15 Statue Unveilings, Ceremonies, and Tributes That Went Haywire
You know the feeling. You’re being honored for a lifetime of achievements when a curtain drops and a mangled bronze version of your face appears. You look over at the kind, smiling faces of the people honoring you, but you’re not sure if you can hold in your disappointment.
Okay, fine! That’s never happened to us, and it most likely hasn’t happened to you. Yet. You still have time. After reading this list, you get out there and make something of yourself! Come to think about it, something like this did happen in Italy recently. Opera star Luciano Pavarotti’s statue was highly disrespected in late November 2025 and his family is pretty unhappy about it. Hopefully this (or something like these other instances) doesn't happen to your highly successful future self one day.
“Pavarotti on Ice”
Luca Toni / il Resto del Carlino
Mayor Andrea Biancani recently apologized to the family of opera star Luciano Pavarotti after the town of Pesaro buried a statue of the late singer knee-deep in a Christmas ice rink. His widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, told local media that she was “angry and upset.”
“Scary Lucy”
Atlas Obscura
In 2009, the village of Celoron, New York unveiled a bronze statue meant to honor the beloved actress and comedian Lucille Ball. But instead, the statue was described as grotesque and creepy, and was mockingly nicknamed “Scary Lucy.” Eventually, a new statue (by a different artist) was unveiled in 2016, and it got a much warmer reception.
Prince was offended at his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction
Shutterstock
In 2004, during rehearsals for ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ Prince was essentially sidelined while a guitarist from Jeff Lynne’s band played the solos that Prince was supposed to play. Then, after struggling with sound issues during his own induction rehearsal, Prince reportedly declined to commit to any more rehearsals. Offended, he let them assume he wouldn’t do much, then blew everyone away with one of the best solos of all time.
The infamous Cristiano Ronaldo airport bust
YouTube
Unveiled in 2017 at Madeira Airport, the bust was meant to honor the soccer icon, but the warped grin, lopsided eyes, and cartoonish features instantly made it a global joke. The statue embarrassed him and upset his family, who reportedly felt it was disrespectful. The bust was ultimately replaced with a far better one.
An offensive caricature
Wisconsin Historical Archives
Erected in 1962, The Statue of Hiawatha in La Crosse, Wisconsin offended the local Indigenous people since it was based on a fictionalized version that misrepresented their culture and heritage. In 2020, as part of a broader movement to reassess public monuments, the statue was officially removed.
A German Chancellor extinguished a Holocaust memorial flame
Wikimedia Commons
To honor the Jewish victims of Nazi Germany, an eternal flame burns in the Yad Vashem Memorial in Israel. In 2000, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was invited to turn a handle to make the flame rise, but Schröder’s turn accidentally snuffed out the “eternal” flame commemorating those lost.
Dwyane Wade’s “This is my house” statue
YouTube
When the Miami Heat unveiled a statue of Dwyane Wade outside the Kaseya Center in 2024, it was meant to celebrate his iconic “This is my house” moment from 2009. Instead, fans and critics across social media ridiculed the bronze figure for its strange, cartoonish face. Wade was nice enough to not criticize it, calling it an “artistic version” of a defining moment in his career — not a perfect replica.
Coretta King’s cousin hates “The Embrace” statue
YouTube
A $10 million statue celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. has been harshly mocked on social media and slammed as an “insult” by a cousin of MLK’s wife Coretta Scott King. King’s cousin Seneca Scott wrote in Compact Magazine that the artwork “looks more like a pair of hands hugging a beefy penis than a special moment shared by the iconic couple.”
Britney Spears was dumfounded by her sculpture
Sculptor Daniel Edwards’ work entitled "Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston" depicts Britney Spears naked, giving birth in the downward dog position. She said, "I think it's the most hysterical thing I've ever seen in my life. My assistant and I were totally dumbfounded when we saw it. We couldn't believe somebody actually did this." When jokingly asked if she would buy it to put it in her home, she said, "No thanks. They can display it somewhere, but not in my beautiful home.”
Sinead O’Connor’s brother called her wax figure “hideous”
National Wax Museum - Dublin
In July 2024, a wax figure of O’Connor at the National Wax Museum Plus in Dublin, drew immediate backlash from the public and the O’Connor family. Her brother described it as “hideous,” saying it “looked something between a mannequin and something out of the Thunderbirds.” The museum removed it shortly after.
The Statue of Juan de Oñate in Alcalde, New Mexico
Wikimedia Commons
This equestrian bronze statue was intended to honor Hispanic heritage and culture, but because the statue honored a conquistador with a record of violence and oppression toward Indigenous peoples, it sparked serious controversy. In June 2020, amid larger national protests over racial injustice and colonialism, authorities removed the statue.
Jimmy Carter creeped out all of Poland
Wikimedia Commons
On a visit to Poland, still under Communist control, President Carter made a speech that his translator, Steven Seymour, took several liberties communicating. Seymour used words that implied Carter was abandoning the United States and that he desired the Poles “in a carnal fashion.” The sensual comment humiliated Carter and he got a new translator.
Oscar Wilde’s sculpture was hated by his grandson
The Paolozzi Foundation
A huge sculpture of Oscar Wilde’s head lying on its side was condemned as “absolutely hideous” by the playwright’s grandson, Merlin Holland.
Bush mixed up his hand signals
YouTube
On a trip to Australia in 1992, while through the capital city of Canberra, former President George H.W. Bush threw up what he thought was a two-fingered “peace” or “victory” hand gesture, but he displayed it backwards, which, in Australia, is the equivalent of flipping the bird.
Adele’s acceptance speech was cut off
Shutterstock
At the 2012 BRIT Awards, she won the award for best British album, but producers abruptly cut her speech short to make room for a band’s performance. Feeling the show had blatantly disrespected her, she threw up a middle finger on stage. Later, she said, “That was for the suits at the Brit Awards, not my fans. I'm sorry if I offended anyone but the suits offended me.”
