verge of winning big for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. She looked radiant, too, enveloped in a layered white gown that required a last-minute fitting mere hours before the ceremony. As gorgeous as she looked, however, the voluminous Christian Dior Couture dress quite literally tripped her up later in the evening as she tried to make her way up to the podium to accept the Best Actress statue. It was a brief moment that lasted all of three seconds, but it was more than enough time for JLaw to officially find her way into the hearts of movie fans.

An elated Cuba Gooding Jr. stole the 1997 telecast when he nabbed the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Jerry Maguire. It was impossible not to get caught up in his high-energy and stream-of-consciousness acceptance speech. “I’m here and I’m happy!” he shouted over the swelling sounds of the orchestra. Not to be deterred, Gooding continued to talk over the music, garnering a standing ovation in the process. He capped off his shining moment with emphatic fist pumps and Tigger-like hops across the stage. “I love everybody involved [with this movie],” he yelled. In what can often be a tedious, self-serious ceremony, this is the kind of energy we live for as a viewer. Bring back Cuba!

It took 82 years (and hasn't been repeated since), but the Academy Awards finally awarded it’s Best Director prize to a woman during its 2010 telecast. Industry veteran Kathryn Bigelow made history with her celebrated low-budget Iraq war film The Hurt Locker, shattering the glass ceiling and quieting outdated opinions of a minority few that women have no business directing war films. From her visibly stunned expression to the well-deserved standing ovation, Bigelow acknowledged "the moment of a lifetime" in a quietly gracious speech that cemented her place in Oscar history. Let's hope it doesn't take another 82 years for the sequel.

Celebrities will frequently use their moment in the spotlight to drive home a specific message, commenting on everything from the political climate to climate change. But it's a relatively new trend in acceptance speeches, and comes with plenty of detractors who believe actors should just "stick to acting." However, Marlon Brando was at the forefront of the movement, using his Best Actor win for The Godfather as an opportunity to make a lasting statement. Skipping the 1973 ceremony entirely, Brando sent Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather to accept the award on his behalf with a prepared speech about the portrayal of America's Indigenous Peoples in film — a cause close to the actor's heart. The audience was torn, with some cheering while others openly booed. Regardless of where they stood on the issue, there's no denying its place in Oscar history.

Not even Cuba Gooding Jr. was this excited to win an Academy Award. In 1999, Roberto Benigni made waves during awards season with his charming Second World War-era Italian-language film Life is Beautiful. Despite being a clear front-runner to win Best Foreign Language Film, that didn't stop the actor-producer from putting on a display of pure, elated joy when his film was announced. Kicking his legs wildly in the air before standing on the row of seats in front of him, he grasped at random hands as the Hollywood elite chipped in to hold him up. His boundless energy not yet exhausted, Benigni then hopped onto the stage like some hyper-active Tigger from Winnie the Pooh before giving an impassioned speech. Little did he know, his night was far from over. Benigni went on to win Best Actor, becoming only the second person to win an acting Oscar for a foreign-language film (fellow Italian Sophia Loren did it first in 1962 for Two Women).

With the catchy ditty "Blame Canada" from their animated smash South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut up for Best Original Song, audiences still weren't prepared for Trey Parker and Matt Stone's red carpet arrival during the 2000 ceremony. Donning ensembles inspired by Jennifer Lopez's infamous green Versace dress and Gwyneth Paltrow's pastel pink Ralph Lauren gown, the longtime buddies later said they wanted to find a way to "go, but not go" to the prestigious event. Years later the duo admitted to dropping acid shortly before the ceremony, which adds a whole extra layer of outrageous to their appearance.

Photographer Robert Opel's biggest claim to fame was his ill-advised decision to pose as a journalist and sneak into the Oscars simply so he could streak across the stage. As host David Niven introduced Elizabeth Taylor to the stage, Opel ran out from behind the yellow curtain completely naked. As the audience gasped and then laughed in shock, it was an unfazed Niven who stole the moment back with his celebrated British wit: “Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen. But isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will get in his life is by stripping off [his clothing] and showing his shortcomings?” Although some film historians claim that the show’s producer, Jack Haley Jr. planned the whole thing as an easy ratings-grab, it still goes down in history as one of the most memorable Oscar moments.