Italian glam rock band Måneskin, who won the top prize for their song 'Zitti e buoni' in 2021, were embroiled in a very glam rock controversy after images from the Grand Final ceremony seemed to suggest drug use to some viewers. More specifically, one viral photo shows lead singer Damiano David leaning forward with his head bowed at a table, prompting viewers to suggest that he was sniffing a line of cocaine. In a post-ceremony press conference, the band vehemently denied the allegations and explained that David was inspecting broken glass on the floor, which was later confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union. The band posted a statement which read: “We are really shocked about what some people are saying about Damiano doing drugs. We really are AGAINST drugs and we never used cocaine. We are ready to get tested, cause we got nothing to hide," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

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Dictating the result -

The 1968 contest was one for the history books. British singer Cliff Richard (center left) was a favorite to win for his song, 'Congratulations.' However, the prize went to Spanish singer Massiel (center right).

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Dictating the result -

As reported by Time magazine, dictator Francisco Franco (allegedly) rigged the contest, to boost tourism in Spain. "It would be wonderful if someone official [...] said: 'Cliff, you won that darn thing after all,'" Richard told The Guardian.

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'We Don't Wanna Put In' - In 2009, Georgia's official entry was Stephane and 3G, with the song: 'We Don't Wanna Put In.' However, the song never made it to the live show.

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'We Don't Wanna Put In' - The track was apparently a commentary on Georgia's conflict with Russia. "Put In" apparently referred to Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

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Pushing buttons -

Some commentators took issue with Israel's entry back in 2007. The country was represented by Teapacks, with the song 'Push the Button.'

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Pushing buttons - With reference to a "demonic" leader who will "blow us up to [...] kingdom come," it was alleged that the song was about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The song still made it to air, but raised plenty of eyebrows.

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Silvía Night: the swearing singer -

Silvía Night is a character played by Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir. The spoof singer is a hit in Iceland, but the joke didn't translate at Athens in 2006.

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Silvía Night: the swearing singer - Her song, 'Congratulations,' was hilariously self-centered ("The vote is in, I'll f—n win"). She also slandered her competition in a swear-filled rant.

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Dana International goes international - Dana International broke boundaries as the first transgender winner of the contest. The Israeli entrant was warmly welcomed in Birmingham, but some took issue back home.

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Dana International goes international - Some conservative commentators tried to block Dana from representing Israel. However, it didn't work, and Dana has gone on to become a hugely successful artist.

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Turkish invasion - Over the summer of 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, worsening relationships between Turkey and Greece. The latter backed out of the 1975 ceremony, as Turkey was also competing.

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Turkish invasion - In 1976, Turkish broadcasters didn't air the performance from Greek entry Mariza Koch.

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Wurst behavior - In 2014, Thomas Neuwirth made headlines and history, performing 'Rise Like a Phoenix' as Conchita Wurst.

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Wurst behavior - Wurst is the singer's drag queen persona, who made headlines around the world thanks to her distinct look. She won the contest, though there were negative responses from political figures in Turkey and Russia. A Serbian patriach even blamed a dangerous flood on Wurst winning the contest.

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Kissing protest - Krista Siegfrids caused quite a stir in 2013. The Finnish singer protested her country's ban on same-sex marriage. "It's live on TV, so nobody can stop me," she said.

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Kissing protest - Siegfrids then kissed one of her female back-up dancers. Many wondered if the move would be censored, but it made the cut.

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Mistake or conspiracy? - At the 1963 contest in London, presenter Katie Boyle (pictured left) was receiving the voting results from Norway. She said she couldn't hear them, and would return later.

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Mistake or conspiracy? - However, by the time she got back to them, Norway had apparently changed their votes. They awarded top marks to Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann of Denmark, who won the contest at Switzerland's expense.

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PingPong's political performance - One of Eurovision's most controversial moments took place in 2000. Israeli group PingPong finished their performance by waving Syrian flags, and calling for peace.

