Miranda Lambert: A Case of Nerves

We’ll blame it on the butterflies. At the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards, Lambert was prepping for her performance backstage when Ashton Kutcher named her the best female vocalist of the year. Lambert seemed exhausted at the thought of giving a speech and chose to thank only three people: Jesus, her fans, and the music industry. The person she neglected? Oh, just her equally famous husband, Blake Shelton, who happened to be hosting the show that night. Technically, he is a member of the country music industry, so that kind of counts. Right?

Blake Shelton: An Eye for An Eye

Zing! After his wife neglected to mention him during her acceptance speech, Shelton returned the favor. The country crooner—who was a triple threat at this year’s awards, hosting, performing, and then winning a statue for best male vocalist of the year—took the time to thank his agency, management, and even dropped a nod to Dirks Bentley. But Miranda Lambert’s name was noticeably absent from his speech, and she wore a slightly uncomfortable grin as the camera zoomed in on her unthanked face.

Hilary Swank: Chad Who?

A lonely tear streamed down the face of Chad Lowe as he watched his wife, Hilary Swank, win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2000. Swank, who won the award for Boys Don’t Cry, thanked her publicist, mother, and even the Independent Film Channel for making the movie possible. Finally, she uttered the words, “And last but certainly not least ...” signaling an emotional dedication to the man behind the woman. Instead, Swank used the opportunity to thank Brandon Teena, the transgendered man she portrayed in the movie. Luckily for Swank, she had a chance to redeem herself in 2005.

Meryl Streep’s Memory Lapse

Even Meryl makes mistakes. In her Best Actress acceptance speech for Sophie’s Choice, Meryl Streep thanked everyone. We’re talking directors, studios, stylists … literally everybody. The one person she didn’t mention was her husband, Don Gummer, whom Streep had married almost five years earlier. Fast forward to the 2012 Academy Awards, where Streep took home the Oscar for her performance in The Iron Lady. The legendary actress seemed to have learned her lesson, starting her speech with a loving tribute to her husband that oozed with romantic dedication—and more than made up for her memory lapse nearly 30 years prior.

How Do You Forget Brad Pitt?

She’s got Friends, and those are pretty much the only people Jennifer Aniston thanked in her acceptance speech at the 2003 Golden Globes. Aniston channeled her character Rachel as she nervously thanked her fellow cast members who were all seated at the same table. Also occupying the table: her then-husband Brad Pitt who was included in the camera shot, but excluded from her speech. Cut to a final shot of Pitt who claps for his wife’s success, but whose eyes are clearly saying, “Seriously?” At least his hair looked good.

Robin’s Wright in Front of You!

It’s one thing to forget one’s wife if she is watching from home or sitting in the nosebleeds. It’s a completely different when she’s sitting in the front row! Such was the case in 2009, when Sean Penn took home the Oscar for his performance in Milk. Penn used his allotted time on stage to address equal rights for gay couples, Barack Obama, and the global art community. Uncomfortably, the cameras even zoomed in on his wife, Robin Wright Penn, as Penn thanked Mickey Rourke—simply for being Mickey Rourke! Maybe his forgetfulness was a sign of trouble. The couple divorced less than a year later.

Christian Bale’s Brain Freeze

To be fair, he didn’t forget to thank his wife … he just forgot her name. The bearded Bale enthusiastically addressed the crowd at the 2010 Academy Awards after being named Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Fighter. He remembered the names Dicky, Micky, Boomer, and Carlos. Then, with love in his eyes, he gazed at his wife, pointed at her and said, “Uh.” Was he choking back tears? Or was it just the perfect way to mask a brain freeze? Guess we’ll never know!