Andre Riseborough's surprise Oscar nomination took Hollywood by storm. While pundits praised the effectiveness of her efforts, others questioned their validity, and the potential consequences of her surprise "grassroots" campaign are already being felt, with the Academy set to discuss her situation in an upcoming board meeting (according to Variety).
The Riseborough situation is hardly the only scandal AMPAS has faced in the new millennium. In fact, the Academy Awards are no strangers to controversy. From rescinded nominations to complaints about racism and a lack of representation among the nominees, there's hardly a year with a controversy-free Oscars ceremony.
1 Andrea Riseborough's Surprise Nomination (2023)
At the height of Oscar voting, Andrea Risenborough's name began making waves on social media, with multiple celebrities voicing their support for her performance in the little-seen indie drama To Leslie. Actor Frances Fisher went so far as to name-check other contenders in the Lead Actress category, a move that sharply divided pundits and critics.
The efforts paid off, and Riseborough received a surprising Oscar nomination for Best Actress. However, the controversy was just beginning, as the Academy launched a surprising investigation into the campaign and the tactics used to promote Riseborough. Suddenly, many began wondering if AMPAS would rescind her nomination. Alas, AMPAS ruled against rescinding her nomination, although it did announce that Riseborough's tactics would be further probed in case other actors might use them in future campaigns.
2 Will Smith & Chris Rock (2022)
The 2022 Oscars saw one of the most shocking moments in the ceremony's ninety-five-year history. After Chris Rock made a distasteful joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Best Actor frontrunner Will Smith went up onto the stage and slapped Rock on live television before infamously warning him to "keep (Smith's) wife's name out of (his) f***ing mouth."
The moment left audience members and viewers at home shocked, with many not knowing how to react to the display. Smith won Best Actor that night and delivered an awkward speech that received backlash almost instantly. AMPAS didn't revoke his Oscar but banned him from attending events for ten years, while Smith chose to resign from the Academy.
3 Removing Categories From The Live Ceremony
The slap wasn't the only scandal at the 94th Academy Awards. AMPAS faced considerable criticism before the telecast when it announced that several categories would be presented an hour before the show and edited into the live show in a shortened format. The decision immediately received backlash from critics and audiences, with multiple heavyweights signing a letter to the Academy criticizing the decision.
The inclusion of the categories presented off-air was not as jarring as many anticipated, but it was still a disservice to the craft and work of hundreds of people. The Oscars are supposed to be a celebration of the film industry, and the choice to present "lesser" awards off-air was insulting and ultimately useless. Luckily, the show will present all categories live this year.
4 The 'La La Land' & 'Moonlight' Debacle (2017)
Arguably the most shocking moment in the Oscars' history was the Best Picture mix-up of 2017. Damien Chazelle's colorful musical La La Land was widely predicted to win the top award at the ceremony after prevailing at most major precursors. When Faye Dunaway announced it as the winner, few batted an eye. However, there was a mix-up, and it was actually Moonlight that won Best Picture; Dunaway had received the wrong envelope, a duplicate of the card announcing Emma Stone as the Best Actress winner.
The confusion on stage and in the audience was hilarious and shocking, with everyone at the Dolby theater in disbelief that such an egregious mistake could happen during cinema's most important night. The mistake prevented the Moonlight team from fully enjoying their richly-deserved and history-making win and put the La La Land team in a tremendously embarrassing situation. The incident remains fresh in people's minds as one of the many mistakes AMPAS will never live down.
5 Category Fraud Aplenty (2015 - Present)
Category fraud isn't uncommon at the Oscars. There's at least one performance in the wrong category almost every year; most of the time, no one says anything. However, the 2016 Oscars had two of the most absurd cases of category fraud in Oscars' history: Alicia Vikander and Rooney Mara.
Both actors competed in the Best Supporting Actress category; Vikander for The Danish Girl and Mara for Carol. However, both performances were lead, and it was painfully obvious to anyone who watched the films. They contended in the Lead Actress category at the Golden Globes, while Vikander was also included in the lead at the BAFTAS. There's no logical way to justify their supporting placement at the Oscars other than studio greed.
6 #OscarsSoWhite (2015)
The #OscarsSoWhite movement began in 2015 after all 20 acting nominees were white. Critics particularly pointed out the blatant omission of prominent contenders like Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo, the director and star of Selma, who many expected to secure nominations in their respective categories. The hashtag took over social media, with many users expressing their disappointment at the Academy's willingness to ignore Black and other POC talent behind and in front of the camera.
The hashtag would return in the following years, especially as the Academy continued to neglect POC talent. Painful snubs like Lupita Nyong'o and Awkwafina underscore how easy it is for AMPAS to ignore non-white actors, and this year brought another clear example, as Danielle Deadwyler and Viola Davis were ignored for their Oscar-worthy performances.
7 Alone Yet Not Alone's Surprise Nomination (2014)
"Alone Yet Not Alone" getting into Best Original Song at the 2014 Oscars remains arguably the most shocking nomination in the 21st century. The little-seen Christian film came out of nowhere, crashing and burning at the box office and having played no part in that year's award season. No one expected it to get any kind of attention, so when it secured the nod, questions about the methods of its success started popping up.
Eventually, the Academy discovered that one of the song's writers, Bruce Broughton – who also served as the executive committee member of the Academy's Music Branch and had previously been its governor – had directly e-mailed other members of the branch. The Academy rescinded the song's nomination, leaving the Best Original Song category with only four nominees.
8 Crash Over 'Brokeback Mountain' (2006)
It was the gasp heard around the world. The 2006 Oscars ended with Paul Haggis' reductive take on race relationships, Crash, prevailing over Ang Lee's tender romantic Western drama Brokeback Mountain. Despite what many believe, Brokeback wasn't a sure thing for the win; Crash won SAG Ensemble, after all. Still, Brokeback was the critical and commercial favorite, and many were sure it would prevail.
Crash's Oscar win has aged like milk, deservedly so. Ten years after its victory, Oscar voters declared they would give Best Picture to Brokeback instead if they could recast their votes. Unfortunately, they can't, and their choice to reward Crash over Brokeback will haunt them forever.
9 The Infamous 2003 Kiss
Few Oscar choices have been so out-of-the-box as Adrien Brody's victory at the 2003 Oscars. The actor won for his heart-wrenching performance in the Holocaust drama The Pianist, prevailing over heavyweights like Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis. A visibly stunned Brody made his way to the stage and unexpectedly kissed presenter Halle Berry, who looked confused but reacted with an uncomfortable laugh once he let her go.
Reception to the kiss has been varied since it happened, although recent criticism has pointed out how inappropriate it was for Brody to kiss Berry without her consent. Berry herself stated her confusion at the kiss during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live! in 2017.