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PingPong's political performance -

Israeli officials condemned the performance, and the group came 22nd place. However, it turned out that the group was made up of journalists, and had entered the competition as a joke.

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Serduchka comes second - Andriy Danylko is a cross-dressing comedian, who was Ukraine's entrant back in 2007. Performing as drag queen Verka Serduchka, the singer enraged some people back home.

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Serduchka comes second - A national radio station protested after Danylko was picked, and some Ukrainian MPs debated the "grotesque and vulgar" character. However, Serduchka went on to come second place, proving her naysayers wrong.

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San Marino get sociable - San Marino isn't the biggest force in Europe, but their 2012 entry was a viral hit. Originally titled 'Facebook Uh Uh Oh,' the song simply had to be censored.

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San Marino get sociable - The song was renamed 'The Social Network Song,' with removed references to Mark Zuckerberg's site. However, the costumes still seemed to resemble the popular website.

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Broadcasting boycott - During the 1978 ceremony in Paris, the country of Jordan apparently refused to broadcast 'Abanibi,' by Israeli contestants Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta.

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Broadcasting boycott - Things were made complicated when Israel eventually won the contest. Jordanian broadcasters apparently crowned Belgium as the winners, hoping no one would notice.

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Starting a revolution -

ABBA (left) stole the show back in 1974, with their winning song 'Waterloo.' However, Portugal's Paulo de Carvalho (right) was actually involved in some serious conflict.

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Starting a revolution -

Carvalho's song, 'And After the Goodbye,' was broadcast across Catholic Radio Renascenca, which apparently kickstarted the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974.

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Hysterical rumors - In 1972, the Munich Olympics were besieged by Black September. The Palestinian terrorist group killed 11 Israelis, as well as a West German police officer.

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Hysterical rumors -

The next year, Israeli singer Ilanit came fourth place with the song 'Ey Sham.' There were hysterical rumors that the singer wore a bulletproof vest, and Time reported that the audience was asked to stay seated, to avoid being shot by security.

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Weary of the west - The UK and US don't always have the best reputation around the world, which was clear at this song contest. Jean-Claude Pascal was the French entry in 1981, with the song 'C'est peut-être pas l'Amérique.'

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Weary of the west -

The song featured lyrics that were arguably anti-American. The next year, Spanish singer Lucía caused a stir by performing the Argentinian tango dance. Apparently, this was a message to the British hosts, who were currently involved in the Falklands War.

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LGBT censorship - In 2018, a Chinese broadcaster lost Eurovision rights after censoring a performance from Irish singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy.

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LGBT censorship -

The European Broadcasting Union cut ties with Mango TV, after they censored tattoos and rainbow flags that referenced LGBT rights. They also cut part of the performance because there were two males dancing together.

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Illegal access - In 2017, Russia was engulfed in scandal after contestant Julia Samoylova was reportedly denied entry into host country Ukraine.

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Illegal access - The wheelchair-bound singer was banned from entering the country for three years after an "illegal visit" to Russian-annexed Crimea back in 2015.

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Dissing the competition - In 2018, the Swedish singer Benjamin Ingrosso got in trouble for releasing a video on YouTube in which he was seen criticizing other contestants.

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Dissing the competition - "It sounded like she farted," Ingrosso said of Macedonian act Eye Cue. "Wait look at that drummer, he doesn't know what he's doing. Oh no, they brought him from the streets."

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Armenian genocide - In 2015, Armenian group Genealogy used the opportunity to mark the centennial of the Armenian genocide.

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Armenian genocide - The massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire is recognized by many countries in Europe, but not by neighboring Turkey.

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Political statements - After Tanel Padar & Dave Benton won with 'Everybody,' Estonia became the first post-Soviet nation to take the Eurovision trophy home.

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Political statements - After the victory, Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar famously said: "We freed ourselves from the Soviet Empire through song." Controversy ensued.

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Spilled milk - In 2014, Poland polarized voters with Donatan & Cleo, a duo who performed with a group of sultry milkmaids.

