{"id":127,"date":"2025-03-04T03:14:37","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T03:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/?p=127"},"modified":"2025-03-04T03:14:37","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T03:14:37","slug":"the-best-worst-and-most-regrettable-moments-of-the-2025-oscars-heres-why-see-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/?p=127","title":{"rendered":"The best, worst, and most regrettable moments of the 2025 Oscars, here’s why… see more"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Conan O’Brien’s promise not to waste our time (did he keep it?) to surprising In Memoriam snubs, these were the highs, lows and uh-ohs of the Academy Awards<\/p>\n

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\"HOLLYWOOD,<\/div>\n<\/div>
Photo:\u00a0<\/span>Mike Coppola\/Getty; Rich Polk\/Penske Media via Getty; Frank Micelotta\/Disney via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Awards season has come to an end, and we’ve been here for all the highs and lows of every show. On Sunday night, the Oscars was determined to hit some of the high notes of shows past (honoring the Los Angeles first responders following the January wildfires; making sure Cynthia Erivo gets a chance to sing) while also bringing some surprises to the stage.<\/p>\n

Host Conan O’Brien brought his signature goofy humor (yes, there was a\u00a0Substance\u00a0<\/em>bit), the sandworm from\u00a0Dune<\/em>\u00a0made not one but two appearances, and through all of the jokes and performances, there were some truly emotional speeches that made even the most awards season-hardened among the PEOPLE staff admit to tearing up a bit.<\/p>\n

Read on for the best and worst moments from the 2025 Oscars.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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01<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Opening Medley<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Cynthia<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wicked<\/em>‘s Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) opened the show walking down the yellow brick road of\u00a0Wizard of Oz-<\/em>inspired hits, from Grande’s take on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the 1939 film (in three \u2014 yes, three \u2014 ruby slippers of her own) to Erivo’s “Home” from\u00a0The Wiz<\/em>\u00a0to, finally, their famous duet from\u00a0Wicked<\/em>\u00a0that had everyone in the audience defying gravity of their own to leap out of their seats for a standing ovation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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02<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most ‘Ooooohh’: Conan O’Brien’s Karla Sof\u00eda Gascon Joke<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"HOLLYWOOD,<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty; Rich Polk\/Penske Media via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I loved\u00a0Anora<\/em>, I really did. Little fact for you,\u00a0Anora<\/em>\u00a0uses the ‘F’ word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sof\u00eda Gasc\u00f3n’s publicist,”\u00a0O’Brien joked, referring to the reveal of\u00a0controversial X posts by the\u00a0Emil\u00eca Perez\u00a0<\/em>actor\u00a0that are thought to have tanked her Oscars campaign. As the audience groaned, O’Brien went further:”You tweeted\u00a0what<\/em>?!”<\/p>\n

When the host introduced her in the audience, Gascon bowed her head and blew a kiss to the stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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03<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most Unfairly Maligned: Adam Sandler<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"US<\/div>\n<\/div>
PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In his monologue, Conan O’Brien called out Adam Sandler for being underdressed on an evening where everyone from Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet to Michelle Yeoh was wearing a gazillion dollars of diamonds. But any Sandlerophile knows that an Aviator Nation hoodie and basketball shorts is the comedian’s version of black tie. Let the Sandman stay!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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04<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Night for Kieran Culkin’s Wife’s OBGYN<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Kieran<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After winning an Emmy in January 2024 for\u00a0Succession<\/em>, Kieran Culkin memorably used his acceptance speech to ask wife Jazz Charton for a third kid. And after winning an Oscar for\u00a0A Real Pain\u00a0<\/em>just over a year later,\u00a0he went for a four-peat.<\/p>\n

