The Inappropriate 2003 Oscars Moment That No One Will Ever Forget

The Academy Awards, aka the Oscars, are a celebration we all look forward to every year for the stars, red carpet fashion, and most importantly, celebrity drama. Who could forget when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for poking fun at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and yelled out his now-famous line, "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!"? Or, at the 2000 Oscars, when Angelina Jolie declared that she was in love with her brother and then proceeded to make out with him? Well, 2003 also gave us one of the most controversial and unforgettable moments in the history of award ceremonies. 

It was the year that Adrien Brody kissed Halle Berry on the lips, without her consent, after winning best actor for his role in "The Pianist." A relatively surprising victor, Brody was up against iconic actors Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Michael Caine, and Nicolas Cage. After he was announced as the winner, the "Brutalist" star walked up to the stage and ran towards Berry, pulling her in for a kiss as everyone clapped and looked on amusingly. Well, everyone except Berry herself, whose then-husband Eric Benet was sitting in the audience (she managed to maintain her composure though). 

"I bet they didn't tell you that was in the gift bag," Brody joked after his stunt. When later asked backstage what prompted him to do that, the actor simply shrugged, "I [just] took my shot," (via Beaumont Enterprise). At the time, a source who knew Berry personally claimed that she wasn't offended by the kiss. "It was in the moment and she went along with it," they confirmed (via the New York Daily News). "They're friends." The insider reasoned that Brody simply "took an opportunity a lot of men would have liked." Clearly, it was a different time. 

Adrien Brody inappropriately kissing Halle Berry remains one of the most controversial Oscars moments of all time. It's something that certainly wouldn't fly in today's post #MeToo era, but back then, nobody really thought much of it. More than 10 years after the incident took place, Brody himself looked back fondly on the now-infamous kiss during an interview with Vanity Fair. "That sure was probably one of the most memorable moments ever," he stated, acknowledging, "You could say time slowed down." The actor didn't say anything about Halle Berry specifically — at least not until Variety asked him about it again in 2025. 

"We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing," Brody opined. "And nothing that I ever do or have done or would've done is ever done with the intention of making anyone feel bad." In 2017, Berry finally discussed how she really felt about her awkward kiss with Brody. The Oscar winner admitted that she was taken aback, just like everyone else, but she rolled with it. "Because I was there the year before, and I know the feeling of being out of your body, I just f***ing went with it," Berry explained while appearing on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." 

But she was very confused, recalling, "I was like, 'What the f*** is going on right now?'" The "Swordfish" star and Brody seem to have moved past the whole thing. In fact, she even pulled the ultimate UNO Reverse card on him when Berry kissed Brody on the Oscars red carpet in front of the press and his girlfriend 22 years after their kiss. "I had to pay him back," she told Variety.