Nip Slips, Profanity & Sexist Slams! Emmys' Most Shocking Moments In History Exposed
Television’s annual award show has provided plenty of must-see memories.
Sept. 24 2019, Updated 12:29 a.m. ET
For an awards show that has seen its fair share of shocking moments over the years, this weekend’s Emmy awards will have a tough time topping last year’s most talked about highlight.
As RadarOnline.com readers will remember, moments after taking the stage for winning the Emmy for Outstanding Director for a Variety Special, Glenn Weiss set a new bar when he proposed to his girlfriend on live television.
Telling the audience that his beloved mother passed away just two weeks ago, Weiss, who won for his production of the Oscars, shared a touching story directed at girlfriend Jan Svendsen, who was in the audience.
“You are the sunshine in my life. And mom was right don’t ever let go of your sunshine,” he said to Svendsen. “You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife.”
The crowd in Los Angeles went wild and she said “yes” in the audience while he joked “I didn’t ask yet!”
When she joined him on stage Weiss revealed: “This is the ring that my dad put on my mom’s finger 67 years ago.”
Choking up, he continued: ”And to my sisters and brothers I didn’t swipe it, dad knows I have it, ok?”
“Jan, I want to put this ring that my mom wore on her finger in front of all these people and in front of my mom and your parents watching from above.”
“Will you marry me?” he asked as he got down on one knee.
“I love you,” she said as they kissed.
“Thank you to the academy,” Weiss said after the kiss, holding up his Emmy award. “Thank you everybody!” It was a show-stopping moment, at an annual ceremony filled with memories of wardrobe malfunctions, loose profanity, and celebrities speaking their minds.
Take a look at the most controversial and memorable Emmy moments in this RadarOnline.com gallery.
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley took time out of her 1991 speech for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series to thank one of her “biggest” supporters. As she wrapped up her remarks, the Cheers star thanked then-husband Parker Stevenson for being "the man who has given me the big one for the last eight years” … as young presenter Macaulay Culkin looked on.
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum injured her bum at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2008, when co-host Tom Bergeron accidentally dropped her during an unrehearsed routine where she danced into his arms. After the show Klum lifted her blue dress to show off a matching black and blue bruise on her butt.
Tina Fey
Tina Fey nearly rocked out of her gown during the 2013 awards in an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. When the 30 Rock star accepted the award for Best Comedy Writing her nipple popped out of her blue Narcisco Rodriguez gown, caught on camera and stealing the show.
Sofia Vergara
After introducing TV Academy CEO Bruce Rosenblum during the 66th Annual Primetime Emmys in 2014, Sofia Vergara jokingly stood on a revolving platform while Rosenblum spoke about the academy's innovation and dedication to diversity, adding, "What truly matters is that we never forget that our success is based on always giving the viewers something compelling to look at."
While the skit was intended to be funny, many immediately slammed it sexist, claiming the academy objectified the Latina actress.
As the critics grew louder, Vergara was forced to defend herself, explaining “Somebody can be hot and also be funny and make fun of herself."
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston
A funny moment between Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Bryan Cranston turned a tad cringeworthy in 2014, after the Breaking Bad star milked a surprise kiss with the Veep star for all it was worth. It started when earlier in the show, Louis-Dreyfus joked she didn’t remember Cranston’s appearance on Seinfeld, even though their two characters briefly dated on the show.
After her big win for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, Cranston intercepted Louis-Dreyfus as she walked on stage, planting a kiss on her lips. At first, she went with the gag, but as it dragged on, she seemed to try to pull away.
Accepting her award, the flustered funny lady started her speech with a joke: “Yeah, he was on Seinfeld.”
Tracy Morgan
Just a year after a deadly car crash that took the life of his friend, Jimmy Mack, comedian Tracy Morgan received a standing ovation after making a shocking unannounced appearance at the 2015 Emmy awards show.
The comic told the crowd, “Last year, Jimmy Kimmel said on stage, ‘I’ll see you next year,’ Thanks to my doctors and my beautiful wife, I’m here standing on my own two feet.”
Morgan later said the moment was “overwhelming” and “so emotional” as another step on his road to recovery.
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Viola Davis
The 2015 show also gave us a memorable moment from Viola Davis, after she became the first African American actress to win Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on How to Get Away With Murder.
The then 50-year-old beauty told the crowd that “the only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is simply opportunity — you cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.” She continued, “So here’s to all the writers, the awesome people: people who have redefined what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be black.”
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman had some explaining to do in 2017, after she congratulated her Big Little Lies on-screen husband Alexander Skarsgard’s Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie win with a big kiss on the lips – right in front of real-life hubby Keith Urban!
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show the next month, Kidman tried to explain “I did kiss him, because you’ve got to understand, I did everything with Alex,” she said through laughs. “I gave Alex a congratulatory kiss and he’s like a mannequin.”
