- 6 minutes ago
The envelope, please... and the winner is... someone else. Join us as we count down our picks for the most memorable celebrity reactions to not taking home the gold at award shows. From subtle eye-rolls to theatrical outbursts and genuine heartbreak, these stars wore their emotions on their sleeves, giving us priceless moments of pure, unadulterated disappointment, frustration, or even playful defiance. Get ready for some unforgettable award show drama!
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00824, you had me since spring break. New line, good universe.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today, we're looking at reactions from celebrities who lost at award shows.
00:12Some reactions were vocal, while others said everything with an expression.
00:16Samuel's expression was giving major sad vibes, and thus, a meme was born.
00:24Number 20. Give Sofia Vergara one.
00:27Best known for her comedic work on Modern Family, Sofia Vergara revealed a completely different side of herself as Griselda
00:35Blanco.
00:36Vergara's portrayal of the infamous crime lord was bound to score her a few award nominations, although her competition was
00:43stacked.
00:44After Vergara lost the Primetime Emmy to Jodie Foster for True Detective Night Country, some wondered if the Golden Globes
00:51would spread the love.
00:52Foster won again, however. As Foster began her acceptance speech, a familiar voice could be heard from the crowd.
01:00The camera then cut to Vergara, who just wanted one award that season.
01:05The greatest thing about being this age and being in this time is having a community of all these people,
01:16especially you, Sofia.
01:16Foster played along with Vergara, giving her a shout-out. While Vergara was clearly having fun, that doesn't mean she
01:23wasn't at least a little disappointed.
01:26The nominations, that's an honor.
01:28Jodie Foster took everything.
01:30Number 19. Jackie Hoffman dams Laura Dern.
01:34Comedian and character actress Jackie Hoffman earned her first Primetime Emmy nomination for playing Mamacita in Feud, Betty and Joan.
01:43Since Big Little Lies wound up being that night's big winner, it wasn't surprising to see Laura Dern claim the
01:50gold for her scene-stealing work as Renata Klein.
01:53While she was hard to hear amid the applause for Dern, viewers could make out Hoffman mouthing, damn it, multiple
02:00times.
02:01Hoffman continued her tirade on Twitter, accusing Dern of nepotism and making some other outrageous accusations about her.
02:08She writes on Twitter, Laura Dern had famous parents. Forgive me for being from real people.
02:14Hashtag elitism. Hashtag Emmys.
02:17Anyone familiar with Hoffman's sense of humor knows that she was joking, although some did take her tweets seriously.
02:24To those who thought she really was out for blood, Hoffman tweeted, are you kidding me?
02:29They're clearly jokes. And then she writes, quote, I hear the media is taking my reaction seriously. Are you kidding
02:36me?
02:37Number 18. Kathy Bates Tears Up Acceptance Speech
02:41At the 2025 Golden Globes, Best Actress in a Television Series Drama seemed like a tight race between Anna Sawai
02:49for her star-making turn in Shogun and Kathy Bates for what could be her swan song performance in Matlock.
02:56Sawai won, earning applause from her fellow nominees, including Bates.
03:01Before zooming in on Sawai, Bates looked into the camera and tore up what appeared to be an acceptance speech.
03:07On stage, Sawai praised Bates' performance, saying that she would have voted for her.
03:12Thank you to the voters for voting for me, even though I would vote for Kathy Bates any day.
03:18While Bates' speech was rendered useless, we doubt she was truly sour, having previously won two Globes.
03:25Sawai followed in the footsteps of Yoko Shimada, who became the first Asian actress to win in this category for
03:31the original Shogun series.
03:33Without a good script, it's impossible to give a performance to our fullest, full potential.
03:39Thank you, everyone else. I'm gonna thank you later. Thank you!
03:42Number 17. Rihanna Ignores Beyoncé's Win
03:45At the 59th Grammys, Beyoncé got nine nominations while Rihanna scored eight.
03:51On social media, rumors circulated that Rihanna was upset about missing in categories where Beyoncé had been recognized.
03:58Rihanna denied such claims, posting, quote,
04:01We don't need to be putting Black women against each other.
04:04Basically, what she says is that the media wants rivalries, and she claims that there isn't one.
04:10Now, see, I don't believe that.
04:11Yet, people couldn't help but read between the lines when the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album was presented,
04:17As her fellow nominees, including Beyoncé, looked on in anticipation, Rihanna conversed with the person seated next to her.
04:25Once Beyoncé's lemonade was announced as the winner, Rihanna still didn't look up, instead putting on lip gloss.
