Hollywood’s most sensational night never fails to deliver its signature blend of glamor, glory, tears, and the perfect sprinkle of scandal–and the 2025 Oscars were no exception. March 2nd marked the gilded night of historic wins, baffling snubs, and acceptance speeches that ranged from heartfelt to downright unhinged. For some viewers, the highs, lows, and outright bizarre moments that defined the 97th annual Academy awards match perfectly with popcorn, but others find that a good ole’ sharpened pitchfork is most appropriate after the ceremony’s results.
Though late-night-prodigy Conan O’Brien was named as the host for the night, the 97th annual Oscars ceremony opened with a mesmerizing (and visibly emotional) performance from “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The duo collaborated on a harmonizing medley of Judy Garland’ classic, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, “Home” from the 1978 musical “The Wiz”, and, finally, the duo riled the crowd with Wicked’s most iconic number, “Defying Gravity”.
“Anora” emerged as the big winner of the night, snagging five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing). Not only did it receive exceptional praise from the Academy, but the acceptance speeches also captured the hearts of the audience. Sean Baker not only directed the masterpiece, but also wrote, produced, and edited it—a feat that proved to pay off. Baker alone won four academy awards that night for his contributions to the film, rivaling the record set by Walt Disney for the most Oscars won by a single person in one night. In addition, he also became the first person to win four Oscars for a single film. With an ear-to-ear smile for each announcing of his name, Baker transformed his personal milestones into awareness for marginalized communities. Notably, he highlighted the sex worker community, saying, “I want to thank the sex worker community. They have shared their stories. They have shared their life experience with me over the years. My deepest respect. Thank you—I share this with you”.
For another one of Baker’s wins, he delivered a more general message, relevant to every member in the audience, pleading with them to continue seeking films in theaters and supporting local cinemas in the wake of the current streaming boom. “In a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever,” Baker said. “It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home… If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry.” Even without saying much, Baker continues to inspire aspiring creatives and prove that, despite uneven odds, a true artist can still execute a masterpiece. With a modest 6 million dollar budget, “Anora” was one of the lowest budgeted major films of the night—yet it still took home the most accolades.
Baker’s leading muse for “Anora” was Mikey Madison, whose dedication to her role paid off as she won the Oscar for Best Actress. Despite being a fresh name tossed into the mix of A-Listers, Madison has made waves for her commitment to portraying her role with genuine care and awareness. During her speech, she echoed her director’s sentiments: “I want to again recognize the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally.” Madison’s win was widely well-received, though a portion of viewers had rooted for industry veteran Demi Moore for her starring role in “The Substance” — a potential symbolic victory given the film’s themes of industry beauty standards and the stigma against aging.
The grace that Madison received for her inspiring Best Actress win was not extended to Adrien Brody for his Best Actor win for “The Brutalist”. The internet’s controversy over the ethics of this film had already been in full motion, even before the ceremony. Brody, in particular, was criticized for his performance, as some claimed his portrayal of an architect seeking refuge from Europe felt disingenuous due to the assistance of AI for his faux-Austrian accent. Considering that other major films like “Emilia Perez”, faced similar backlash, it appears the Academy turned a total blind eye to the controversy.
What was not so easily concealable, however, was the disaster that was Brody’s acceptance speech. Despite the Academy’s usual cap of 45 seconds for speeches, Brody babbled for over five minutes. When the orchestra began playing him off at the 45 second mark, he shushed them and continued his tangent, claiming that he’d ‘make it brief’. “I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up,” he promised. “Turn the music off. I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo.” Fortunately, his speech was not entirely pointless, as he addressed a particularly topical issue tackled in “The Brutalist”: the rise of global anti-semitism. “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”. While Brody’s win was certainly contentious, his platforming of Jewish voices was undeniably a sentiment worth celebrating.
As with all sensationalized award shows, the ceremony itself wasn’t the only source of related scandal. Academy voters caught strays after Variety received an exclusive on the internal decision-making for category wins. One particularly damning revelation involved Best Actor voters, when two electors admitted they didn’t vote for Ralph Fiennes’ leading role in “Conclave” because they mistakenly believed “he had won before.” When corrected, their response was a regretful “Oh s–t!” To make matters worse, not only has Fiennes never won despite three nominations, but Adrien Brody has already won for “The Pianist” in 2003. While this scandal wont trigger a full-fledged rebellion against the Academy, it certainly reinforces the ‘corrupt voting’ allegations.
On a more positive note, odds were beaten when “No Other Land” took home Best Documentary. The film, detailing the struggles of Palestinian activists protecting their communities, showed the struggles of both Palestinians and Israelis. Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist, Yuval Abraham took the stage together to advocate for peace. “When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal,” Abraham stated. “We live in a regime where I am free under civilian law and Basel is under military laws that destroy his life. There is a different path, a political solution without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people.” Basel further condemned the rise of anti-semitism and expressed hope that his newborn daughter wouldn’t have to live in constant fear of violence, home demolitions, and forced displacements, like he has.
