Hollywood Awards Won By Awful Celebrities

The following article contains references to sexual assault, domestic violence, homophobia, and racism. 

With the Oscars steadily approaching, we're reminded of the controversy, i.e. the slap that launched a thousand memes, that blighted last year's ceremony. At the 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon, Academy president Janet Yang said that the response to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock was inadequate, suggesting that the Oscar winner should have faced graver repercussions for his surprising outburst. "What happened onstage was fully unacceptable and the response from our organization was inadequate... In times of crisis you must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry," Yang said, per Variety. "You should and can expect no less from us going forward." 

It's questionable, however, what punishment could be harsher than banning Smith from the Oscar for ten years. As critics have pointed out, Smith's penalty was unusually severe considering that far more contentious figures have not only been welcomed back to awards ceremonies, but have been celebrated and honored despite facing serious allegations (and, in some cases, being convicted of crimes). Subsequently, detractors argue that the incident highlighted the hypocrisy of the Academy, which apparently deems certain actions, such as an onstage slap, as monstrous, and others, such as facing a slew of sexual assault allegations, as inconsequential.

There's no denying that numerous unsavory figures have been applauded and awarded at various Tinseltown ceremonies. While hindsight is 20/20, in many instances problematic stars were honored long after being exposed for their sketchy behavior. Let's take a deep dive into Hollywood awards won by awful celebrities.

Director Elia Kazan was one of the central figures of the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s. Spawned from McCarthyism, the blacklist was a witch hunt against actors, writers, and directors with alleged communist sympathies. The accused were forced to testify before The House Committee on Un-American Activities where they were required to name names. Many refused to name names, including The Hollywood Ten, who faced grave repercussions to their careers.

But when called to testify, Kazan gladly gave up the names of eight acquaintances. Thereafter, as the Los Angeles Times argues, he made the anti-communist film "On the Waterfront" to justify his actions and continued to enjoy an illustrious career, while those he blacklisted had their livelihoods destroyed.

In 1999, Kazan was awarded the Special Lifetime Achievement Oscar. The honor was highly controversial, viewed as an affront to those whose lives he seemingly ruined. "He's being honored as if he were a hero when in fact he was a heel," blacklisted writer Norma Barzman told The Washington Post. "It's no joke. He destroyed many, many lives." A number of celebs refused to applaud Kazan, with Nick Nolte and Ed Harris famously looking less than impressed as the veteran filmmaker waltzed onto the stage, per the Los Angeles Times. Moreover, protestors took to holding placards outside the venue. "Like Judas, informers are never forgiven," declared blacklisted writer Joan Scott. "I had to go into hiding to avoid a subpoena. Being blacklisted still affects me."

There has long been a curious cognitive dissonance when it comes to Woody Allen. The filmmaker was first accused of molesting his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, in 1992; he has denied the allegations. The accusations were well known in Hollywood, yet, for decades actors jumped at the chance to work with him and were more than happy to accept low pay.

In 2012, Allen won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his film "Midnight in Paris," marking the third time he picked up the award. In a 2014 blog for The New York Times, Dylan condemned Hollywood for continuing to applaud her alleged abuser. "Last week, Woody Allen was nominated for his latest Oscar... It felt like a personal rebuke, like the awards and accolades were a way to tell me to shut up and go away," she wrote. She also took aim at the various Hollywood stars who continued to work with and defend him: "You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten me?... Imagine a world that celebrates [your] tormenter."

Hollywood didn't really turn its back on Allen until 2018, in the wake of the MeToo movement. He had just completed filming "A Rainy Day in New York," starring Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez, but Amazon Studios suspended the film's release following a resurfacing of the 1992 allegations. Subsequently, the aforementioned actors donated their salaries to sexual assault charities.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Mel Gibson is one of those rare stars who was canceled before the term "cancel culture" entered the zeitgeist. In 2006, Gibson went on an antisemitic rant after cops pulled him over for driving under the influence. He claimed that Jewish people are responsible for all the world's wars, and demanded to know whether a female officer was Jewish, per TMZ. Although he apologized for the incident and insisted he wasn't antisemitic, he made racist marks once again in 2010.

