30 Most Epic Grammy Moments of All Time
Get a bunch of musicians in a room and you know something's got to go down.
Twenty One Pilots accepts their award sans pants
At the 2017 Grammy awards, Twenty One Pilots made a show of removing their tuxedo pants before accepting their award. They referenced a story where they used to watch the Grammys in their underwear and said, "If we ever go to the Grammys, if we ever win a Grammy, we should receive it just like this."
J.Lo steps out in the dress seen 'round the world
At the 2000 Grammys, J.Lo wore a green Versace dress that was cut alllll the way down to there. She looked great, no one could keep their eyes off her, and a legend was born.
Milli Vanilli wins an unearned Grammy that is later stripped
Milli Vanilli won Best New Artist in 1990, but there was one small problem — neither of them actually sang the song, "Girl You Know It's True." When it was revealed that the two lip-synced their performance, their award was rescinded.
Macklemore texts Kendrick Lamar "I robbed you"
After Macklemore won the Rap categories at the 2014 Grammys, he posted a text he sent to Kendrick Lamar on his Instagram. In the text he apologized for "robbing" Lamar of the award.
PHOTO: Instagram
Elton John and Eminem team up for an unexpected performance
Elton John and Eminem performed Eminem's "Stan" at the 2000 Grammys, surprising those who had protested Eminem's homophobic lyrics.
Jon Stewart bares most of it for a TSA joke
In 2002, host Jon Stewart opened the Grammys with a joke about how the TSA was asking people to remove clothing to get through the airport...a joke that he punctuated by going out in just boxers.
Madonna goes 3-D with Gorillaz
Gorillaz performed at the 2006 Grammys with Madonna, which wouldn't be a big deal if Gorillaz were a real, live band instead of a bunch of cartoon characters. Through some 3-D trickery and some help from an animated double, Madonna wowed the audience.
"Soy Bomb" guy tries to ruin Bob Dylan's perfomance
Michael Portney, forever known as "Soy Bomb Guy," jumped up on stage during Bob Dylan's performance at the 1998 Grammys. He was quickly ushered off, but it was a bizarre moment at a memorable ceremony.
Lady Gaga arrives in a giant egg
Lady Gaga's entrance to the 2011 Grammys was unique, to say the least. Her handlers carried her down the red carpet in an egg, from which she would not emerge until her performance of "Born This Way."
Beyoncé and Jay-Z wow the world with "Drunk in Love"
The 2014 Grammys played host to the super sexy, boundary-pushing performance of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, when they came together to sing "Drunk in Love" off the Beyoncé album.
Pharrell's hat is Pharrell's hat
The 2014 Grammys also gave the world Pharrell's hat, which is really just a hat. Its big size and odd shape launched a thousand memes and even more copycats. Long live the hat.
Pink performs while flying through the air and nails it
Pink performed at the 2010 and the 2014 Grammys on aerial silks, flying, twisting, splitting, and spinning through the air, and maintained perfect pitch both times. Why? Because she's Pink, and she can.
Annie Lennox arrives in drag, fools producers and audience
Annie Lennox arrived at the 1984 Grammys in head-to-toe drag. The producers didn't recognize her, and there was chaos backstage as they tried to track her down, not knowing she was standing right there watching them squirm.
Radiohead brings the USC marching band on to perform
Radiohead performed with the entire USC marching band at the 2009 Grammys. The sound and energy from the college students was palpable, and it made for one of the year's most memorable performances.
Madonna gets her butt out on the red carpet
That pretty much sums it up. In 2015, Madonna got on the Grammy red carpet with her whole butt out. Yeah, wow.
Kanye <i>almost</i> pulls a Kanye on Beck
When Beck won Album of the Year in 2015, Kanye walked up on stage, seemingly to protest Beyoncé's loss in that same category. It was, however, a feint, and Kanye said he was kidding before taking his seat again.
Ol' Dirty Bastard pulls a Kanye before Kanye was Kanye
Ah, the original Kanye. When the Wu-Tang Clan lost Song of the Year to Shawn Colvin, Ol' Dirty Bastard went up on stage in protest, saying he really thought he was going to win.
Frank Sinatra is cut off in the middle of the broadcast
When Frank Sinatra was honored at the 1994 Grammys, his speech took a turn towards the ramble-y. So ramble-y, in fact, that the broadcast cut him off mid-sentence and immediately cut to commercial. Them's the breaks, Frankie.
