2026's Most Cringeworthy Live TV Fails (So Far)

There's nothing in entertainment quite like the high-wire act that is live television. It's a brutal and sometimes dangerous game without safety nets, where miscues are seen, judged, and shared by discerning viewers. Recalling the early days of "Saturday Night Live," series creator Lorne Michaels explained to CBS News' Gayle King that "live meant no pilot ... so that the audience would see it at the same time we would see it." Lorne added, "When you see a mistake, it's a mistake. You hear the sound of people not laughing!"

Writing a bad joke or a live audience not understanding a sketch in 1975 is one thing, though; the consequences today are in an entirely different stratosphere. When live television fails happen today, they're clipped, uploaded, and scrutinized by millions in real time. And, sometimes, the gaffes are downright cringeworthy. From wardrobe malfunctions and NSFW language evading the censors to poor production, here are some of the worst TV fails of 2026 (so far).

Few Hollywood traditions captivate fans and industry insiders like an awards show. In addition to bringing out the best and brightest stars to celebrate outstanding achievements in their fields, the event broadcasts provide fertile ground for must-see moments and live TV fails. This was the case at the 2026 Grammys when Cher announced the wrong winner for one of the night's most prestigious awards. 

The "Believe" singer was on stage to present the award for Record of the Year — a category featuring the likes of Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, ROSÉ, and more. However, instead of listing the nominees, Cher attempted to exit the stage after being handed her own lifetime achievement award and giving an impromptu acceptance speech. Host Trevor Noah promptly intervened, but things still managed to get worse from there.

In the end, it was the song "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar (with SZA) that took home the prize. However, instead of announcing Lamar's name, Cher paused awkwardly, expecting to see a name on the teleprompter, before announcing R&B legend Luther Vandross — who inspired the song, but died in 2005 — as the winner. All this transpired despite Cher — who has a history of shady moments — reportedly being coached beforehand. Nonetheless, her legendary status remains firmly intact.

While Cher's live TV moment at the 2026 Grammys was a series of flubs that descended into utter chaos, "Adolescence" star Erin Doherty's big faux pas at January's Golden Globes was simply the result of risky word choice and a slow bleep button. Still, Doherty — who also played Princess Anne in "The Crown" — managed to make the wrong kind of waves with an NSFW acceptance speech after winning the award for Best Performance by a Supporting Female Actor in a Television Series.

Upon accepting her statuette, Doherty began her speech by declaring (via Entertainment Weekly), "I made a promise to my mom I wouldn't swear, but what the f**k?" And while the CBS censors attempted to bleep her off-color joke, they only managed to bleep Doherty's "what the," letting her F-bomb land with a thud on air. Doherty then added a "holy s**t" for good measure, but the censors managed to catch it.

Despite the censors' swift recovery, though, the damage was done. The actor had allegedly already been chastised for swearing by her mother following a similar occurrence at the Emmys months earlier. "My mum told me off for swearing. I didn't mean to — but everyone looked so f*****g stunning!" she said during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" (via The Huffington Post), referencing an off-color remark she made while accepting her award.

While it may not be front-of-mind in the United States, where the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball dominate the sports scene, rugby remains one of the most popular games in the world, with major events broadcast in multiple countries. So, when a mishap involving a star player occurs, it becomes a major news story.

The 2026 Six Nations Championship — an international competition pitting England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales against each other — provided such a moment, when Scottish star Grant Gilchrist suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a bout between the Scots and Italians. As the two teams battled for possession of the ball following a line-out (as reported by The Sun), Gilchrist's shorts came completely down his thighs, leaving his back end bare for the cameras and everyone in attendance to see. BBC commentator Andrew Cotter then proceeded to draw attention to Gilchrist's dropped drawers, saying, "Oh hello!" on the telecast, before adding, "It is both waxing and waning."

The Academy Awards, or Oscars, may be the biggest and most hotly anticipated awards show in the U.S. And while the red carpet fashion and annual winners are the big draw, many viewers are just as eager to see the In Memoriam segment, which honors all the talented people who were lost during the year and allows those performers a final curtain call. Without fail, though, the segment manages to rile a portion of viewers when noteworthy stars are omitted.