The "Braveheart" star left an abusive voicemail on ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva's answering machine. In the tape, which was obtained by Radar, Gibson makes a number of vile racist and misogynist threats, including expressing a desire for Grigorieva to get raped and using the n-word. Moreover, Winona Ryder told The Times that Gibson once uttered antisemitic and homophobic remarks towards her and a friend. "We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we're all talking and he said to my friend, who's gay, 'Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?'" she recalled. "And then something came up about Jews, and he said, 'You're not an oven dodger, are you?'"

Nevertheless, Hollywood has seemingly forgiven Gibson. In addition to being nominated for Academy Awards for his 2016 film "Hacksaw Ridge," he won the Hollywood Film Award for Best Director that year. This prompted critics to ponder how someone as controversial as Gibson has maintained an illustrious career.

If you or a loved one has experienced a hate crime, contact the VictimConnect Hotline by phone at 1-855-4-VICTIM or by chat for more information or assistance in locating services to help. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

Louis C.K.'s sexual misconduct story arc has undoubtedly been one of the most bizarre. In 2017, the comedian was canceled, albeit briefly, after a number of female colleagues alleged in a New York Times exposé that he exposed himself and masturbated in front of them. C.K. was one of the few men accused in the MeToo era to own up to the misconduct allegations. "These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay," C.K. said in a statement, per The Guardian, "because I never showed a woman my d*** without asking first... But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your d*** isn't a question. It's a predicament for them... I wielded that power irresponsibly."

Thereafter, C.K. briefly became persona non grata, but he emerged from the wilderness when he won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 2022. In what some deemed an affront to his victims, the comedian's award-winning album, "Sincerely, Louis C.K.," dealt with his experiences of being canceled over sexual misconduct.

In an interview with Variety, C.K. survivor Julia Wolov said that the comic's Grammy win proved that nothing has changed in Hollywood. "Nobody cares. That's the message this sends," she said. "It really does. That's the truth." She also said that it was incredibly difficult for survivors to heal with C.K. being publicly applauded. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Like a number of other celebs in this rundown, it has been claimed that Kevin Spacey's alleged abuse of young men was an open secret. Although he was famed for playing creepy characters in films such as "Seven" and "American Beauty," few could have predicted the extent of his alleged crimes. The actor is currently facing seven charges of sexual assault in the UK, his home of many years, and is awaiting trial, per Reuters. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Spacey has won two Oscars: he took home the Best Supporting Actor statue for "The Usual Suspects" in 1996 and the Best Actor award for "American Beauty" four years later. As recently as 2015, he was awarded for his work in "House of Cards" at the Golden Globes. Moreover, he was set to be honored with a prestigious Emmy Founders Award in 2017. However, in light of sexual assault claims in the wake of the MeToo movement, the Academy revoked the honor, per People.

Though he is no longer being awarded in Hollywood, Spacey is still garnering plaudits in Europe. In 2023, he received a lifetime achievement award at the National Museum of Cinema in Italy, where Spacey has been sowing the seeds of his return. "Tonight we're witnessing Kevin Spacey's comeback," declared Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The one living through cinema is an immortal man, and it is precisely him that we are awarding this prize to tonight."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Shortly before his death in 2007, Ike Turner won the Grammy for Best Blues Album. As Reuters highlights, the win was met with controversy, as his ex-wife and collaborator, Tina Turner, had accused him of domestic violence.

In her autobiography "My Love Story," Tina opened up about the extent of the abuse her ex inflicted upon her. She alleged she was raped, beaten, and had hot coffee thrown on her. "He used my nose as a punching bag so many times that I could taste blood running down my throat when I sang," she wrote. "He broke my jaw. And I couldn't remember what it was like not to have a black eye." Speaking to The Times, she revealed that he also cheated on her, despite simultaneously being dangerously possessive and jealous. "There was violence," she explained, "because he had this fear that I was going to leave him... The other women weren't so bad, but it was the constant, constant ill treatment." As the outlet notes, Ike admitted that he had slapped Tina on a number of occasions, but denied that he was an abusive person.

In the 2021 documentary "Tina" (via Vanity Fair), the singer revealed that she is still haunted by the abuse she suffered. "I wanted to stop people from thinking that Ike & Tina was so positive, that we were such a great team," she explained. "So I thought, if nothing else, at least people know."

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).