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From unexpected outbursts to planned provocations gone wrong, television history has been shaped by jaw-dropping moments that left audiences stunned. Join us as we count down the most controversial live TV scandals ever broadcast! From Janet Jackson's Super Bowl mishap to Will Smith's Oscar slap, these are the unscripted moments that changed pop culture forever.
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00:00George Bush doesn't care about black people.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most jaw-dropping and controversial moments ever broadcast on live television.
00:10We'll be excluding scandalous live news broadcasts and political moments, however, as they deserve a list of their own.
00:16There's a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture.
00:20Moonlight won it.
00:23Number 20. Rosie O'Donnell vs. Elizabeth Hasselbeck. The View.
00:27Live television thrives on drama, and ABC's The View served up quite the main course in 2007.
00:33Did Iraq attack us, Elizabeth?
00:35Iraq did not attack us, Rosie.
00:37We've been there before. I'm saying our enemy's al-Qaeda. Are you hearing that?
00:41This is when past co-hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck had a heated political debate about the Iraq War
00:47that spiraled into one of the most infamous on-air blow-ups in daytime TV history.
00:51Do you believe I think our troops are terrorists, Elizabeth?
00:54I don't think that you...
00:56Do you believe that? Yes or no?
00:57Excuse me. Let me speak.
00:59Airing live, the argument escalated from tense disagreement to full-blown shouting match
01:04as the two hosts talked over each other while the other hosts looked on helplessly.
01:08I'll tell you what's cowardly.
01:10Hey, what?
01:11No, no.
01:12What are we on PBS?
01:13No, asking a rhetorical question that you never answer yourself.
01:18That is cowardly.
01:19Who is directing this show? Let's go to commercial.
01:22Let's go to commercial.
01:23I want a drink of water. Let's go to commercial.
01:25The fallout was immediate, with O'Donnell accelerating her exit from the show soon after.
01:30The tabloids, meanwhile, feasted heavily on all the reports of backstage tension.
01:34Rosie has since claimed the fight was orchestrated by producers.
01:37Number 19.
01:39Miley's Wild Night, 30th MTV Video Music Awards.
01:42At the 2013 MTV VMAs, Miley Cyrus shed her Disney past, and much of her clothing, in
01:48a performance that scandalized audiences everywhere.
01:56Taking the stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, the Hannah Montana star proceeded to
02:00twerk and wag her tongue wildly.
02:03When Robin Thicke joined for a Blurred Lines duet, the performance quickly crossed into NSFW
02:08territory. It instantly became the night's defining moment, generating millions of social
02:12media reactions, and setting off a cultural debate about POP's new shock tactics.
02:24Whether you thought it was empowerment, or embarrassment, it marked the night Miley officially
02:28broke free, live, and unfiltered.
02:38Number 18.
02:39Jamie Kennedy's New Year's Eve Disaster, First Night 2013 with Jamie Kennedy.
02:44Few live TV catastrophes are as hilariously disastrous as First Night 2013 with Jamie Kennedy.
02:49A low-budget Los Angeles New Year's Eve special has seemed doomed from the start.
02:53Where's our stage manager?
02:55Jamie, don't talk into the mic, we can hear you.
03:02Broadcast live, the show featured technical glitches, missed cues, awkward silences, and
03:07hosts who seemed barely aware of what was happening.
03:09Are we back?
03:12Are we back?
03:14Microphones cut out mid-sentence, camera operators missed their marks, and Kennedy himself openly
03:18joked on air that the show was falling apart.
03:20Oh, did we mention they were late for the big countdown?
03:23What's your resolution for 2013?
03:25I'm to, um, just get rid of all my haters.
03:30Yep.
03:31The entire event became one of the most chaotic live broadcasts ever attempted.
03:34Not to mention, a masterclass in how not to ring in the new year.
03:39God bless you and we'll see you in 2024!
03:42Good night!
03:43Bye!
03:44There's a fight, it's ending with a fight.
03:46It's ending with a fight.
03:47Number 17.
03:48Bark Like a Dog, WWE Raw.
03:51And they would do anything for stardom.
03:59Pro Wrestling has had its share of controversial storylines and scandalous on-air moments, but
04:03perhaps none hit as low as Vince McMahon's in-character treatment of Trish Stratus on WWE Raw in 2001.
04:09In this segment, McMahon, playing up his evil boss persona, forced Stratus to strip down to her underwear, crawl on all fours, and bark like a dog, in front of a packed arena and millions watching live at home.
04:22And from there, I asked Trish to, uh, speak doggies, if you would.
04:29She actually barked, I'm sorry.
