Has An Oscars Award Mix-Up Happened Before?

The 2017 Oscars ended with one of the most shocking moments in live TV history, when Warren Beatty mistakenly said La La Land had won the award for Best Picture, when in fact the winner was Moonlight. But has an Oscars mix-up like this ever happened before? Nothing like this astounding moment has happened in 89 years of Oscars history.

As far as the Oscars go specifically, in late January, Amy Adams and Tom Hanks were mistakenly listed as nominees on the Academy's website, but that mistake had no real repercussions for anyone involved. As far as awards shows go, well, they don't always run perfectly. When you combine bright lighting, faulty teleprompters, lengthy ceremonies, or in some cases (ahem, Golden Globes), lots of booze, there are bound to be a few small mistakes among presenters. We all remember when John Travolta created a mythical name for Idina Menzel, don't we?

The closest analogue to Sunday night's major mistake, though, would have to be when Steve Harvey mistakenly crowned Miss Colombia as Miss Universe when in fact the winner was Miss Philippines, but that is still an inadequate comparison. While the Miss Universe trophy is an honor, the Oscar for Best Picture is the holy grail of Hollywood. It's like handing out the gold medal to the wrong winner at the Olympics — not only does it confuse the audience, it robs the true victor of a powerful moment at the pinnacle of their career.