04:31Was this a diss at Beyoncé, or was Rihanna beyond the point of caring as it became evident she'd be
04:37going home empty-handed?
04:38Many wondered if Riri was throwing shade.
04:42The Barbados beauty was spotted touching up her lipstick as Beyoncé accepted the honor.
04:52Embracing the Oscar nomination for the song Blame Canada while also mocking the idea of award shows,
04:58Trey Parker and Matt Stone showed up to the ceremony wearing dresses.
05:02While it was always unlikely that Blame Canada would win,
05:05the South Park creators were annoyed to see the Oscar go to Phil Collins for You'll Be In My Heart
05:10from Tarzan.
05:18They took out their frustrations with back-to-back South Park episodes throwing shade at Collins,
05:24essentially telling him where he could put his Oscar.
05:26Well, I mean, why are you letting him do this to your son? Don't you see that everyone's just laughing
05:31at him?
05:32Speaking to Conan O'Brien, the duo continued to lament about losing to Collins.
05:37What's more, they claimed Collins was angry that Parker and Stone were treating a serious event as a joke.
05:43So, they made Collins the butt of their joke.
05:45Who was angry? Like, what kind of reactions were you getting?
05:48Phil Collins was mad.
05:49Yeah, he was like, this is a very serious event.
05:51He did not say that.
05:52He really did, not to us, but to someone right in front of us.
05:55Number 15, Meryl Streep congratulates Natalie Portman.
05:59Nobody expects to win when they're nominated against Meryl Streep.
06:02Natalie Portman pulled it off in 2005, though, winning a Golden Globe for Closer.
06:07Although Streep lost for her work in The Manchurian Candidate,
06:11she still got on stage later that night to present another award.
06:15Before doing so, she sardonically congratulated Portman in a way that only Meryl Streep can pull off.
06:21It's as if she were channeling Miranda Priestly in this instance.
06:24Congratulations, Natalie.
06:36Streep notably would have been cast in The Devil Wears Prada roughly around this time,
06:40and Miranda was the only character she went method for.
06:43Portman later shared on Conan that she jokingly told Streep before the ceremony that she was going down.
06:49So you could call Streep's congratulations playful retribution.
06:54Like, bumped into her and was kind of jokingly like,
06:56you're going down.
06:57And then she actually did go down.
07:01And I was like, oh.
07:03See, it's funny.
07:04Number 14, Angela Bassett does the thing.
07:07After winning a Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award for her performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther Wakanda Forever,
07:14it seemed increasingly likely that Angela Bassett would take home an overdue Oscar.
07:19Maybe in another universe, but in this one,
07:21Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
07:26Bassett didn't hide her disappointment during this moment.
07:28She remained composed, but underneath, you could sense that Bassett thought her time had come,
07:34only for her moment to dissipate suddenly.
07:36I love applauding people, but in that moment, no.
07:39I have put in, put in the time, put in good work over time.
07:43Bassett thought she deserved the Oscar.
07:45She also argued that she had the right to be disappointed.
07:49Bassett would have to wait another year for the Academy to present her with an honorary Oscar,
07:53which almost felt like an apology.
07:55There are going to be these moments of disappointment that you're going,
07:59they are going to experience, but how do you handle yourself in the midst of them?
08:05Number 13, Bill Murray looking lost.
08:08Bill Murray seemed like a talent that the Academy would never honor.
08:11After he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA for Lost in Translation, though,
08:15Murray was feeling pretty good about his odds heading into the Oscars.
08:18Murray wore a blank face as Sean Penn's name was called out for Mystic River.
08:23Reflecting on the loss in 2012, Murray told Deadline with a laugh,
08:27quote,
08:27You could argue that Sean Penn didn't deserve the Oscar for that movie,
08:30but he probably did for a couple of others that he didn't get.
08:33What were you going to say?
08:34Oh, I was going to say, you know, when I heard I'd been nominated with,
08:38you know, and I named these other people,
08:41I thought I really had a pretty good chance.
08:43On more than one occasion, Murray has expressed that the loss surprised him.
08:47At the time, he told Howard Stern in 2025 that maybe losing was good,
08:52feeling infected by the desire to win.
08:54It actually gotten sort of infected by wanting to win it, you know,
09:00that it contracted a low-grade virus of the desire for more.
09:07Number 12, Saduel L. Jackson.
09:10Samuel L. Jackson became a Tony nominee for his supporting performance in The Piano Lesson.
09:15Voters weren't playing Samuel's song that night,
09:18as best featured actor in a play went to Brandon Uranowitz in Leopoldstadt.
