Worn-Down Warren Beatty — The Inside Story

Warren Beatty ruined the Oscars by fumbling the announcement for Best Picture — in the latest disturbing sign that the former star is fading! It was a humiliating moment when Warren couldn't cope with a simple mistake at the 2017 Academy Awards, as he joined Faye Dunaway in announcing the night's biggest honor. Instead of simply announcing that he had the wrong card when opening the envelope for Best Actress, the confused legend stammered, paused, and handed the envelope to Faye, who simply read out "La La Land" as the first title she saw. As panicked producers rushed to give "Moonlight" its rightful honor, Warren was stuck in the spotlight — as claims continue that the star is struggling!

Concerned talk about Warren began in 2010, when it became clear that the star was unable to move ahead on any new film projects. One production insider described Warren as "dithering" around the office — pestering his staffers with constant questions about projects while being incapable of proceeding. And when Warren finally did decide to make his first movie in 15 years, he chose a project where he'd play billionaire Howard Hughes dealing with dementia. "Nobody was really thinking of [Warren] as senile," said the insider. "We just thought he had too many things on his mind. But everyone had already deserted him because they wanted to make movies!"

Others believed that mental woes had helped Warren settle down — with one source saying: "Warren talked about how he hadn't changed, but he could feel his behavior changing. The old charm was slowing down,and the spark was gone, and that's probably helped save his marriage to Annette Bening." The source added that Warren's wife was "supportive," but that she also had to put up with Warren's changes: "He wouldn't let Annette take over on making some needed changes on their home, but then he could never make up his own mind. They ended up buying a new house and left the old one to be demolished!"

Critics were also concerned as Warren went out to promote his turn as Howard Hughes in "Rules Don't Apply." Said one Los Angeles writer who interviewed him: "We thought that we'd get Warren going off on politics and talking about Old Hollywood, but he stuck to a script. Writers in NYC even got the same quotes!" The National ENQUIRER, meanwhile, had reported in June 2016 that locals had already noticed the Hollywood legend looking troubled.

“Poor Warren looks like a shadow of his former self,” one eyewitness told The ENQUIRER. “He seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders.” The star was also trying to deal with a family crisis after his daughter Isabel, a freshman at San Francisco State University, had confessed to a Xanax addiction while battling to stay on the wagon — posting on social media: “Honestly feel like I’m gonna die!”

Warren also had to deal with his eldest child, Stephen Ira — who was born as Kathlyn, and began a gender transition at age 14. “Warren and Annette love their son, but it’s been difficult accepting Stephen’s change,” said the source. Stephen Ira, meanwhile, rushed to support his dad after the Oscars disaster, saying: "Mistakes happen — especially in a live show!"