'Incest', Half-Naked Host & Mix-Ups: Oscars' Weirdest Moments as Will Smith Slap Joins the List

Nothing draws people to the screen like a good old-fashioned scandalous incident on air. For the 94th Academy Awards ceremony, it was Will Smith who propelled the event’s ratings by slapping "the s**t out of" Chris Rock for making an offensive joke about his wife.

With the Internet unable to get enough of the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, one should remember that the incident is definitely not the first - and hardly the last - shocking moment to take place during the Oscars.

Here is a quick look at several other bizarre Academy Awards incidents that have prompted buzz. Some of them happened even before the Internet - otherwise they would have definitely dominated Twitter trends.

Marlon Brando Rejecting His Oscar in 1973

While some people might be too cool to show up at the ceremony to collect their Oscars, Marlon Brando went one step further. He never even bothered to go and reject his award. Instead, he sent a Native American woman named Sacheen Littlefeather, who delivered a fiery speech about Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans - and, of course, mentioned that Brando would not be attending or receiving his Oscar.

Angelina Jolie Kissing Her Brother

There are a lot of Oscars stories that involve kissing, but this one is definitely among the weirdest, because Angelina Jolie happened to share a passionate kiss with her brother at the 2000 ceremony.

The move certainly got people talking, but the family insisted at the time that the kiss was nothing more than sibling love. So maybe not incest, but the moment definitely sparked drama around the 2000 ceremony.

Another Kissing Story

When Adrien Brody received an Oscar for his role in "The Pianist", he apparently got so excited that he could not contain his emotions, but had to share them with someone else. It was then-presenter Halle Berry who wound up on the receiving end of Brody's over-the-top reaction, as he grabbed her by the waist and gave her a passionate kiss.

The problem was that not only did Barry not expect it, she also did not seem to want it very much. Years later, she revealed that she was "totally shocked" by Brody's move, and her only reaction could be described with the phrase “What the f**k is happening?”

Jennifer Lawrence Fall

In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook", and had to overcome some obstacles (stairs) when she was on her way to collect her award.

That sounds weird, one might say - among such people were many of Lawrence's colleagues, even Jared Leto. However, the actress claimed that her fall on the stairs was genuine, as it was really difficult to walk up the steps while wearing her ballgown.

La La Land Mix-Up

The winner of the 2017 Oscars' Best Picture was "Moonlight", but in order to find that out, viewers had to first witness one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of the Academy Awards.

The presenters - Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - received the wrong envelope, and therefore announced "La La Land" as the winner instead of "Moonlight". After several moments of shock and horror that took over the stage, the actual victor was eventually revealed. However, the mix-up inevitably stole all the headlines and social media threads in the days that followed.

Living Jan Chapman Features in 'In Memoriam' Segment

Producer Jan Chapman - who is still alive and obviously was in 2017 - discovered herself in the "In Memoriam" segment of the Oscars ceremony. Her photo appeared in the slideshow instead of a picture of late costume designer Janet Patterson, who passed away in 2016.

"I was devastated by the use of my image in place of my great friend and long-time collaborator Janet Patterson", Chapman told Variety at the time. "I had urged her agency to check any photograph which might be used and understand that they were told that the Academy had it covered".

Neil Patrick Harris in Underwear

In 2015, Neil Patrick Harris, who was the ceremony's host at the time, appeared on stage wearing nothing but his underwear.

The bold look turned out to be inspired by the movie "Birdman", which wound up as an Oscar winner that year. Neil Patrick Harris' nod to the film now seems to be more than appropriate (the main character in "Birdman" enjoys a promenade in nothing but his underwater at one point in the movie).

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© Photo : Twitter / @thefashionisto

Will Smith vs. Chris Rock

The 2022 ceremony obviously joins the list after Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face after the latter made a joke about Smith's wife's hair condition.

The Smith-Rock altercation stole Sunday's show, with all eyes drawn to the now-iconic picture of Smith's hand striking Rock's face. And even though Smith, who at the very same ceremony secured his first Oscar, (but who cares now?) apologised for his enraged outburst, his behaviour has been condemned by the Academy. Naturally, the incident immediately went viral.

Hours before the ceremony, Smith posted a short video on his Instagram* that showed him and his wife Jada-Pinkett getting ready for the event. But the caption now looks somewhat prophetic: "Me ‘n @jadapinkettsmith got all dressed up to choose chaos".

The two undoubtedly lived up to the caption.

*Instagram is banned in Russia over extremist activity.