09:23While Uranowitz won, Jackson made the rounds on social media
09:26with the glum expression on his face as he clapped for his fellow nominee.
09:30And a Tony goes to...
09:36Brandon Uranowitz, Leopoldstadt.
09:39Jackson wasn't surprised that he lost the award.
09:42He was even less surprised that his reaction went viral,
09:45saying, quote,
09:46my reaction is always a meme.
09:48Despite the sad look, Jackson said it was, quote,
09:50an honor to be nominated.
09:52Look in the camera, go viral.
09:54Make a face.
09:56I already have a bad viral face that's online from the Tonys, right?
10:03At least Jackson didn't drop any four-letter words,
10:06like he supposedly did upon losing the Oscar for Pulp Fiction.
10:09Say what again? Say what again?
10:12Number 11, James Earl Jones loses to another James.
10:16It's always awkward when two people with the same first name
10:19are nominated against each other, and one of them wins.
10:22For a brief second, the other person may think they're about to get on stage.
10:26Such was seemingly the case in 2012,
10:28when James Earl Jones and James Corden were nominated at the Tonys for Best Actor in a Play.
10:34The elated expression on Jones' face turned to confusion when Corden's name was called.
10:39And the American Theatre Wing's Tony goes to James Corden,
10:43one man, two governors.
10:45It's unclear what exactly was going through Jones' head,
10:48but it appears he thought his name might have been announced,
10:51only to receive clarification that it was the other James.
10:54Either that, or Jones was simply gobsmacked
10:56that he lost a prestigious prize to the guy from Gavin and Stacey.
11:00John Lithgow and James Earl Jones and Frank Langella,
11:03and my favorite actor in the world, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
11:07To be on a list with you was enough.
11:11Number 10, Faith Hill's exaggerated reaction to Carrie Underwood's CMA win.
11:16Was it a silly salute, or was Faith throwing shade?
11:20The country music community was shocked when she lost the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year
11:25to American Idol alumna and then-rising-country superstar Carrie Underwood in 2006.
11:31Jesus, take the wheel, take it from my hands.
11:37The clip from the ceremony that featured Hill tossing her hands in the air
11:41and mouthing, what, became a notable example of a playful split-second decision,
11:46becoming a highly scrutinized moment during the early viral video era.
11:51And the award for Female Vocalist of the Year goes to...
11:56Can you open it?
11:59Hey, Underwood!
12:02In an interview, Hill attributed its accessibility and popularity to, quote,
12:08the YouTube.
12:09Despite Hill's numerous explanations and Underwood's understanding,
12:13the moment became an example of the era's unquenchable thirst for celebrity gossip.
12:18Nothing to see here, folks.
12:20I was joking myself.
12:21It had nothing to do with Carrie Underwood.
12:23And I understand I have a crazy sense of humor,
12:26and Whoopi and I were talking about this earlier,
12:28that some people just, you know, sometimes take it the wrong way.
12:31But I made it through.
12:33Number 9.
12:3450 Cent takes a lap around the stage.
12:36There are multiple types of walks seen at award shows.
12:40There's the victory walk, walk of shame following a loss,
12:43and then whatever 50 Cent did during the 2004 Grammys.
12:4650 Cent was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy,
12:50but lost to alt-rock group Evanescence.
12:53Oh, what did I do?
12:54This is my first time.
13:03Thanks, 50.
13:06As lead singer Amy Lee began Evanescence's acceptance speech,
13:1150 Cent appeared on stage and walked around behind the confused band.
13:15The lasting impact of 50's loss helped fuel the conversation
13:19around how in touch with the music industry the Grammys really are,
13:23a subject 50's longtime friend Eminem feels passionate about.
13:27I watched 50, same shit.
13:3050 did not win Best New Artist at the Grammys.
13:32There was nothing bigger than 50.
13:34Nothing bigger, and nobody since maybe like Snoop came out the gate like that.
13:4250 himself poked fun at his loss during his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony years later,
13:47subtly acknowledging his lasting cultural relevance.
13:50Your move, Grammys.
13:51I ain't seen Evanescence since that night, Mike.
13:56Since the night they gave him the trophy.
13:58Number 8.
13:59Spike Lee's subtle speak out.
14:01Sometimes subtlety speaks volumes.
14:04When director Spike Lee's film Black Klansman lost the Best Picture Oscar in 2019
14:09to Peter Farrelly's Green Book,
14:11he allegedly tried to leave the ceremony in protest,
14:14but was halted by employees.
14:17Is there something about Green Book that offends you?
14:19That's what I'm trying to get to.
14:20Are you British?
14:23Yeah.
14:24Are you British?