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Spilled milk - The raunchy performance was voted as the most popular in several countries. However, official judges in several countries placed Donatan and Cleo's act last.

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Terry Wogan - The late Sir Terry Wogan controversially stepped down as the UK's Eurovision host after he said it was "no longer a musical contest," as it was politically influenced.

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Terry Wogan -

But he wasn't the only Brit to say so. A YouGov poll showed that 75% of British people agreed that the event was politically biased and some countries never stood a chance of winning.

Why not also get to know Europe's cute little countries?

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Getty Images

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Accusations of drug use -

Getty Images

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Dictating the result -

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Dictating the result -

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'We Don't Wanna Put In' - In 2009, Georgia's official entry was Stephane and 3G, with the song: 'We Don't Wanna Put In.' However, the song never made it to the live show.

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'We Don't Wanna Put In' - The track was apparently a commentary on Georgia's conflict with Russia. "Put In" apparently referred to Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

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Pushing buttons -

Some commentators took issue with Israel's entry back in 2007. The country was represented by Teapacks, with the song 'Push the Button.'

Getty Images

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Silvía Night: the swearing singer -

Silvía Night is a character played by Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir. The spoof singer is a hit in Iceland, but the joke didn't translate at Athens in 2006.

Getty Images

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Silvía Night: the swearing singer - Her song, 'Congratulations,' was hilariously self-centered ("The vote is in, I'll f—n win"). She also slandered her competition in a swear-filled rant.

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Turkish invasion - Over the summer of 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, worsening relationships between Turkey and Greece. The latter backed out of the 1975 ceremony, as Turkey was also competing.

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Turkish invasion - In 1976, Turkish broadcasters didn't air the performance from Greek entry Mariza Koch.

13 / 48 Fotos

Wurst behavior - In 2014, Thomas Neuwirth made headlines and history, performing 'Rise Like a Phoenix' as Conchita Wurst.

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Kissing protest - Krista Siegfrids caused quite a stir in 2013. The Finnish singer protested her country's ban on same-sex marriage. "It's live on TV, so nobody can stop me," she said.

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Kissing protest - Siegfrids then kissed one of her female back-up dancers. Many wondered if the move would be censored, but it made the cut.

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Mistake or conspiracy? - At the 1963 contest in London, presenter Katie Boyle (pictured left) was receiving the voting results from Norway. She said she couldn't hear them, and would return later.

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PingPong's political performance - One of Eurovision's most controversial moments took place in 2000. Israeli group PingPong finished their performance by waving Syrian flags, and calling for peace.

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PingPong's political performance -

Israeli officials condemned the performance, and the group came 22nd place. However, it turned out that the group was made up of journalists, and had entered the competition as a joke.

Getty Images

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Serduchka comes second - Andriy Danylko is a cross-dressing comedian, who was Ukraine's entrant back in 2007. Performing as drag queen Verka Serduchka, the singer enraged some people back home.

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San Marino get sociable - San Marino isn't the biggest force in Europe, but their 2012 entry was a viral hit. Originally titled 'Facebook Uh Uh Oh,' the song simply had to be censored.

24 / 48 Fotos

San Marino get sociable - The song was renamed 'The Social Network Song,' with removed references to Mark Zuckerberg's site. However, the costumes still seemed to resemble the popular website.

25 / 48 Fotos

Broadcasting boycott - During the 1978 ceremony in Paris, the country of Jordan apparently refused to broadcast 'Abanibi,' by Israeli contestants Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta.

26 / 48 Fotos

Broadcasting boycott - Things were made complicated when Israel eventually won the contest. Jordanian broadcasters apparently crowned Belgium as the winners, hoping no one would notice.

27 / 48 Fotos

Starting a revolution -

ABBA (left) stole the show back in 1974, with their winning song 'Waterloo.' However, Portugal's Paulo de Carvalho (right) was actually involved in some serious conflict.