04:32The disturbing humiliation angle immediately drew outrage from viewers, advocacy groups, and media watchdogs alike.
04:39WWE defended it as entertainment, but the backlash was intense.
04:43Heck, even fans who loved the company's attitude era admitted the stunt was a bit much.
04:48Trish, why don't you, uh, lie down on your back in the middle of this ring?
04:55Oh, for God's sakes.
04:58Number 16, Ashley Simpson's Lip Sync Scandal, Saturday Night Live.
05:10Ashley Simpson's 2004 Saturday Night Live appearance was supposed to solidify her pop star credentials.
05:16It did the opposite.
05:17Taking the stage for her second performance of the night, a pre-recorded vocal track from Simpson's previous song,
05:23mistakenly started playing, causing mass confusion.
05:33Clearly caught lip syncing, the young singer awkwardly did a little jig before walking off stage, all while her band kept playing.
05:40The show quickly cut to commercial, but by the time the credits rolled, Simpson was the most talked about name in music, for all the wrong reasons.
05:48She later blamed acid reflux and a backing track mix-up.
05:51The incident, however, became one of SNL's most infamous live blunders.
05:55For me, it was the most humbling experience of my life, because the whole world thinks everything that you just put your heart and soul into writing is a joke.
06:05And that sucked.
06:06Number 15, Mariah Carey's Times Square Meltdown, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
06:12Mariah Carey is known for her vocal perfection, making her anticipated 2016 New Year's Eve performance one of the most painful live TV moments ever.
06:24We can't hear, but I'll just get through the most of you, okay?
06:28Performing in Times Square for ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve special, Carey was plagued by technical issues from the start.
06:35It's reported that her in-ear monitors failed, leaving her unable to hear the track.
06:40Instead of faking it, Mariah openly called out the chaos while wandering the stage, visibly frustrated.
06:46We didn't have a check for this song, so we'll just say, it went to number one, and that's what it is, okay.
06:54The incident instantly went viral, with Carey blaming production errors.
06:58Producers, meanwhile, claim she skipped soundcheck.
07:01Technical failure?
07:02Diva drama?
07:03Either way, it was unforgettable.
07:05Bring the feathers on, yes!
07:07And...
07:11It just don't get any better.
07:22Few live broadcasts have flopped harder than Geraldo Rivera's The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults.
07:27Well tonight, for the first time, that vault is going to be open live!
07:31Airing a primetime live special in 1986, the two-hour TV event promised to unseal the infamous gangster's secret vault beneath Chicago's Lexington Hotel.
07:40Millions tuned in expecting gold, bodies, or forbidden treasures.
07:44Instead, when Rivera and his crew finally broke through the concrete, they found... nothing.
07:50As it turns out, we haven't found very much, at least not, uh, not yet.
07:54The collective disappointment was palpable, and Rivera's deflated demeanor instantly entered TV history.
08:00It all but cemented Rivera's reputation as the king of sensational and scandalous live TV stunts.
08:06Uh, thank you for watching.
08:07I promised all the critics that if we didn't find anything, I'd sing a song.
08:10So, uh, uh, Chicago, Chicago, that's Holland Town.
08:15Alright, I'm going.
08:16Number 13.
08:17The National Anthem That Broke the Internet.
08:19NBA's All-Star Game.
08:21When multi-Grammy winner Fergie took the court to sing the U.S. National Anthem before the 2018 NBA All-Star Game,
08:27no one, and we mean no one, was ready for what came next.
08:38Her odd, sultry, jazz club rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner stunned the crowd, and not in a good way.
08:44The bombs bursting in air.
08:50As cameras cut to players, the likes of Steph Curry could be seen trying to contain their laughter.
08:55The live broadcast instantly blew up online, with many calling it the strangest anthem ever.
09:00Fergie later explained, she tried something different.
09:04It was different, alright.
09:06Brave!
09:14Number 12.
09:15Forbidden Song Switch.
09:17Saturday Night Live.
09:18Elvis Costello didn't just perform on Saturday Night Live in 1977, he pretty much hijacked it.
09:23I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here.
09:35You see, during a December episode of the NBC sketch series, Costello, the night's musical guest,
09:40began playing Less Than Zero, only to abruptly stop, turn to his band, and launch into Radio Radio.
09:53The problem? This was a song SNL and NBC had explicitly banned for criticizing corporate control of media.
10:00Well, radio is the sound salvation, radio is cleaning up the nation.
10:06Costello's bold protest left producers furious, and the singer was temporarily banned from the show.
10:11Yet, the live moment became legendary, a statement about artistic freedom in an era of censorship.
