Most Shocking Award Show Kisses of All Time
While awards shows are all about seeing our favorite stars get the recognition they deserve, there’s so much more that happens on the big night to make them worth a watch. And while beautiful dresses and touching speeches happen at almost every award show, there’s one rare occurrence that takes over the internet every time it happens: unexpected celebrity kisses.
At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, for example, The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach planted one hell of a kiss on co-star Matty Matheson when he was mid-speech. And while the show’s win for Best Comedy Series was definitely a huge accomplishment, we can’t deny that their kiss was all we could think of.
“I don’t know, sometimes you just feel something in the ether and it just moves you,” Moss-Bachrach told Entertainment Tonight of the impromptu PDA. “Who am I to question these kinds of instincts? You know, the heart wants what the heart wants and the body kind of follows.”
So, as we prepare for the 76th Emmy Awards this Sunday, we’ve decided to look back at some of the most shocking and memorable awards show kisses, including two at the Emmys, over the years. Check them all out below!
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Matty Matheson & Ebon Moss-Bachrach
When Matty Matheson began his acceptance speech on behalf of The Bear for Best Comedy Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, Ebon Moss-Bachrach planted quite a memorable kiss on his co-star. Safe to say the rest of the cast was quite shocked.
Rachel McAdams & Ryan Gosling
While accepting the Best Kiss Award at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, The Notebook co-stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, who were also dating at the time, gave viewers quite a show. In a planned moment, McAdams jumped into Gosling’s arms and shared a passionate kiss. Talk about a memorable moment!
Britney Spears & Madonna
At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna was joined by both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while they sang together her classic hit “Like a Virgin.” And while their performance was scandalous at the time as is, the Queen of Pop took it one step further as she kissed both Spears and Aguilera on the lips.
Scarlett Johansson & Sandra Bullock
In another memorable kiss at the MTV Movie Awards, Sandra Bullock locked lips with Scarlett Johansson at the 2010 show before accepting the Generation Award. Earlier that night, Bullock had lost the Best Kiss Award for her kiss with Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal. So, when Reynolds’ then-wife Johansson presented her with an award, she just couldn’t help herself.
Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen
In one of the most NSFW kisses in awards show history, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen put on quite a show when they accepted the Best Kiss Award at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. At first, the two started arguing about whether their connection was real or only for the screens before they began kissing and even rolled around on stage. Talk about commitment acting!
Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley
In probably one of the most awkward kisses in award show history, the late Michael Jackson and his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley made for quite an unexpected moment at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. It all happened when Jackson brought Presley on stage and opened the show.
“Welcome to the MTV Video Music Awards,” the “Thriller” singer said as the crowd cheered. “I’m very happy to be here. Just think, nobody thought this would last,” he said, nodding to the media attention around his and Presley’s relationship. The two then shared a passionate kiss, waved to the crowd and headed backstage.
Taylor Lautner & Robert Pattinson
Twilight co-stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart won the Best Kiss Award for the third time in a row at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. But, instead of kissing each other, Pattinson had another idea in mind. “There’s someone else in the audience that I just think will appreciate it a little more,” Pattinson told Stewart on stage. “Go get him,” she responded. What then followed was Pattinson running down the stage, walking through the audience and kissing his Twilight rival, Taylor Lautner. No bad blood over here!
Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor
Back in 2015, Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor collaborated on their song “Marvin Gaye” and made for a viral moment when they performed it at the 2005 American Music Awards. After finishing their song, Trainor gestured for Puth to come closer and they had a quick makeout sesh on stage (with a cheeky hand grab as well). Safe to say their collab went well!
Adrien Brody & Halle Berry
In probably one of the most-talked-about kisses in award show history, Adrien Brody took us all by surprise at the 2003 Academy Awards when he kissed the Best Actor presenter, Halle Berry.
Reflecting on the moment years later, Berry revealed she was just as confused as the viewers. “I was like ‘What the f— is happening right now?'” she said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “Because I was there the year before, and know the feeling of being out of your body, I just f— went with it.”
Bryan Cranston & Julia Louis-Dreyfus
At the 2014 Emmy Awards, Bryan Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfus concocted quite a surprise for viewers. It all started when the two presented an award together and reminisced about playing love interests and having a steamy kiss in Seinfeld. A couple of awards later, Louis-Dreyfus won the Best Actress Award for Veep and Cranston walked up to her and gave her the passionate kiss they had talked about.
While it was a surprise to fans, the actors shared it was all part of the plan. “Bryan and I were talking on the phone about what we were going to do for the presenting bit—we were kind of going through it—and then it dawned on me that this would be a nice part three of the joke,” she told Elle. “So I asked my husband if he was okay with that, he said ‘Sure,’ and Bryan checked with his wife and she said ‘Sure,’ and we said we would go for it. But we wanted to really make sure the presenting stuff worked in and of itself. And obviously I might not have won. That was very stiff competition.”
Tina Fey & Amy Schumer
In another passionate kiss, comedians Tina Fey and Amy Schumer locked lips at the 74th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony as Fey presented an award to Schumer for her show Inside Amy Schumer.
“I really wanted to come down here tonight, and in a Madonna kind of way try to like feed off of her youth and maybe suck her soul out in a very awkward, staged lesbian kiss,” Fey told the crowd, per Vanity Fair. “But when I pitched that idea to Amy’s camp, they came back with such an immediate yes that it kind of grossed me out.”
Meryl Streep & Sandra Bullock
In a historic Critics’ Choice Awards moment, actress Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock tied and both won the award for Best Actresses. As a way to share her admiration, Bullock gave Streep a peck when she walked on stage. From rivals to lovers!
Katy Perry & One Direction
In a moment that might be too cringe-worthy to look back on, Katy Perry puckered her lips for a kiss when she gave out an award to One Direction at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. While Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson opted for just a kiss on the cheek, 1D members Harry Styles and Niall Horan went in for a kiss.
At the time, in addition to taking over the internet, Perry was criticized for the major age gap (Horan was 19 and Styles was 18 while Perry was 28).