Getty Images

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Starting a revolution -

Carvalho's song, 'And After the Goodbye,' was broadcast across Catholic Radio Renascenca, which apparently kickstarted the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974.

Getty Images

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Hysterical rumors - In 1972, the Munich Olympics were besieged by Black September. The Palestinian terrorist group killed 11 Israelis, as well as a West German police officer.

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Hysterical rumors -

Getty Images

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Weary of the west -

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LGBT censorship - In 2018, a Chinese broadcaster lost Eurovision rights after censoring a performance from Irish singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy.

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LGBT censorship -

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Illegal access - In 2017, Russia was engulfed in scandal after contestant Julia Samoylova was reportedly denied entry into host country Ukraine.

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Illegal access - The wheelchair-bound singer was banned from entering the country for three years after an "illegal visit" to Russian-annexed Crimea back in 2015.

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Dissing the competition - In 2018, the Swedish singer Benjamin Ingrosso got in trouble for releasing a video on YouTube in which he was seen criticizing other contestants.

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Armenian genocide - In 2015, Armenian group Genealogy used the opportunity to mark the centennial of the Armenian genocide.

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Armenian genocide - The massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire is recognized by many countries in Europe, but not by neighboring Turkey.

41 / 48 Fotos

Political statements - After Tanel Padar & Dave Benton won with 'Everybody,' Estonia became the first post-Soviet nation to take the Eurovision trophy home.

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Political statements - After the victory, Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar famously said: "We freed ourselves from the Soviet Empire through song." Controversy ensued.

43 / 48 Fotos

Spilled milk - In 2014, Poland polarized voters with Donatan & Cleo, a duo who performed with a group of sultry milkmaids.

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Spilled milk - The raunchy performance was voted as the most popular in several countries. However, official judges in several countries placed Donatan and Cleo's act last.

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Terry Wogan - The late Sir Terry Wogan controversially stepped down as the UK's Eurovision host after he said it was "no longer a musical contest," as it was politically influenced.

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Terry Wogan -

But he wasn't the only Brit to say so. A YouGov poll showed that 75% of British people agreed that the event was politically biased and some countries never stood a chance of winning.

Why not also get to know Europe's cute little countries?

47 / 48 Fotos

Eurovision's craziest controversies

The 2023 Grand Final takes place this Saturday in Liverpool!

11/05/23 | StarsInsider

MUSIC Controversy

The ceremony is intended to be apolitical, but Europe's relations are always exposed on the Eurovision stage. Allied countries vote for each other, rival countries give the cold shoulder, and some subliminal messages always seem to slip in to someone's lyrics. The buzz around 2019's Eurovision Song Contest was about Iceland waving Palestinian flags during the live broadcast filmed in the host city of Tel Aviv. Then 2020, though ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, saw Hungary pull out of the competition citing no official reason (though it was widely suspected that it was due to the country's far-right government and media viewing Eurovision as 'too LGBT-friendly'). In 2022, Russia was officially banned from competing in the wake of the country's continued military assault against Ukraine. Ukraine went on to win that year but couldn't host the 2023 contest due to the ongoing war. For the first time in Eurovision history, another country had to take over hosting duties on the winner's behalf, and this year's spectacle is taking place in Liverpool in the UK.

So far this year, there have been rumors of an apparent fix surrounding Poland's entry, Blanka. The competition to represent Poland was hosted by the national broadcaster TVP. Blanka made it into the final two, going up against another artist named Jann. Polish viewers voted, and believed that Jann had received an overwhelming majority, yet Blanka was announced the winner. The jury was accused of reducing Jann's score after it was discovered that at least two members had personal connections to Blanka. More than 87,000 members of the public petitioned TVP to change the representative while Polish media outlets criticized their lack of transparency with the voting results. TVP refused to allow an independent committee to review the voting and claimed that they had complied with all the necessary regulations.

Controversy is a well-documented part of Eurovision's history. Intrigued? Then click on to to read about the most delicious drama at the Eurovision Song Contest.