The situation was especially rough in 2026 when several big-name actors weren't included in the presentation. Conspicuous in her absence was French actress and screen icon Brigitte Bardot, but she wasn't the only one. Also missing were "The Cosby Show" star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, James Van Der Beek of "Dawson's Creek" fame, and "Grey's Anatomy's" Eric Dane, in addition to "Fantastic Four" star Julian McMahon and "Harold and Maude's" Bud Cort.

Although some of those performers were known more for their television work than film appearances, their omissions had some viewers raging. It was a particularly odd situation given that producers had claimed before the show that the segment would be expanded to include more dearly departed stars.

It's not just American awards shows that manage to botch their In Memoriam segments; the Brits are apparently doing a bang-up job of failing the assignment, too. As reported by The Mirror, the In Memoriam tribute segment at the 2026 BRIT Awards — which serves to honor outstanding achievement in popular music in the United Kingdom — was branded the "worst ever" by some of its viewers.

Host Jack Whitehall brought The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess to the stage for the tribute segment, during which Burgess honored the late Stone Roses bassist Gary "Mani" Mounfield. After his speech, the names and some photos and video clips of stars who had recently passed away flashed on-screen. Unfortunately, the segment left viewers feeling underwhelmed and bemoaning the lack of overall effort put into the memorial. Many viewers were taken aback by the rapid-fire nature of the listing, which barely gave enough time to read the names of the deceased.

"What on God's green earth was that memorial ... a couple of clips with a ton of names popping in and out quick is not a memorial. All them names on there deserved a million times more of a memorial montage [...] Do better," read one X comment. As reported by the Daily Mail, another social media comment read, "What a touching tribute with some people's names in bigger font while others are tiny and barely stay on screen more than half a second." 

While live TV fails can happen to anyone on any kind of show, newscasters are arguably responsible for more slip-ups than any other group. The internet is overrun with clips of local news personalities committing teleprompter gaffes, delivering fake news, or otherwise saying things they shouldn't. Sometimes, though, even the most respected national news anchors get caught out — just ask "Today" co-anchor Craig Melvin.

During the April 8 episode of "Today," Melvin accidentally let the cat out of the bag on a cinematic surprise involving one of his on-air cohorts, Jenna Bush Hager. Specifically, he revealed that Bush Hager would be making a cameo appearance in the long-awaited "The Devil Wears Prada" sequel. "By the way, you know how that movie's going to be good?" Melvin asked while discussing the film (via Entertainment Tonight). "You know how I can tell? JBH is in it."

The camera quickly cut to Bush Hager, whose jaw hit the floor following the impromptu announcement. "I don't know if you were supposed to drop that bomb," she said. Meanwhile, Savannah Guthrie — who had just returned to the show amid her mother Nancy's tragic kidnapping — joked about Melvin not being able to keep a secret.

Few sporting events have the crossover appeal of the Olympic Games. As relayed by Olympics.com, the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games attracted 24.1 million viewers on average across NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms, CNBC, and the USA Network, and the numbers are just as staggering in other countries. As such, some Olympic stars become veritable pop culture commodities. So, it's no small thing when one of them stumbles on live TV.

During a February 2026 appearance on "Today," alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin recounted having a one-sided conversation with her deceased father prior to winning a gold medal in the women's slalom. However, the story became NSFW in short order. "I thought, what the heck? Maybe it's OK if you talk to him, even if you don't hear him respond, you know, in the normal way," she recalled, before accidentally dropping an F-bomb, as shared by Access Hollywood. 

Shiffrin stopped in her tracks upon realizing her live-TV error, and quickly apologized for the slip-up. However, she cursed a second time in doing so, saying, "S**t! Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!" And while the censors caught both expletives, she was visibly embarrassed by the gaffe(s). For her part, "Today" co-host Hoda Kotb joked that they would pay the FCC fines for Shriffin's choice of words.

As with other awards shows appearing on this list, the 2026 British Academy Film and Television Arts Awards, or BAFTAs, managed to make the wrong kind of headlines when an attendee said something they shouldn't have. And while the offender in this case reportedly erred involuntarily, their words were doubly shocking — and even offensive — to viewers.