Queen Latifah officiates dozens of same-sex marriages during the ceremony
At the 2014 Grammys, Queen Latifah married 33 same-sex couples during the ceremony while Macklemore and Mary Lambert performed their hit "Same Love."
MIA performs pregnant, literally on her due date
MIA was due to have her first baby the day of the 2009 Grammy Ceremony, but that didn't stop her from performing "Swagga Like Us" and completely nailing it.
Nicki Minaj pisses off the Catholic League by performing an "exorcism"
Nicki Minaj always goes big on stage, but her 2012 Grammy performance involved an onstage exorcism that made her levitate. The Catholic League was not happy about it, and the performance became a talking point for weeks to come.
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons perform with truckloads of actual fire
When Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons collaborated on a 2014 Grammy performance, no one expected the sheer size and scale of it to outpace any other performance. There were fireballs, yelling, extremely proficient rapping, and by the end of it even the audience was gleefully exhausted.
Adele wins over Beyoncé and even Adele is mad about it
When Adele's 25 won over Beyoncé's Lemonade for Album of the Year, everyone was surprised, including Adele. She used her speech to praise Beyoncé and tell her that Bey deserved the award.
Aretha saves the Grammys by stepping in last minute
When Luciano Pavarotti, who was supposed to perform at the 1998 Grammys, called in sick during the actual broadcast, producers scrambled to find someone to fill his spot. Aretha Franklin stepped up to perform an aria, because of course she had an opera number rehearsed and in her back pocket, and saved the show.
Gaga goes Full Bowie
Lady Gaga performed her tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Grammys and showed up with his iconic flame-red hair. David Bowie's drummer notably refused to perform with her, as he thought the spectacle of her tribute was "tacky."
PHOTO: Getty
Melissa Etheridge performs for the first time after completing chemo
Melissa Etheridge was certain she would have to miss the 2005 Grammys due to her cancer diagnosis, but she finished her chemotherapy in time to perform onstage, revealing her bald head to the world in the process.
Prince ends the show with <i>seven</i> splits and walking off through the aisle
Prince closed the Grammys in 1985 and wasn't content to just play his song and get off stage. Nah, he had to do a spin, seven splits, and a super-strut into the audience to end his set. That's how Prince did things.
Kanye's legendary "Jesus Walks" performance
Kanye brought sheer theatricality back to the Grammys in 2005, with a performance of "Jesus Walks" featuring angels, churches, a whole supporting cast, and stunning religious iconography.
Adele stops in the middle of her George Michael tribute
Adele sang a tribute to the late George Michael in 2017, but she wasn't happy with the way her song started out. She stopped the performance and asked if she could start over, and on her second try got her notes right. Second time's a charm.
Helen Reddy calls god a "she" in her acceptance speech
Helen Reddy made waves in 1973 when she won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and ended her acceptance speech with thanking god because "She makes everything possible." People were very riled up over the idea of a lady God. Hey, it was the 70s.
Twenty One Pilots accepts their award sans pants
At the 2017 Grammy awards, Twenty One Pilots made a show of removing their tuxedo pants before accepting their award. They referenced a story where they used to watch the Grammys in their underwear and said, "If we ever go to the Grammys, if we ever win a Grammy, we should receive it just like this."
J.Lo steps out in the dress seen 'round the world
At the 2000 Grammys, J.Lo wore a green Versace dress that was cut alllll the way down to there. She looked great, no one could keep their eyes off her, and a legend was born.
Milli Vanilli wins an unearned Grammy that is later stripped
Milli Vanilli won Best New Artist in 1990, but there was one small problem — neither of them actually sang the song, "Girl You Know It's True." When it was revealed that the two lip-synced their performance, their award was rescinded.
Macklemore texts Kendrick Lamar "I robbed you"
After Macklemore won the Rap categories at the 2014 Grammys, he posted a text he sent to Kendrick Lamar on his Instagram. In the text he apologized for "robbing" Lamar of the award.
PHOTO: Instagram
Elton John and Eminem team up for an unexpected performance
Elton John and Eminem performed Eminem's "Stan" at the 2000 Grammys, surprising those who had protested Eminem's homophobic lyrics.
Jon Stewart bares most of it for a TSA joke
In 2002, host Jon Stewart opened the Grammys with a joke about how the TSA was asking people to remove clothing to get through the airport...a joke that he punctuated by going out in just boxers.