10:17When Costello returned in 1999, he memorably recreated the stunt with the Beastie Boys.
10:21I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, but there's just really no reason to do this song here tonight.
10:25One, two, three, four!
10:30Number 11. George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People. A Concert for Hurricane Relief.
10:35Before his infamous award show interruptions, more on that later, Kanye West made live TV history with an unscripted outburst.
10:42During NBC's 2005 Concert for Hurricane Relief, a charity telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims,
10:48Kanye abandoned the script while standing beside a nervous Mike Myers.
10:52I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting.
10:59If you see a white family, it says they're looking for food.
11:02And, after criticizing media coverage and government neglect, Ye suddenly declared,
11:07George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People.
11:09The feed quickly cut to a shocked Chris Tucker, but the moment had already exploded nationwide.
11:14The telethon may have raised millions, but Kanye's words provided a raw, unforgettable moment of live TV rebellion.
11:34Number 10. Madonna Kisses Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. 20th MTV Video Music Awards.
11:41During a medley performance celebrating Madonna's Like a Virgin legacy at the 2003 MTV VMAs,
11:54the Queen of Pop shockingly planted a full-on kiss on Britney Spears, followed by another with Christina Aguilera.
12:00Aguilera's smooch was barely caught, though, as the cameras focused on Justin Timberlake's reaction to his ex, Britney, getting kissed by the material girl.
12:11The live broadcast from Radio City Music Hall sent shockwaves through pop culture, dominating headlines for months.
12:18Some called it bold performance art, while others labeled it pure shock value.
12:22Regardless, it remains one of MTV's most talked about moments, ever.
12:27Number 9. Sashin Littlefeather Takes the Stage. 45th Academy Awards.
12:32Few live TV moments have stunned celebrities quite like Marlon Brando's shocking refusal of his 1973 Best Actor Award for The Godfather.
12:40While others have declined Oscars before, like George C. Scott and Dudley Nichols, none had done it like this.
12:45You see, when Brando's name was announced, activist Sashin Littlefeather appeared in traditional Apache dress to speak on his behalf.
12:53She rejected the award and protested Hollywood's mistreatment of Native Americans and the events at Wounded Knee.
12:59She says she was subjected to insults as she left the stage.
13:03The audience's reaction, part applause, part jeers, was broadcast to millions,
13:07capturing one of the most politically charged moments in Oscars history.
13:11I was distressed that people should have booed and whistled and stomped, even though perhaps it was directed at myself.
13:22They should have at least had the courtesy to listen to her.
13:25Number 8. Milli Vanilli Get Caught. MTV.
13:28It took one live TV glitch to expose the lie, and one of pop's biggest frauds.
13:33German R&B duo Milli Vanilli were on top of the world in the late 80s.
13:37Hits, millions of albums sold, and even a Grammy for Best New Artist.
13:41But it all came crashing down after a July 1989 MTV performance of Girl You Know Is True,
13:47when the backing track famously skipped, exposing their lip syncing to the world.
13:58Months later, singer Charles Shaw revealed he was one of the real vocalists.
14:02Producer Frank Farian confirmed the truth in 1990, firing the duo and ending the Milli Vanilli illusion.
14:08Number 7. Elvis Presley's Scandalous Hips. The Ed Sullivan Show.
14:27The late king of rock and roll Elvis Presley was known to shake up the nation. Literally.
14:32In the year 1956, millions upon millions of viewers tuned in to watch Presley make several appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
14:39You ain't not gonna...
14:45And while his early hip-swinging performance of Hound Dog electrified young audiences, it horrified many adults.
14:56Critics labeled it indecent, and churches outright condemned it.
15:00Because of this, CBS famously filmed him only from the waist up, to avoid further moral outrage in his later appearances.
15:06Elvis' live TV performances, however, proved that Rock and Roll Rebellion was here to stay, one pelvic thrust at a time.
15:21Number 6. Steve Harvey announces the wrong winner. 64th Miss Universe pageant.
15:26One of you is about to become our new Miss Universe.
15:35One wrong name, broadcast live to millions, turns Steve Harvey into the face of one of TV's biggest disasters.
15:41Hosting the live Miss Universe finale from Las Vegas, Harvey confidently announced Miss Columbia, Ariana Gutierrez, as the winner.
15:48Colombia!
15:54She was crowned, given flowers, and began celebrating.
15:57That was until Harvey returned to the stage, admitting he'd made a mistake.
16:00I have to apologize.
16:02I have to apologize.
16:15The first runner-up is Colombia.
16:19The real winner was actually Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach.
16:22The uncomfortable correction played out live to the world, as cameras captured the shock and confusion of everyone on stage.