The live TV fail in question occurred when "Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting the award for best visual effects. And while it's not a category one would expect to breed controversy, the situation became extremely tense when fellow attendee John Davidson — the inspiration for the BAFTA-nominated biopic "I Swear," who lives with Tourette syndrome — shouted out a racial slur as they spoke. This was followed by additional outbursts, which BAFTA host Alan Cumming addressed later on in the broadcast.

As reported by NBC News, BAFTA and the BBC issued apologies to both Jordan and Lindo in the wake of the incident, again noting that the language Davidson used was the result of a tic he has no control over. Nevertheless, the organizations were harshly criticized for allowing the slur to air.

In the world of professional golf, no event is as iconic as The Masters. The tournament, which is held annually at Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club, features the best players in the world, and winning the event can be a career-defining achievement. In addition to a hefty cash prize, Masters champions are awarded the legendary green jacket — one of the most-sought-after prizes in sports. The Masters generates interest worldwide; the 2026 iteration was broadcast in roughly 200 countries. So, getting the coverage right is of the utmost importance for the tournament's television partners. 

Unfortunately, CBS Sports' coverage of the final round of the 2026 tournament fell woefully short, robbing viewers and winner Rory McIlroy of a magical sports moment in the process. Entering the tournament's 18th hole, McIlroy just needed a bogey or better to seal his second straight title. While that would seem like a relatively simple task for the superstar golfer, poor shots made for some last-second drama. However, the drama was needlessly heightened when CBS cameras essentially failed to track multiple shots, including McIlroy's tourney-winning putt (which was not shown going into the hole due to a bad camera angle).

The response was justifiably brutal given the gravity of the situation. "How was CBS Masters production so perfect all weekend, then on the 18th they messed up like three things, including losing Rory's ball on the crucial shot?" wrote Front Office Sports' Ryan Glasspiegel (via X).

Where live television is concerned, professional wrestling — namely, WWE — is in a class all its own from a production standpoint. Not only does the company produce dozens of hours of programming each week, but each show and every individual match relies on the execution of wild athletic feats by its performers, in addition to high-precision work by camera operators and those running the production truck. For the most part, it all manages to come together somehow, so the big fails tend to stand out.

Such was the case at WWE's Elimination Chamber event in February when superstar Kiana James suffered a major wardrobe malfunction during the women's chamber match. As she was pinned by fellow competitor Tiffany Stratton, one of James' nipples popped out of her low-cut crop top. And while that kind of slip may have flown under the radar in different circumstances, the ringside camera lingered on a close shot of the pin, leaving James' anatomy exposed to a worldwide viewing audience.

In the wake of the incident, fans slammed the camera operator and the WWE at large for allowing James to be exposed in this way. "If I was Kiana James, I'd be so upset with WWE," a Threads post discussing the incident read. "Kiana was in an uncomfortable position inside Elimination Chamber and everything down there was visible on TV, yet the cameraman did not move away."

While not technically a live performance, the real-time reaction to Kid Rock's performance at Turning Point USA's alternative Super Bowl halftime show in February left many speculating that he lip-synched his way through the broadcast. The event was already controversial, as Bad Bunny was playing the actual Super Bowl halftime show and — as Spotify's most-streamed artist worldwide in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2025 — NFL fans were probably fine with that. However, the Kid Rock incident may have been the gaffe that killed what was already an uphill battle for viewership.

The trouble came while Kid Rock was performing his 1999 hit "Bawitdaba," and there were moments of clear discrepancy between the song's audible lyrics and the movement of the singer's mouth. The backlash was such that Kid Rock was compelled to address the situation via X after the broadcast, writing, "My halftime performance was pre-recorded but performed live. No lip-synching like the haters and fake news are trying to report. When they synced the cameras to my performance on "Bawitdaba," it did not line up." 

The post also included a video in which Kid Rock explained that he noted the sync issues when he saw the first cut of the performance, but producers may not have had enough time or the proper footage to address the situation. Regardless, he maintained he had "nothing but good things to say" about Turning Point USA and the production team in charge of the event.