Madonna goes 3-D with Gorillaz
Gorillaz performed at the 2006 Grammys with Madonna, which wouldn't be a big deal if Gorillaz were a real, live band instead of a bunch of cartoon characters. Through some 3-D trickery and some help from an animated double, Madonna wowed the audience.
"Soy Bomb" guy tries to ruin Bob Dylan's perfomance
Michael Portney, forever known as "Soy Bomb Guy," jumped up on stage during Bob Dylan's performance at the 1998 Grammys. He was quickly ushered off, but it was a bizarre moment at a memorable ceremony.
Lady Gaga arrives in a giant egg
Lady Gaga's entrance to the 2011 Grammys was unique, to say the least. Her handlers carried her down the red carpet in an egg, from which she would not emerge until her performance of "Born This Way."
Beyoncé and Jay-Z wow the world with "Drunk in Love"
The 2014 Grammys played host to the super sexy, boundary-pushing performance of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, when they came together to sing "Drunk in Love" off the Beyoncé album.
Pharrell's hat is Pharrell's hat
The 2014 Grammys also gave the world Pharrell's hat, which is really just a hat. Its big size and odd shape launched a thousand memes and even more copycats. Long live the hat.
Pink performs while flying through the air and nails it
Pink performed at the 2010 and the 2014 Grammys on aerial silks, flying, twisting, splitting, and spinning through the air, and maintained perfect pitch both times. Why? Because she's Pink, and she can.
Annie Lennox arrives in drag, fools producers and audience
Annie Lennox arrived at the 1984 Grammys in head-to-toe drag. The producers didn't recognize her, and there was chaos backstage as they tried to track her down, not knowing she was standing right there watching them squirm.
Radiohead brings the USC marching band on to perform
Radiohead performed with the entire USC marching band at the 2009 Grammys. The sound and energy from the college students was palpable, and it made for one of the year's most memorable performances.
Madonna gets her butt out on the red carpet
That pretty much sums it up. In 2015, Madonna got on the Grammy red carpet with her whole butt out. Yeah, wow.
Kanye <i>almost</i> pulls a Kanye on Beck
When Beck won Album of the Year in 2015, Kanye walked up on stage, seemingly to protest Beyoncé's loss in that same category. It was, however, a feint, and Kanye said he was kidding before taking his seat again.
Ol' Dirty Bastard pulls a Kanye before Kanye was Kanye
Ah, the original Kanye. When the Wu-Tang Clan lost Song of the Year to Shawn Colvin, Ol' Dirty Bastard went up on stage in protest, saying he really thought he was going to win.
Frank Sinatra is cut off in the middle of the broadcast
When Frank Sinatra was honored at the 1994 Grammys, his speech took a turn towards the ramble-y. So ramble-y, in fact, that the broadcast cut him off mid-sentence and immediately cut to commercial. Them's the breaks, Frankie.
Queen Latifah officiates dozens of same-sex marriages during the ceremony
At the 2014 Grammys, Queen Latifah married 33 same-sex couples during the ceremony while Macklemore and Mary Lambert performed their hit "Same Love."
MIA performs pregnant, literally on her due date
MIA was due to have her first baby the day of the 2009 Grammy Ceremony, but that didn't stop her from performing "Swagga Like Us" and completely nailing it.
Nicki Minaj pisses off the Catholic League by performing an "exorcism"
Nicki Minaj always goes big on stage, but her 2012 Grammy performance involved an onstage exorcism that made her levitate. The Catholic League was not happy about it, and the performance became a talking point for weeks to come.
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons perform with truckloads of actual fire
When Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons collaborated on a 2014 Grammy performance, no one expected the sheer size and scale of it to outpace any other performance. There were fireballs, yelling, extremely proficient rapping, and by the end of it even the audience was gleefully exhausted.
Adele wins over Beyoncé and even Adele is mad about it
When Adele's 25 won over Beyoncé's Lemonade for Album of the Year, everyone was surprised, including Adele. She used her speech to praise Beyoncé and tell her that Bey deserved the award.
Aretha saves the Grammys by stepping in last minute
When Luciano Pavarotti, who was supposed to perform at the 1998 Grammys, called in sick during the actual broadcast, producers scrambled to find someone to fill his spot. Aretha Franklin stepped up to perform an aria, because of course she had an opera number rehearsed and in her back pocket, and saved the show.
Gaga goes Full Bowie
Lady Gaga performed her tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Grammys and showed up with his iconic flame-red hair. David Bowie's drummer notably refused to perform with her, as he thought the spectacle of her tribute was "tacky."
