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The legacy of Littlefeather - In 1973, Marlon Brando won Best Actor for his role in 'The Godfather,' but he refused to show up, and instead sent 26-year-old Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather to reject the award. "The reasons for this being the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry," she revealed, to a mix of boos and applause. Today, of course, the mistreatment of Native Americans is widely known and any opposition would be swiftly shut down. 

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Standing for something -

One of the first controversial moments happened in 1936. Screenwriter Dudley Nichols (pictured) turned down an Oscar for 'The Informer.'

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A bittersweet victory -

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first Black Oscar winner. This should have been a joyous event, but her victory was marred by racism. She was seated at the back of the venue, and was segregated from the rest of the cast of 'Gone with the Wind.'

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The wrong choice for many -

'How Green Was My Valley' beat 'Citizen Kane' for Best Picture in 1942. The decision caused great upset, and many have never forgiven the Academy for it.

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Taylor makes a comeback - Elizabeth Taylor is a Hollywood icon, but she found herself in hot water after having an affair with Eddie Fisher. He was married to Debbie Reynolds, one of America's sweethearts. She also fell ill with pneumonia, but made a comeback when she won Best Actress in 1961.

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The power of Poitier - In 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar. His white co-star Anne Bancroft gave him a kiss on the cheek at the event, which caused uproar among conservative audiences.

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Draw - What are the odds for an Oscar draw? Not very high, but it happened in 1969. Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn both won Best Actress, but the latter was not present to collect the award.

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Meat parade - "The ceremonies are a two-hour meat parade," said George C. Scott, who refused his Best Actor win in 1970.

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Lucky streak -

In 1974, a streaker named Robert Opel took the stage, ruffling the feathers of David Niven (pictured). "The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings," said Niven. The streaker got off scot-free and even held a press conference.

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Bert Schneider's anti-war message - Back in 1975, anti-war film 'Hearts and Minds' won Best Documentary. Producer Bert Schneider thanked anti-war activists in his speech, causing a great deal of controversy.

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The backlash against Vanessa Redgrave - Redgrave won an Oscar for her performance in 'Julia,' which was based on a memoir by Lillian Hellman. However, it was alleged that Hellman had made the story up.

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Cher makes a statement -

In 1986, Cher shocked the world with a jaw-dropping outfit. "As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress," she said. Cher was referencing how she wasn't nominated that year.

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The fall of Rob Lowe - Back in 1989, Rob Lowe took the stage with "Snow White" (Eileen Bowman), and performed a 10-minute-plus medley of mayhem. Disney sued, along with several celebrities, who wrote a letter addressing the "embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire picture industry."

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Palance's push-ups - Jack Palance proved the ageist critics wrong in 1992, performing some one-armed push-ups on stage.

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Richard Gere, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon get banned for life -

Politics and pictures don't always go together. This trio of celebs made political statements at the 1993 Oscars, leading to a lifetime ban for all three. The ban was eventually overturned.

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Elia Kazan's political past - Kazan has made some classics, but there was controversy when he won an honorary Oscar. This was because he acted as an anti-Communist informer during the McCarthy era, inflaming paranoia and distress in Hollywood.

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Angelina Jolie and James Haven - Angelina Jolie keeps a squeaky clean image these days, but back in 2000, she caused some controversy with her brother James Haven. They kissed, held hands, and Jolie said she was "so in love" with him.

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Swan song -

One of the most famous Oscar dresses was worn by Björk. She was draped in a swan dress, and even "laid" an egg on the red carpet.

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Brody on Berry - In 2003, Adrien Brody won Best Actor,  then grabbed Halle Berry and kissed her by force. The move would not sit well with today's audience, and certainly didn't back then either.

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Moore controversy - Michael Moore won an Oscar for his politically-charged film 'Bowling for Columbine.' During his speech, he criticized President George W. Bush, repeating the phrase: "Shame on you." The crowd booed, and the orchestra played Moore off stage.

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America's most wanted - The year 2003 was one of the most controversial of all. Roman Polanski won Best Director for 'The Pianist.' This caused a stir, as he had previously pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor. Polanski wasn't there to accept the award, since he would have been arrested.

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The worst hosts ever? - James Franco and Anne Hathaway were hosts of the 2011 ceremony. Their effort was heavily criticized, with many arguing that it was the worst ever.

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McFarlane unchained - McFarlane fared a little better than Franco and Hathaway. However, at one point he compared the plot of 'Django Unchained' to Rihanna's relationship with Chris Brown, in a joke that many thought reeked of bad taste.

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J-Law causes a stir -

Jennifer Lawrence was a lively character at the 2013 Oscars. She fell on the floor, won Best Actress, and flipped off the Hollywood press.

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Adele Dazeem - John Travolta couldn't quite get the words out when introducing actress Idina Menzel. He said something along the lines of "Adele Dazeem," causing a great deal of embarrassment.

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Rocking the stage - Chris Rock was yet another controversial host. He brought Stacey Dash onstage for a joke that bombed, and lampooned Asian stereotypes. The latter led to protests from actors and politicians.

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#OscarsSoWhite - In 2016, all 20 actors who were nominated were white. This led to outrage, and the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. Will and Jada Pinkett Smith boycotted the ceremony.

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An awkward exchange - In 2017, Brie Larson was tasked with presenting the Best Actor prize to Casey Affleck. Larson had played a victim of assault in 2016, and Affleck had recently been accused of sexual assault by two women. The exchange was borderline unbearable.

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The wrong winner -

That same year, the cast and crew of 'La La Land' were delighted when they were announced as Best Picture winners. However, in an alleged publicity stunt, it was revealed that it was a mistake, and that 'Moonlight' was the real winner.

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Kevin Hart wrestles with the past -

Many were excited when Kevin Hart was revealed as the 2019 host, until a string of homophobic tweets from his past came to light. The Academy said he could still host if he apologized, but Hart refused, arguing that he'd already addressed the tweets.

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The slap heard around the world -

The world was shocked to see Will Smith march onstage and slap Chris Rock after the comedian made a dig at Jada Pinkett Smith, who struggles with alopecia. "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it, all right?" Rock quipped. Smith went right up to him and slapped Rock in the face. When he returned to his seat, Rock tried to maintain composure and said, "Wow, Will Smith just smacked the [expletive] out of me!" Smith then yelled back, "Keep my wife's name out of your [expletive] mouth." Later, Smith won Best Actor for his role in 'King Richard' and apologized for his outburst, relating himself to his winning role. "Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father," he said. "Love will make you do crazy things." 

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Will Smith banned for 10 years -

The Academy decided to ban the actor from events for 10 years. In a statement shared by E! News, Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said, "During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short—unprepared for the unprecedented." 

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John Cena streaks at the Oscars -

At the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, John Cena appeared on stage in nothing but a pair of Birkenstocks to present the award for costume design.

See also: The biggest shock winners in Oscar history 

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