He recalled their discussion after his Emmy announcement, during which he told her he really wanted four. “She said, ‘I will give you four when you win an Oscar,’ ” he recalled. \u201cI held my hand out. She took it, and I have not brought it up once, until just now. You remember that, honey, you do? Okay, then I just have this to say to you, Jazz, love of my life\u2026No pressure. I love you. I’m really sorry I did this again, and let’s get cracking on those kids. What do you say?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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05<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Worst Use of the Group Chat: Forgetting to Tell Bowen Yang He Shouldn’t Get in Costume<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Lily-Rose<\/div>\n<\/div>
Rich Polk\/Penske Media via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As actors from the films nominated for Best Costume Design took the stage, it was clear that Bowen Yang had taken his tribute to\u00a0Wicked<\/em>\u00a0costume designer Paul Tazewell just a smidge farther than the rest of the group. Lily-Rose Depp and John Lithgow both declared the bit “cringe” \u2014 but in the end,\u00a0Wicked\u00a0<\/em>took the win!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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06<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Night for Sparkles<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"THE<\/div>\n<\/div>
Frank Micelotta\/Disney via Getty (2)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Doja Cat was dripping in a million Swarovski crystals (literally) for her “naked” “Diamonds are Forever” dress during the James Bond tribute, and Ariana Grande wasn’t just clad in a glittering ruby gown with matching ruby slippers, but her Schiaparelli dress\u00a0had a surprise third shimmering scarlet shoe embedded in the bodice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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07<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Worst Night for Mascara<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Zoe<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the moment\u00a0Zoe Salda\u00f1a took the stage sobbing for “Mam\u00ed,”\u00a0we knew weren’t getting through her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for\u00a0Em\u00edlia Perez<\/em>\u00a0without a few tears shed of our own. From her heartfelt dedication to her sisters, husband and son to her declaration of pride at being the first Dominican winner and a child of immigrants, there were plenty of opportunities for waterworks at home.<\/p>\n

Since we’d already gone through half a box of tissues during\u00a0Andrew Garfield’s heartfelt tribute to Goldie Hawn, a favorite of his late mom’s, we really were not prepared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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08<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Spring Chicken: Mick Jagger<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Mick<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bob Dylan (whose story was told in the nominated film\u00a0A Complete Unknown)\u00a0<\/em>passed on the opportunity to present Best Original Song, telling the Academy to find someone younger to do it. That someone younger … was Mick Jagger, who at 81 is a full, spry two years Bob Dylan’s junior.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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09<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Biggest Lie: ‘I Won’t Waste Time’<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Los<\/div>\n<\/div>
Myung J. Chun\/getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When O’Brien brought out the sandworm from\u00a0Dune\u00a0<\/em>and a dancing Deadpool to assure us the show wouldn’t go long, it was tongue-in-cheek … but when he later told us, about two hours into the show, that we were only halfway through, we had to wonder: Was he playing us all along?! (In the end, the show clocked in a mere 45 minutes longer than its stated 10 p.m. end time.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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10<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Razzle-Dazzle: Glittering Gowns<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Selena<\/div>\n<\/div>
Gilbert Flores\/Penske Media via Getty; Scott Kirkland\/Disney via Getty; Gilbert Flores\/Penske Media via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So many stars hit the red carpet in high-shine attire that almost looked like armor, including three particular standouts: Selena Gomez in a Ralph Lauren gown sewn with thousands of glass beads, Emma Stone in a rhinestone-embellished Louis Vuitton tank dress and Halle Berry in a shattered-mirror effect Christian Siriano gown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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11<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Bling: Giant Necklaces on Everybody<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Elle<\/div>\n<\/div>
Gregg DeGuire\/Penske Media via Getty; Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic; Michael Buckner\/Penske Media via Getty(2)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who needs to take home an Oscar when you’ve got hardware like this on your neck? Elle Fanning wore Cartier, Isabella Rossellini selected a striking Bulgari sapphire-and-diamond necklace, Scarlett Johansson wore 74+ carats of De Beers diamonds and Mikey Madison shined in a Tiffany & Co. Archives diamond necklace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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12<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Throwback to a Worst Moment: Halle Berry Plants One on Adrian Brody<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Adrien<\/div>\n<\/div>
TIMOTHY A. CLARY\/AFP via Getty; The Academy\/Instagram<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Adrien Brody won his first Oscar in 2003 for\u00a0The Pianist,<\/em>\u00a0he raced up the stairs and planted one on presenter Halle Berry,\u00a0who later said she had been taken by surprise, and not in a good way. Brody recently acknowledged the awkward moment, and Berry got him back by surprising him with a smooch on the red carpet Sunday night \u2014 hours before he’d go on to win his second Oscar.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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13<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most Willing to Test John Lithgow’s Patience: The ‘Emil\u00eda Perez’ Songwriters<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"French<\/div>\n<\/div>
PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conan O’Brien promised that winners who went long would get frowned off the stage by a “not mad, just disappointed” John Lithgow. The winners for Best Original Song, Camille, Cl\u00e9ment Ducol and Jacques Audiard (also the film’s director) took the stage with a song in their heart, harmonizing happily as the orchestra began to play them off the stage. Lithgow? Your thoughts?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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14<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Case for Pre-Writing Your Speech: Adrien Brody<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Adrien<\/div>\n<\/div>
Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As far as viral Oscars speech moments go, Adrien Brody\u00a0tossing his gum to girlfriend Georgina Chapman\u00a0is, well, a definite improvement on his Halle Berry kiss \u2014 but he didn’t keep that momentum going. Instead, he launched into\u00a0a lengthy and somewhat meandering Best Actor acceptance speech\u00a0for his role as a Holocaust survivor and architect in\u00a0The Brutalist,\u00a0<\/em>and commanded the orchestra to stop playing him off, promising “I’ll be brief.”<\/p>\n