PHOTO: Getty
Melissa Etheridge performs for the first time after completing chemo
Melissa Etheridge was certain she would have to miss the 2005 Grammys due to her cancer diagnosis, but she finished her chemotherapy in time to perform onstage, revealing her bald head to the world in the process.
Prince ends the show with <i>seven</i> splits and walking off through the aisle
Prince closed the Grammys in 1985 and wasn't content to just play his song and get off stage. Nah, he had to do a spin, seven splits, and a super-strut into the audience to end his set. That's how Prince did things.
Kanye's legendary "Jesus Walks" performance
Kanye brought sheer theatricality back to the Grammys in 2005, with a performance of "Jesus Walks" featuring angels, churches, a whole supporting cast, and stunning religious iconography.
Adele stops in the middle of her George Michael tribute
Adele sang a tribute to the late George Michael in 2017, but she wasn't happy with the way her song started out. She stopped the performance and asked if she could start over, and on her second try got her notes right. Second time's a charm.
Helen Reddy calls god a "she" in her acceptance speech
Helen Reddy made waves in 1973 when she won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and ended her acceptance speech with thanking god because "She makes everything possible." People were very riled up over the idea of a lady God. Hey, it was the 70s.
Twenty One Pilots accepts their award sans pants
At the 2017 Grammy awards, Twenty One Pilots made a show of removing their tuxedo pants before accepting their award. They referenced a story where they used to watch the Grammys in their underwear and said, "If we ever go to the Grammys, if we ever win a Grammy, we should receive it just like this."
J.Lo steps out in the dress seen 'round the world
At the 2000 Grammys, J.Lo wore a green Versace dress that was cut alllll the way down to there. She looked great, no one could keep their eyes off her, and a legend was born.
Milli Vanilli wins an unearned Grammy that is later stripped
Milli Vanilli won Best New Artist in 1990, but there was one small problem — neither of them actually sang the song, "Girl You Know It's True." When it was revealed that the two lip-synced their performance, their award was rescinded.
Macklemore texts Kendrick Lamar "I robbed you"
After Macklemore won the Rap categories at the 2014 Grammys, he posted a text he sent to Kendrick Lamar on his Instagram. In the text he apologized for "robbing" Lamar of the award.
PHOTO: Instagram
Elton John and Eminem team up for an unexpected performance
Elton John and Eminem performed Eminem's "Stan" at the 2000 Grammys, surprising those who had protested Eminem's homophobic lyrics.
Jon Stewart bares most of it for a TSA joke
In 2002, host Jon Stewart opened the Grammys with a joke about how the TSA was asking people to remove clothing to get through the airport...a joke that he punctuated by going out in just boxers.
Madonna goes 3-D with Gorillaz
Gorillaz performed at the 2006 Grammys with Madonna, which wouldn't be a big deal if Gorillaz were a real, live band instead of a bunch of cartoon characters. Through some 3-D trickery and some help from an animated double, Madonna wowed the audience.
"Soy Bomb" guy tries to ruin Bob Dylan's perfomance
Michael Portney, forever known as "Soy Bomb Guy," jumped up on stage during Bob Dylan's performance at the 1998 Grammys. He was quickly ushered off, but it was a bizarre moment at a memorable ceremony.
Lady Gaga arrives in a giant egg
Lady Gaga's entrance to the 2011 Grammys was unique, to say the least. Her handlers carried her down the red carpet in an egg, from which she would not emerge until her performance of "Born This Way."
Beyoncé and Jay-Z wow the world with "Drunk in Love"
The 2014 Grammys played host to the super sexy, boundary-pushing performance of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, when they came together to sing "Drunk in Love" off the Beyoncé album.
Pharrell's hat is Pharrell's hat
The 2014 Grammys also gave the world Pharrell's hat, which is really just a hat. Its big size and odd shape launched a thousand memes and even more copycats. Long live the hat.
Pink performs while flying through the air and nails it
Pink performed at the 2010 and the 2014 Grammys on aerial silks, flying, twisting, splitting, and spinning through the air, and maintained perfect pitch both times. Why? Because she's Pink, and she can.
Annie Lennox arrives in drag, fools producers and audience
Annie Lennox arrived at the 1984 Grammys in head-to-toe drag. The producers didn't recognize her, and there was chaos backstage as they tried to track her down, not knowing she was standing right there watching them squirm.
