We all know that the Oscars can be a bit of a snooze fest. But every now and then, something truly hilarious happens on Hollywood’s biggest night.
Here are some of the funniest Oscar jokes that went wrong. From awkward acceptance speeches to totally inappropriate presenters, these gaffes are sure to get a laugh.
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Opening Jokes
Some of Hollywood’s brightest stars gathered for the Oscars on Sunday night. But not all of them were there to take home an award.
Many were Crackling with anticipation for the night’s Biggest prize: Best Picture.
And as always, there were plenty of jokes flying around about who would take home the coveted golden statuette.
But not all of the jokes landed smoothly. Here are some of the zingers that fell flat:
– host Chris Rock started off his monologue by joking that this year’s crop of nominees was the “whitest ever”
– presenters Steve Carell and Tina Fey joked about the all-white nominee list as well, saying that they were there to represent “Hollywood diversity”
– when announcing the winner for Best Costume Design, presenter Cate Blanchett said that she was wearing a dress made entirely out of recycled bottles – a joke that fell flat with many in the audience
– after announcing the winner for Best Documentary Short Subject, presenter John Krasinski quipped that he hadn’t seen any of the nominees – prompting laughter from some, but awkward silence from others
Presenters
There are usually a few funny Oscar jokes that get told each year by the presenters. Unfortunately, not all of them land. Here are a few examples of presenters telling jokes that didn’t quite work:
-When presenting the award for Best Actor in 2009, Anne Hathaway joked that “It’s been an amazing year for men.” Unfortunately, this was just a few months after the news of Heath Ledger’s death, so her joke fell flat.
-In 2012, Billy Crystal joked that “The Artist” was nominated for 10 Oscars. However, the movie only received 9 nominations (it eventually won 5).
-In 2013, Seth MacFarlane joked about Lincoln being “gone but not forgotten.” This was just a few months after President Lincoln’s death, so again, his joke didn’t quite work.
Winners
And the winner is…a flub! Here are some of the most infamous moments when presenters got it wrong at the Oscars.
In 2017, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were tasked with presenting the award for Best Picture. After a long pause, Beatty announced that La La Land had won, leading the cast and crew of the film to take the stage in celebration. However, it was soon revealed that there had been a mix-up and that Moonlight was the actual winner of the coveted prize.
In another notorious moment, Cuba Gooding Jr. was supposed to announce the winner for Best Picture in 1998. But instead of reading out the winner, Gooding simply said “The Winner Is,” before walking off stage. The confusion was later cleared up when it was revealed that Shakespeare in Love had won the top prize.
These are just two of the most public Oscar flubs – but rest assured, there have been plenty more where those came from!
Musicians
Oscar Wilde once said, “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” Unfortunately, not all Oscar jokes are created equal. Here are some examples of musical jokes that fell flat at the Academy Awards:
-Why don’t second violins ever get any credit?
Because they’re always in the back!
-Why did Beethoven kill his chicken?
Because it wouldn’t lay a staccato egg!
-How many conductors does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one – but he’ll do it again and again and again until he gets it right!
In Memoriam
During the In Memoriam segment of the 2017 Oscars, Jennifer Garner and a host of other A-list celebrities took to the stage to pay tribute to the actors, directors, and producers who had passed away in the past year. However, things took a turn for the worse when jokes about some of the deceased celebrities fell flat with the audience.
Some of the jokes that didn’t land included an awkward attempt at humor about Bill Paxton’s death by Jennifer Lawrence, and a joke about Carrie Fisher’s dog being brought on stage by Jimmy Kimmel. The segment ended on a more serious note, with a moving performance by Bette Midler.