But he then took another few long beats to thank even more people on his list before getting to the point: \u201cI’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and of anti-semitism and racism and of othering, and I believe and I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world. And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.\u201d<\/p>\n

A worthy sentiment that would have been much more impactful if he’d delivered it well before the conductor picked up his baton.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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15<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Men Not in Black: Stars Who Opted for Non-Traditional Tuxes<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Mandatory<\/div>\n<\/div>
Todd Williamson\/January Images\/Shutterstock; David Fisher\/Shutterstock; Gregg DeGuire\/Penske Media via Getty; Gilbert Flores\/Penske Media via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Anyone can (and does!) look smashing in a black tuxedo. These stars decided to stand out in something entirely different, from Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet’s all-yellow ensemble to Andrew Garfield’s shiny brown shirt to Jeremy Strong’s artichoke-green Loro Piano tux to Colman Domingo’s vibrant cardinal-red dinner jacket.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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16<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Use of the LAFD at an Awards Show So Far<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"LAFD<\/div>\n<\/div>
PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since\u00a0the devastating L.A. wildfires\u00a0at the beginning of January, each awards show has honored the men and women of the L.A. Fire Department in its own way. But the Oscars decided to put the firefighters to work, having them read them some of the jokes O’Brien said he wasn’t brave enough to deliver. \u201cAll of our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes,” one deadpanned. “I\u2019m talking about the producers of\u00a0Joker 2.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, who better to know a sick burn than a firefighter?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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17<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Most Surprising In Memoriam Snubs<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"HOLLYWOOD,<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every year, beloved names are missed in the In Memoriam tribute, but people were especially disappointed to see Michelle Trachtenberg \u2014 who launched Nickelodeon Movies with\u00a0Harriet the Spy<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 excluded from the lineup\u00a0after her untimely death at 39 last week. Other omissions that stung: Shannen Doherty, indelible in\u00a0Heathers,<\/em>\u00a0Martin Mull, a standout in\u00a0Clue,\u00a0<\/em>and Morgan Spurlock, whose documentary\u00a0Super-Size Me<\/em>\u00a0was Oscar-nominated in 2004.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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18<\/span>of 18<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Surprise: Anora’s Big Night<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\"Cast<\/div>\n<\/div>
Kevin Winter\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many felt that this was one of the most unpredictable Oscars in a while, but few predicted that\u00a0Anora<\/em>\u00a0would take so many of the top categories, including\u00a0an upset Best Actress win for Mikey Madison\u00a0and the night’s top honor, Best Picture.<\/p>\n

“One last thing: I wanna thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film,” director Sean Baker declared in his speech. “This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists. Long live independent film.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Conan O’Brien’s promise not to waste our time (did he keep it?) to surprising In Memoriam snubs, these were the highs, lows and uh-ohs of the Academy Awards Photo:\u00a0Mike Coppola\/Getty; Rich Polk\/Penske Media via Getty; Frank Micelotta\/Disney via Getty… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions\/129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/htd.sofamoci.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}