14:24I am.
14:25Let me give you a British answer.
14:27It was my cup of tea.
14:31Instead of explicitly tearing the winning film apart in the press room,
14:35he channeled his anger into celebrating his film's brutally honest portrayal
14:39of what it was like to be a Black detective in the 1970s going against the KKK.
14:44This is why we need more people like you and me in public office.
14:49Get this country back on track.
14:51Amen.
14:52For America to achieve its greatness again.
14:58Absolutely.
14:59Lee expressed his frustration by saying,
15:09Lee's response and refusal to blatantly criticize Green Book
15:13stood out for his ability to fully express himself without making room for a spectacle,
15:18which is what often happens.
15:21You have a very narrow assessment of me, Tonto.
15:24Yeah, right?
15:24I'm good.
15:26No, no, you're not good.
15:27You're bad.
15:28Number seven.
15:29Pierce Morgan is peeved over not being the center of attention.
15:33Ah, Pierce Morgan.
15:35Love him or hate him?
15:36You have to admit that the man knows how to speak his mind.
15:39Anyway, obviously, as you can tell, things did not go well.
15:42I think we were robbed.
15:43I think the election was rigged.
15:45No stranger to heated reactions, Morgan, who is a former host on the British breakfast program
15:51Good Morning Britain, didn't hesitate to let the world know how he felt when their competitor
15:55This Morning took home the Daytime National Television Award in 2019.
16:00This morning!
16:08Morgan felt sour enough over the loss to the point of using some of his appearance on This
16:13Morning to complain.
16:14Morgan's sense of self-awareness and his willingness to acknowledge his bruised ego were definitely
16:20rare to see among notable award show losers.
16:23Better luck next time, Pierce?
16:25This is ours!
16:26Pick anyone!
16:27I am reclaiming this, but good morning, Britain.
16:31This was stolen property and has been reclaimed.
16:35Number six.
16:36Old Dirty Bastard Pulling a Kanye Over Wu-Tang Clan Loss
16:40Hip-Hop masterminds Wu-Tang Clan have been long-time proponents of equality and advocating
16:46for hip-hop's recognition within the recording academy.
16:49Before we turned around, he was on stage already.
16:50He was already up there.
16:52And, um, I was like, oh, shit.
16:55And he just ran up on stage.
16:56The latter was exactly what founding Wu-Tang Clan member, the late Old Dirty Bastard,
17:01wanted to do when he suddenly appeared on stage at the 1998 Grammys during the Song of the
17:06Year award presentation.
17:08The sequence of events was a little confusing.
17:10Did you feel, hey, man, maybe I shouldn't be doing this or you don't care?
17:13Um, I felt both at the same time, but, you know.
17:17Right.
17:18You had to do what you had to do.
17:19The late just kept moving.
17:20Wu-Tang were nominated for the non-televised Best Rap album, but viewers saw ODB randomly
17:26take the microphone while Sean Colvin was on stage and begin explaining why his group
17:31was a better fit to win than Sean Puffy Combs.
17:34Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best, okay?
17:38I want y'all to know that this is ODB and I love you all.
17:41Nevertheless, ODB's brash decision perfectly captured the urgency of his message and was
17:47memorable for its middle finger to the academy's rigid commitment to establishment and order.
17:53Number five.
17:53Kacey Musgraves reacts blankly to Miranda Lambert's victory.
17:58Was she happy and sad at the same time?
18:05After Kacey Musgraves' one-time songwriting partner, Miranda Lambert, won the CMA Award
18:11for Female Vocalist of the Year, cameras caught Musgraves giving a deadpan reaction as Lambert
18:17thanked each of the nominees for their contributions.
18:20Musgraves later addressed the speculation behind her reaction, joking, quote,
18:24If anyone should be offended, it should be me.
18:27I mean, did you see my face?
18:29At the time of the 2013 ceremony, Musgraves was a newcomer to awards season, and many weren't
18:35familiar with her signature laid-back personality yet.
18:38It's like, I'm making a total dork of myself because I just, I don't know what to say.
18:42I'm so in shock.
18:43Her candid reaction made her an ideal candidate to be scrutinized in a perfection-obsessed
18:48celebrity culture.
18:49But Musgraves paid no mind and continued following her arrow.
18:53You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't, so you might as well just do
19:00whatever you want.
19:02Number 4.
19:03Tim Comerford rages against the corporate machine.
19:06It's pretty well known that Rage Against the Machine are not afraid to speak their minds.
19:16Some of their beliefs are more apparent and can be found within their lyrics.