The 2025 Academy Awards also saw a sweep for “A Real Pain” with Kieran Culkin winning Best Supporting Actor. This win continued Culkin’s award-season streak, as he previously won all major awards for his role, similarly to Mikey Madison. However, the film, centered around two cousins traveling to Poland to honor their Grandmother, who died in the Holocaust, stirred controversy, since Kieran Culkin is not Jewish. Director (and simultaneous star) of the film, Jesse Eisenberg defended his casting choice, arguing that he had an “instinct” that Culkin was right for the role, and felt they would “feel right together”. Regardless of the mild scandal, the film was overall praised for its honest depiction of grief and generational discrimination.
Culkin’s acceptance speech, on the other hand, raised eyebrows. Having given multiple acceptance speeches this season for all his wins, he seemingly ran out of people to thank–so he instead dedicated his speech to his wife, Jazz Charlton who, according to Culkin, promised long ago that she would have their fourth child when he “won an Oscar”. In a fit of laughter, she conceded, agreeing to (in Culkin’s words) “get cracking on those kids”. Though humorous and wholesome, some felt the sentiment might have been better if delivered behind closed doors.
When the topic of “Emilia Perez” came up, host Conan O’Brien didn’t shy away from the scandalous nature of the film’s hype. Addressing the controversy surrounding lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón’s racist, oppressive, and shockingly recent tweets, O’Brien leaned into humor, joking: “Little fact for you, Anora uses the f-word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist.” As the camera panned to Gascon among the audience, she seemed unbothered and in good spirits. But that didn’t stop O’Brien from delivering another savagely hilarious punchline, this time throwing a fellow late-night host under the bus: “Karla Sofía Gascón is here tonight. And, Karla, if you’re going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.”
Beyond Conan O’Brien’s roasting of the “Emilia Perez” controversy, Zoe Saldana later took home Best Supporting Actress for her role as Rita Castro in the Spanish-language musical—much to the dismay of a significant portion of viewers. While a select group of critics praised the film ahead of its official release, “Emilia Perez” has since faced criticism from nearly all other angles. Despite being a Spanish-language film set in Mexico, the movie has been accused of perpetuating harmful racial stereotypes and lacking cultural authenticity–an issue that the film’s French director, Jacques Audiard, has struggled to justify. His refusal to infuse the movie with genuine Mexican experiences only intensified the backlash. Still, despite the audience’s widespread condemnation of the film, Saldana has dominated this awards season, winning Best Supporting Actress at the SAG awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice, and even Cannes.
Many believe that with Saldana’s win for Best Supporting Actress, her fellow nominee, Ariana Grande was robbed for her portrayal of Glinda in “Wicked”. Fans have specifically called out the Academy for what they see as blatant “viewer-bait”, pointing out that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were invited to open the ceremony—only to be entirely overlooked in their respective categories.
“Wicked” wasn’t entirely snubbed though, as the fantastical musical took home two Oscars. Artist Paul Tazewell made history as the first ever Black man to win for Best Costume Design, a milestone he simultaneously acknowledged and slighted in his acceptance speech. As he stood unrelenting on stage, the audience—filled with his peers—both physically and emotionally rose in solidarity, applauding the ridiculously overdue recognition. In addition to its Costume Design win, “Wicked” also claimed Best Production Design, with Lee Sandeles and Nathan Crowley accepting the award on behalf of the film’s artistic team. The win marked Crowley’s first Oscar after six nominations and Sandales’ first win after three nominations. The duo has already snagged several accolades for their work on “Wicked”, including the Critics’ Choice Award and the BAFTA.
Despite “Wicked”’s cultural phenomenon status and its massive 729 million dollar box office run, Oz enthusiasts have already shifted their focus to the highly anticipated sequel, “Wicked: For Good”, set to release this November. Many (including the Academy’s publicists) optimistically hope the second installment will gain even more traction and recognition at the 2026 ceremony, hopefully snagging more awards than the year before.
And it’s not just avenging “Wicked” enthusiasts looking ahead to next year’s Oscars. The upcoming release season boasts a promising lineup of potential nominees, riling hopes for an even more thrilling awards race. Without fail, the one thing we can always count on with the Academy Awards is to be slapped in the face with controversy, scandal, and discourse. Pun intended.
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/best-director-2025-oscars-5d037ce0db30f741f616e2faa97c3fdc
https://www.slashfilm.com/1803811/important-reason-anora-director-sean-baker-thanked-sex-workers-oscars/
Inside Adrien Brody’s Oscar-Winning Turn as an Architect in ‘The Brutalist’
https://www.deseret.com/faith/2025/03/03/adrien-brody-oscar-speech/
https://apnews.com/article/best-supporting-actor-2025-oscars-97fa07da6c4ce48fec65eaebd3630635
https://www.eonline.com/news/1414284/emilia-perez-star-karla-sofia-gascon-speaks-out-after-conan-obriens-oscars-joke
https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/03/03/oscars-2025-how-many-oscars-did-wicked-win/
https://www.billboard.com/lists/broadway-musical-films-biggest-box-office-wicked/
Photo Credits:
Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Sean Baker Photo: Scott Kirkland/Disney via Getty Images
Mikey Madison Phot: Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty
Yuval Abraham & Basel Adra Photo: Rich Polk
Kieran Culkin Photo: Rich Polk/Getty Images
Zoe Saldana Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Paul Tazewell Photo: Gavin Bond/Disney
