The Most Awkward AMA 2016 Moments

Photo by Michael Tran/FilmMagic

The 2016 American Music Awards had some spectacular moments—Shawn Mendes, the Weeknd and Lady Gaga performances among them—but there were quite a few that had us cringing. If there were a most-used emoji last night, it would be the face palm. Take a scroll through the moments that topped our list.

Gigi Hadid Imitates Melania Trump
Some called it racist, some called it unnecessary, but for the most part, Gigi Hadid’s impression of Melania Trump at the AMAs was most decidedly the most awkward moment of the night. Gigi oddly crunched her face so her lips looked bigger, spoke in a thick accent and squinted her eyes in a desperate attempt for a laugh. Unfortunately, Hadid’s comic flop had Twitter feeds ranting about her tacky impression and questioning the producers of the show for booking Hadid for the job.

Ariana Grande’s Back-Up Dancers Can’t Get Enough
Call her Ariana Grinder! The big-voiced, small-framed singer won big time yesterday (Artist of The Year!), but while Ariana Grande performed “Side To Side” alongside Nicki Minaj and a troupe of ripped, sweaty male dancers, La Grande’s tiny camouflage skirt kept getting flipped up by one of her hunky footmen.

Fans Bawling over the Biebs
Satellite-ing in Justin Bieber’s concert from Zurich for an American Awards Show—especially one that has already spent huge bucks on a Disney-esque stage—is a really strange thing to do (were there no other singers they could ask to perform?). Odder still is panning to the audience of gasping fans and zooming into their tortured, crying faces while Bieberello sang “Love Yourself.”

Fifth Harmony’s Acceptance Speech
We are so proud of our Summer cover girls for winning Best Collaboration for “Work From Home” featuring Ty Dolla $ign—seriously. But it was just awkward when the music start playing when Ally came in to say her part. Then, when Dinah had to crouch and scroll through her phone to go through their thank-you list, it was a bit—sorry—embarrassing. We’re not blaming them, as awkward acceptance speeches were kind of the theme of the night (we’re looking at you, Chainsmokers), but it would be nice if recipients practised beforehand so they weren’t rushed by music cues, right?

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