Top 10 Stars Who Were Booed at Award Shows
Well, so much for their moment. From Ed Sheeran and One Direction to Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Vanilla Ice, many stars have received less than warm welcomes from award show audiences. WatchMojo is counting down the top 10 celebrities who got booed at award shows.
Special thanks to our user doucey for suggesting this idea! Check out the voting page at WatchMojo.comsuggest/Top%2010%20Stars%20Who%20Were%20Booed%20at%20Award%20Shows
#10: Anne Hathaway
“66th British Academy Film Awards” (2013)
Anne Hathaway did not have a great start to the 2013 BAFTAs. According to the actress, her dress ripped before the ceremony, which resulted in her being late to the show. Dhe was then forced to run past her fans that had been waiting in the cold, rain, and sleet all day, causing them to boo her as she ran by. Getting booed by your own fans can’t feel too good, especially if you’re sick with the flu! However, her night dramatically improved when she won the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in “Les Misérables.”
#9: Kristen Stewart
“29th MTV Video Music Awards” (2012)
Stewart’s reputation took a bit of a hit in 2012 when she was caught on camera with her “Snow White and the Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders. As a result, Sanders’ wife filed for divorce, and Stewart and Robert Pattinson split. It seems as if the “Twilight” fans were on Edward Cullen’s side, as Stewart was allegedly booed at the 2012 VMAs after an exclusive clip of “Breaking Dawn” was shown to the audience. Meanwhile, host Kevin Hart defended Kristen, saying that the audience should move on from her mistake, since they clearly hadn’t yet.
#8: Vanilla Ice
“5th Annual Soul Train Music Awards” (1991)
The Soul Train Awards crowd can be vicious. Whitney Houston was booed there in 1988, and the audience didn't hold back for Vanilla Ice in 1991. Vanilla Ice’s “To the Extreme” was widely released in September 1990, and its success led to his getting a Soul Train nomination for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist. However, the audience clearly wasn’t having it, and started booing as soon as his name was read. To make matters worse, the presenter jokingly announced Ice’s win, complete with the quip “Vanilla I-don’t think so” before declaring Mariah Carey the real winner. You know you’re hated when…
#7: Ed Sheeran
“60th Annual Grammy Awards” (2018)
This boo wasn’t necessarily due to Sheeran’s win, but what it represented. At the 2018 Grammy Awards, Ed Sheeran won the award for Best Pop Solo Performance for his song “Shape of You”. Unfortunately for Sheeran - who wasn’t actually there - his win was booed by a few in attendance who protested the recognition. Sheeran was the only male nominee, and many felt that the women were far more deserving of the award, especially Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” and Kesha’s “Praying”, the latter of which is about the artist’s struggles with suicidal thoughts. For some, a song about a woman’s body – which is what Sheeran’s tune is about - simply couldn’t compare.
#6: Kendall & Kylie Jenner
“22nd Billboard Music Awards” (2015)
The Billboard Music Awards might not be as welcoming as some of the other, more prestigious events. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” megastars Kendall and Kylie Jenner took the stage at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards to introduce their brother-in-law, Kanye West. However, the crowd apparently wasn’t too happy with their presence on stage, and they were quite audibly booed from many in attendance. To their credit, the women soldiered through with smiles and ignored the boos, but that still can’t be too great for the ol’ confidence all the same.
#5: One Direction
“30th MTV Video Music Awards” (2013)
The 2013 VMAs are well-known for the famous Miley Cyrus-Robin Thicke performance, and it somewhat overshadowed everything else that happened that night, including the malicious booing that One Direction received. The boy band was booed after winning the award for Best Song of the Summer, either because people simply don’t like One Direction or because they thought there were more deserving songs, such as “Get Lucky” and “Blurred Lines”. Either way, the band took the booing well, and were met backstage by Lady Gaga, who comforted them and defended their win and success.
#4: Eminem
“19th MTV Video Music Awards” (2002)
In 2002, Eminem was on top of the world. His fourth studio album, “The Eminem Show”, was selling millions, and he was grabbing every accolade that came his way, including this VMA for Best Male Video. However, he also made some enemies. After Eminem called out “the little Moby girl,” he was treated to some audible boos from the audience. In true Eminem fashion, his head shot up to give a nasty glare to the audience, complete with the threats “keep booing, little girl” and “I will hit a man with glasses.” Naturally, this resulted in even louder boos, not that Em seemed to care.
#3: Justin Bieber
“20th Billboard Music Awards” (2013)
Justin Bieber is certainly no stranger to facing hate. At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, Bieber received the first ever Milestone Award over Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift. There were cheers, but the boos were much louder, causing Bieber to stand dumbfoundedly and wait for the boos to stop. It’s probably one of the most awkward moments in award show history, and you can’t help but feel a little bad for the guy. He didn't fare much better at the Junos the following year either, leaving Serena Ryder to defend the Biebs after he was booed for collecting the Fan Choice Award.
#2: OutKast
“Source Hip-Hop Music Awards” (1995)
Airing at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rivalry, the 1995 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards ceremony was a hotbed of tension. The audience was openly taking sides, resulting in loud boos throughout. All the big players were there, including Suge Knight, Snoop Dogg, Dre, and Biggie, and the place was electric. Meanwhile, there was a new group in the game called OutKast, who came from Atlanta. So, when they won the award for Best New Artist, the place erupted in boos, as OutKast didn’t represent either the East or West, and the South didn’t have a foothold in the rap market. OutKast changed that though...
#1: Kanye West
“26th MTV Video Music Awards” (2009)
When it comes to hated celebrities being booed, there’s simply no competing with the infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle of 2009. While Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video, Kanye sauntered on stage, took the mic from Swift, and congratulated her before arguing that Beyoncé should have won for her “Single Ladies” video. West was loudly booed by the outraged audience, after which he shrugged his shoulders, and left the stage, leaving everyone, and most of all Taylor Swift, in a state of shock. The incident was an instant Internet classic and remains one of the most notable and controversial events in award show history.