Oscars: Top 5 Unforgettable Bleep-Worthy Moments Featuring Kevin Hart, Kieran Culkin And More Celebs

With the clock continuing to tick, fans are growing even more eager to tune in to watch the 98th Academy Awards a.k.a. the Oscars. The ceremony will reportedly be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, with, of course, hordes of celebrities in attendance on March 15, 2026. We can already anticipate that the night will be filled with numerous memorable moments.  

However, it is worth noting that some moments have been more memorable than others over the past few years at the Oscars. Well, you might have noticed that honorees sometimes get bleeped when they step onto the stage to deliver an acceptance speech. The reason for this? Profane words cannot be aired on live TV because the broadcast must abide by FCC rules. So, ahead of the Oscars 2026, here's a look back at some of the most notable moments where celebrities had to be bleeped on the Oscars stage. 

Kieran Culkin accidentally blurted out the F-word while accepting the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for A Real Pain in 2025 

While the 97th Academy Awards were being broadcast live to thousands and thousands of viewers, actor, Kieran Culkin was announced as the winner of the Best Supporting Actor award. He won the honour for his work in the 2024 film, Real Pain, beating out another strong contender, Jeremy Strong, who was nominated in the category for his performance on The Apprentice. 

Well, while Kieran took to the stage to accept his award, he did not forget to give Jeremy a sweet shout-out, but not without dropping the night's first F-bomb. Saying how amazing Jeremy was in The Apprentice, Kieran added, “I love your work. It's f****** great.” Kieran quickly covered his mouth after realising what he said, then went on to continue that although he shouldn't single anyone out because it is favouritism, Jeremy's acting was indeed great.  

Spike Lee's opening line was bleeped when he went to accept the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman 

During the 2019 Oscars, filmmaker, Spike Lee won his first competitive Oscar. Along with directing the 2018 film, BlacKkKlansman, he was also part of the writing team that adapted Ron Stallworth's memoir, Black Klansman, into the movie's screenplay. When Spike walked towards the stage to receive his award, he could be seen pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket.

Soon he jumped into the arms of the presenter, Samuel L. Jackson, who also happens to be Spike's friend and frequent collaborator. With the audience already cheering loudly for him and giving him a standing ovation, the moment Spike took to the microphone, his opening line was bleeped. According to Kyle Buchanan, a reporter for The New York Times, Spike had actually said, “Do not turn that mother****** clock on.” It is worth noting that the Academy later posted his uncensored speech on YouTube.  

Kevin Hart was censored during the 2016 Oscars when introducing The Weekend  

While Kevin Hart is often known for delivering his comedic lines, it was his moving speech while introducing the Weekend about diversity during the 2016 Academy Awards that won everyone's hearts. Despite this, there was a censor during his speech, which left many social media users to wonder just what he had said. For those unaware, Kevin's speech came after the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, where he said that he wanted to take a moment to applaud all his fellow actors and actresses of colour who unfortunately missed out on the chance of being nominated that night. 

After a few more lines, when Kevin concluded his speech saying, “With that being said…” a small part of it got censored. After watching the uncensored clip later, it was revealed that the comedian had said, “With that being said, goddamn it, congratulations.”  

Sound editor, Mark Mangiani, got censored after saying the F-word at the Oscars 2016 while accepting an award for Best Sound Editing  

For those unaware, in 2016, Mark Mangini got the Oscar for Best Sound Editing for Mad Max: Fury Road. As he accepted the award, though, with David White by his side, Mark exclaimed, “F*** Mad Maxers, let's hear it!” If a report from Entertainment Weekly is to be believed, the Academy shared the uncensored clip on its official YouTube channel; however, those watching the ceremony on TV saw only a bleeped version. Apparently, when Mangiani went backstage, he stated that he was definitely going to hear it from his wife, “so that's about as big a regret as one can have.”  

Director, T.J. Martin admitted that dropping the F-bomb during the 2012 Oscars "came from the heart"

A little over a decade back, in 2012, Undefeated's co-director, T.J. Martin, ended up cursing during the live telecast of the Oscars that year. Speaking on the mic with co-director, Daniel Lindsay and producer, Rich Middlemas on either side, Martin gave a shoutout to the fellow nominees in the Best Documentary Feature category. In the uncensored video posted to YouTube, he actually said, it would “be f****** wonderful” if everyone could be on the stage with them. Later, when Martin went backstage, he apologised for cussing and said: 

“First and foremost, I'd actually like to apologise for that. I don't think that was the classiest thing in the world. However, with that said, it did come from the heart.”  

Which is your favourite bleep-worthy moment from the Oscars over the years? Let us know.  

Also read: Oscars 2026 Watchlist: From 'Marty Supreme' To 'Sinners', Top 5 Nominated Films To Stream On OTT

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