16:32Harvey apologized profusely, both on air and off, but the clip instantly went viral.
16:37I will take responsibility for this.
16:40It was my mistake.
16:42It was on the card.
16:45Horrible mistake, but the right thing, I can show it to you right here.
16:49Number 5. Best Picture Mix-Up.
16:5289th Academy Awards.
16:54The folks who thought they had won Best Picture and then found out that it actually belonged to another movie.
16:59The 2017 Oscars didn't just crown a Best Picture winner, they made one of the most chaotic live TV moments ever.
17:05When presenters, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, announced La La Land as the winner, the cast and crew took the stage and began their acceptance speeches.
17:13What a waste of lovely night.
17:18The problem? They didn't actually win.
17:20Midway through, it was revealed that the wrong envelope had been given out, and Moonlight was the real Best Picture.
17:26There's a mistake.
17:27Moonlight, you guys won Best Picture.
17:30Moonlight won it.
17:31The stunned audience gasped, as producer Jordan Horowitz held up the correct card for the cameras, declaring,
17:37This is not a joke.
17:38The blunder, caused by a PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant handing over a duplicate envelope, quickly became known as Envelope Gate.
17:45Matt Damon looks like he's swollen his own teeth.
17:48With a shock.
17:50I mean, it was like they were watching their childhood homes catch fire.
17:57Number 4. Sinead O'Connor Tears Photo of the Pope.
18:01Saturday Night Live.
18:02Everywhere is war.
18:06In one of Saturday Night Live's most shocking moments, Irish singer Sinead O'Connor tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II live on air in 1992.
18:15After performing an acapella rendition of Bob Marley's war, O'Connor looked into the camera and said,
18:21Fight the real enemy, before ripping the photograph into pieces.
18:25Evil.
18:27Fight the real enemy.
18:32The protest was meant to draw attention to abuse within the Catholic Church, but at the time, it was widely condemned.
18:38NBC banned O'Connor from returning, and she faced career backlash for years.
18:42There was silence.
18:43It was funny because after the first song, there was loads of people around, and they all came into the dressing room and everything, but then after that there was nobody around.
18:50There was silence.
18:51However, decades later, many came to view her act as both prophetic and courageous.
18:56A bold stand that was ahead of its time.
18:59Number 3. Kanye West Interrupts Taylor Swift.
19:0226 MTV Video Music Awards.
19:05Without question, the 2009 MTV VMAs gave us one of the most unforgettable interruptions in live TV history.
19:11So thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA award.
19:15As Taylor Swift accepted the award for Best Female Video, For You Belong With Me, Kanye West infamously stormed the stage, grabbed the mic, and declared,
19:23Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.
19:31To say the crowd, and Beyonce herself was stunned, would be a wee bit of an understatement.
19:36Kanye later apologized, then unapologized.
19:39Taylor, meanwhile, turned the moment into motivation for her next album.
20:00Number 2. The Slap Heard Round The World.
20:0394th Academy Awards.
20:05When comedian Chris Rock made a throwaway joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head at the 2022 Oscars, Jada's husband, Will Smith, did the unthinkable.
20:14G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it, alright?
20:17Smith got up from his seat to meet Rock on stage, only to slap him in the face.
20:22The feed goes silent, and so does the audience after Will Smith takes a swing at Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.
20:30The confrontation left the audience with their jaws on the floor.
20:33The subsequent bleeped outburst only added to the shock and awe.
20:36Yep, the slap reverberated throughout the night, overshadowing the awards ceremony, including Smith's own win for Best Actor, where he was curiously given a standing ovation.
20:45I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.
20:50The actor has since received a 10-year ban from the event.
20:53It's now a part of our lives forever, we will never stop talking about this, it was so shocking.
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21:12Number 1. Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction
21:17Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show
21:24During the 2004 Super Bowl, viewers were left shocked, not from the game in hand, but from the night's halftime show.
21:33During a performance of Rock Your Body alongside Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson was left exposed on stage, the result of Justin tearing a piece of her outfit.
21:41Many believed that it was a planned stunt to grab attention.
21:44However, the now infamous wardrobe malfunction statement rings true.
21:48It's been said that the costume tug was supposed to reveal a red bustier, but something went wrong.
21:53Regardless, the fallout of the live TV moment not only negatively impacted Janet's career, Timberlake not so much, but also led to much stricter regulations for live performances.
22:02She questions why she was blacklisted, at least temporarily, while Timberlake, who apologized for his role, went on to have a flourishing career.
22:12Which of these live TV moments left you speechless? Let us know in the comments below.
22:16Let us know in the comments below.
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