In the days leading up to MTV’s Video Music Awards ceremony on Monday night (August 26), John Travolta was doing press for his upcoming thriller The Fanatic. Not only did he talk about the film and his family, but hosts Scott Evans and Kit Hoover also asked how he is going to feel on stage reading the prompter while he would be presenting the biggest award of the night.
They brought this up because Travolta famously mispronounced Idina Menzel’s name at the 2014 Academy Awards while introducing her performance of “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rECG1Wlb-lA
During the Access interview, Travolta jokingly said that he might mispronounce someone else’s name while presenting with with Hairspray co-star Queen Latifah.
During their banter before presenting the Video of the Year VMA, Queen Latifah and Travolta reminisced about the last time they say each other – during Hairspray!
“The last time I saw you, I was a woman!” Travolta said, who played Edna Turnblad, lead character Tracy’s mother.
https://twitter.com/averybrockberg/status/1093336634181877760
Holding the envelope with the winner’s name on it, Travolta said, “I shouldn’t do this! Because I will just mispronounce shit and f*** it up. You do it!”
Queen Latifah read the winner, and it was Taylor Swift for her video for “You Need To Calm Down.” The former country star was in complete shock and brought up several people who starred in her video to accept the award with her. Those people included singer/actor/dancer Todrick Hall, model Dexter Mayfield, YouTuber Hannah Hart, drag queens Jade Jolie, Riley Knoxx, and Adore Delano, as well as the video’s director Drew Kirsch.
As the group made their way to the stage, Travolta was tasked with handing the actual award, which is a “moon person,” to Swift – only the person he tried handing it to wasn’t Swift, but drag queen Jade Jolie who impersonates the “Lover” singer on a regular basis.
https://www.instagram.com/p/By3bYagFEO7/
Jolie laughed as he tried to hand it to her. It was caught on camera, and it is one of the most talked about moments from the show already.
John Travolta mistaking Jade Jolie for Taylor Swift. 👏DRAG 👏RACE 👏EXCELLENCE https://t.co/zVLgsbHhD7
— Joey Nolfi (@joeynolfi) August 27, 2019
John Travolta trying to find Taylor Swift pic.twitter.com/60RxIVkfyC
— Bryan Powell (@TheBryanPowell) August 27, 2019
It seems Travolta doesn’t know how to not make the headlines after any awards show! Watch the hysterical moment below.