19:20Others are subtle, like bass player Timmy C's attempt to protest the band's lost Limp Bizkit
19:25for Best Rock Video at the 2000 VMAs.
19:28After Limp Bizkit were proclaimed as winners, Comerford sneakily climbed up an intricately
19:34made set piece, refusing to leave.
19:37This guy is rock and roll.
19:38He should be getting the award.
19:41Thank you anyway, and everybody out there, and all our fans.
19:44While Comerford later expressed his upset over RATM's loss, his silent act of protest
19:50was memorable for speaking volumes about his feelings without explicitly sharing them,
19:55as well as for stealing the show.
19:57To be honest with you, I thought it was a beautifully honest act of frustration.
20:03The incident also resulted in multiple consequences, from jail time to causing the band's vocalist
20:09Zack de la Rocha to leave the ceremony.
20:12It may have even factored into Rocha announcing his departure from the band.
20:17Number 3. Metallica refuses to give flutes any justice.
20:21It would be more likely to see progressive rock legends Jethro Tull and metal veterans Metallica
20:26together in someone's music collection.
20:28But the two bands nominated for an award in the same category?
20:32Not so much.
20:33And the winner is, crest of a name, Jethro Tull.
20:37Metallica and Jethro Tull were nominated for the Best Hard Rock slash Metal Vocal Performance
20:42Grammy in 1989, the only year the award was presented, with the latter group winning the award.
20:48One might think fan favorites Metallica would be angry over this upset in Grammy history.
20:53I think the first thing we gotta do is, obviously, like you guys were expecting, we gotta thank
20:57Jethro Tull for not putting out an album this year, right?
21:03And also, obviously, we gotta thank the Academy for giving Jethro Tull the award in 1989.
21:09Read between the lines, know what I mean?
21:11However, the band's choice to poke fun at their controversial loss during their Grammy win a few
21:15years later, and ex-bassist Jason Newstead's humble stance that the band's inclusion in the
21:20ceremony would be the most memorable factor, were what really stood out against rampant fan
21:25criticism.
21:26Of course, the next day I became aware of the furore surrounding that Grammy win,
21:32and poor Alice Cooper had to get up and accept the award on our behalf to a chorus of catcalls
21:38and
21:38boos.
21:392. Kanye West Would Like To Say A Few Words
21:42When hearing the phrase, pulling a Kanye, it's fair to assume it's in reference to an incident
21:46featuring a certain pop star at the 2009 VMAs.
21:50Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'm gonna let you finish,
21:55but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.
22:00But as it turns out, Kanye West had a bit of practice storming stages three years earlier.
22:05At the 2006 MTV European Music Awards, West hopped on stage after being beat by the
22:12Justice and Simeon collaboration, We Are Your Friends.
22:15If I don't win, the award show loses.
22:18Credibility.
22:19I appreciate it, man.
22:22It's nothing against you.
22:23I've never seen your video.
22:25It's nothing against you.
22:26He delivered an expletive-filled rant, where he explained why he believed his Touch the Sky
22:31video should have won.
22:32While this particular moment in West's career showcases how seriously he values his craftsmanship,
22:38it also shows an example of what can happen when Ye takes himself too seriously,
22:43now earning himself a reputation for award show snafus.
22:46What would Beyonce think?
22:48I gotta testify.
22:49Come up in the spot, look at extra fly.
22:52For the day you die, you gonna test the sky.
22:56Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel,
22:59and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
23:02You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
23:05If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
23:15It's no secret Taylor Swift knows the feeling of winning awards all too well.
23:20But there came a time when Taylor and her team experienced a
23:23red-faced worthy moment at the 2014 Grammys.
23:26I don't ever want to be presumptuous about anything.
23:29About being invited, or about winning something, or about something doing well.
23:34Swift's fourth album, Red, was nominated for Album of the Year,
23:38alongside Daft Punk's Random Access Memories.
23:41As presenter Alicia Keys pronounced the first syllable of the word random,
23:46Swift and her team collectively gasped, thinking Red had won.
24:02The heartbroken Swift beautifully recovered from the moment,
24:05that would later inspire her to completely change the direction of her career.
24:09By seizing the opportunity to turn what happened with Red into more monumental career success with
24:14her crossover classic 1989, Taylor Swift showed the world how award show losses can inspire career-defining gains.
24:22You can say, maybe they're right. Maybe I did not make the record of my career.
24:27Maybe I need to fix the problem, which was that I have not been making sonically cohesive albums.
24:36Which celebrity do you think took the loss best? Let us know in the comments.
24:40Let us know in the comments.
24:41Let us know in the comments.
24:41Let us know in the comments.
Comments