When Jennifer Lawrence Confronted Anderson Cooper After He Claimed Her Oscars Fall Was a Hoax

Few moments have left an everlasting impact on the world of Hollywood, where stars rise and fall, as Jennifer Lawrence's infamous fall at the 2013 Academy Awards. The incident, which is now entrenched in Oscar history, had the entire globe buzzing. Lawrence, the outstanding actress at the center of the affair, confronted television anchor Anderson Cooper after he claimed her Oscars fall was a hoax, per People.

The occasion was the 85th Academy Awards, and Lawrence, at the early age of 22, was already a force in the industry. She had won her first Oscar for Best Actress. As she ascended the steps to claim her prize for her work in Silver Linings Playbook, she discovered an unexpected stumbling block. The moment she tripped on her gorgeous Christian Dior Couture gown became an immediate sensation, and the young actress was clearly mortified.

In a candid podcast conversation with Heather McMahan's Absolutely Not, Lawrence detailed her emotional rollercoaster that night. "I had everything in my head. I was very, very nervous but I was ready. All of the adrenaline clears out and they call my name and I’m elated and I’m in shock. And then I fell, and it erased everything from my mind. My full brain went blank. I can look back at it now fondly but for a very long time the fall thing was very sensitive," she said.

What should have been a triumphant moment for Lawrence quickly turned sour when she realized that journalist Anderson Cooper had questioned the truthfulness of her fall. Cooper was shown on CNN three days after the Oscars implying that she had staged the event. “Anderson Cooper, I saw him on CNN three days later saying, ‘Well she obviously faked the fall,’ and it was so devastating because it was this horrific humiliation to me," Lawrence said. "I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to give a speech like that again, so it didn’t feel good for me not to have a speech," she said on the show.

She continued, "I’ll tell you what, I saw him at a Christmas party and I let him know. My friend told me a vein was bulging out of my eyes. He apologized. I think we’re good friends now. On my end, we’re all good. What I led with was, ‘Have you ever tried to walk upstairs in a ball gown? So then how do you know.’ He apologized immediately and said he didn’t know and gave this wonderful apology. I was all fired up…he probably told everyone I was a psycho.”

Lawrence quickly reiterated that point to reporters backstage after the show, where she shared her initial feelings about the sad mishap. “Look at my dress!” she informed reporters of her Christian Dior Couture gown. “I tried to walk upstairs in this dress. That’s what happened. I think I stepped on the fabric and they waxed the stairs.”

Editor's note: This article was originally published on October 14, 2023. It has since been updated.