Radiohead brings the USC marching band on to perform
Radiohead performed with the entire USC marching band at the 2009 Grammys. The sound and energy from the college students was palpable, and it made for one of the year's most memorable performances.
Madonna gets her butt out on the red carpet
That pretty much sums it up. In 2015, Madonna got on the Grammy red carpet with her whole butt out. Yeah, wow.
Kanye <i>almost</i> pulls a Kanye on Beck
When Beck won Album of the Year in 2015, Kanye walked up on stage, seemingly to protest Beyoncé's loss in that same category. It was, however, a feint, and Kanye said he was kidding before taking his seat again.
Ol' Dirty Bastard pulls a Kanye before Kanye was Kanye
Ah, the original Kanye. When the Wu-Tang Clan lost Song of the Year to Shawn Colvin, Ol' Dirty Bastard went up on stage in protest, saying he really thought he was going to win.
Frank Sinatra is cut off in the middle of the broadcast
When Frank Sinatra was honored at the 1994 Grammys, his speech took a turn towards the ramble-y. So ramble-y, in fact, that the broadcast cut him off mid-sentence and immediately cut to commercial. Them's the breaks, Frankie.
Queen Latifah officiates dozens of same-sex marriages during the ceremony
At the 2014 Grammys, Queen Latifah married 33 same-sex couples during the ceremony while Macklemore and Mary Lambert performed their hit "Same Love."
MIA performs pregnant, literally on her due date
MIA was due to have her first baby the day of the 2009 Grammy Ceremony, but that didn't stop her from performing "Swagga Like Us" and completely nailing it.
Nicki Minaj pisses off the Catholic League by performing an "exorcism"
Nicki Minaj always goes big on stage, but her 2012 Grammy performance involved an onstage exorcism that made her levitate. The Catholic League was not happy about it, and the performance became a talking point for weeks to come.
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons perform with truckloads of actual fire
When Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons collaborated on a 2014 Grammy performance, no one expected the sheer size and scale of it to outpace any other performance. There were fireballs, yelling, extremely proficient rapping, and by the end of it even the audience was gleefully exhausted.
Adele wins over Beyoncé and even Adele is mad about it
When Adele's 25 won over Beyoncé's Lemonade for Album of the Year, everyone was surprised, including Adele. She used her speech to praise Beyoncé and tell her that Bey deserved the award.
Aretha saves the Grammys by stepping in last minute
When Luciano Pavarotti, who was supposed to perform at the 1998 Grammys, called in sick during the actual broadcast, producers scrambled to find someone to fill his spot. Aretha Franklin stepped up to perform an aria, because of course she had an opera number rehearsed and in her back pocket, and saved the show.
Gaga goes Full Bowie
Lady Gaga performed her tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Grammys and showed up with his iconic flame-red hair. David Bowie's drummer notably refused to perform with her, as he thought the spectacle of her tribute was "tacky."
PHOTO: Getty
Melissa Etheridge performs for the first time after completing chemo
Melissa Etheridge was certain she would have to miss the 2005 Grammys due to her cancer diagnosis, but she finished her chemotherapy in time to perform onstage, revealing her bald head to the world in the process.
Prince ends the show with <i>seven</i> splits and walking off through the aisle
Prince closed the Grammys in 1985 and wasn't content to just play his song and get off stage. Nah, he had to do a spin, seven splits, and a super-strut into the audience to end his set. That's how Prince did things.
Kanye's legendary "Jesus Walks" performance
Kanye brought sheer theatricality back to the Grammys in 2005, with a performance of "Jesus Walks" featuring angels, churches, a whole supporting cast, and stunning religious iconography.
Adele stops in the middle of her George Michael tribute
Adele sang a tribute to the late George Michael in 2017, but she wasn't happy with the way her song started out. She stopped the performance and asked if she could start over, and on her second try got her notes right. Second time's a charm.
Helen Reddy calls god a "she" in her acceptance speech
Helen Reddy made waves in 1973 when she won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and ended her acceptance speech with thanking god because "She makes everything possible." People were very riled up over the idea of a lady God. Hey, it was the 70s.
Get a bunch of musicians in a room and you know something's got to go down.
A Grammy is the highest honor a musician can earn, but that doesn't mean the Grammy Awards make for somber evenings. There have been drunken shenanigans, outrageous outfits, super snubs, over-the-top performances, and many more shocking moments at the annual ceremonies. Here's a look at some of the zaniest things to happen around the show.