We got chills — and they’re multiplyin’. One year after his headline-making Adele Dazeem flub at the 2014 Oscars, John Travolta again stole the show with his strange behavior at the 2015 Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 22.
The weirdness started early on in the festivities when the Savages actor, 61, was photographed awkwardly kissing his former A Love Song for Bobby Long costar Scarlett Johansson on the red carpet outside L.A.’s Dolby Theatre. Pics show him wrapping an arm around her waist from behind and then leaning in to plant a big smooch on her cheek — all while she stood staring straight ahead at the cameras.
His touchy-feely antics continued when he took the stage to present with Idina Menzel, whose name he infamously butchered during last year’s telecast. After joining her at the microphone, he grabbed her face in his hand and caressed it repeatedly, saying, “You, my darling, my beautiful, my wickedly talented Idina Menzel. Is that right?”
People watching the show from home went nuts over his handsy behavior, and took to Twitter with jokes and complaints about the Grease alum.
“I just wanted to know what a real face felt like.” — John Travolta
— Joshua Malina (@JoshMalina) February 23, 2015
As John Travolta reminds viewers once again that he really really really really really really really really likes women.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) February 23, 2015
But seriously, John Travolta … WTF was your deal tonight? You were, like, aggressively creepy, and touchy, and just gross.
— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) February 23, 2015
How many people were scared john travolta was gonna hurt her face?
— Michaela Watkins (@michaelaWat) February 23, 2015
Later, during his post-Oscars appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Travolta attempted to make light of the awkwardness by aggressively stroking Kimmel’s chin. “I can do this with him, like what I did with Idina tonight,” he quipped. “Apparently I played with her chin too much.”
He also tried to explain what caused his meme-worthy flub at last year’s show, saying he was flustered because of Goldie Hawn. “As I get backstage, I run into Goldie Hawn. Now, Goldie Hawn is charismatic, sexy, beautiful, she’s got the amazing thing, and I was starstruck!” he told Kimmel. “I’m starstruck, hugging and loving her up, and forgetting that I have to go and do this bit. And they said, ‘You’re on.'”
As they pushed him on stage, they told him they’d changed the teleprompter to include a phonetic spelling of Menzel’s name. “So I go out there, and I get to her [name], and I thought, ‘Huh?'” he recalled. “And in my mind, I’m like, ‘What? What is that name? I don’t know that name.’ And it was this phonetic spelling, but I didn’t rehearse it that way.”
Watch Travolta’s weird Oscars behavior above!