From animal guests to thoughtful acceptance speeches, the 2023 Oscars had several best moments and a few worst. Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue warmed up the audience for the rest of the night, as did the “Everything Everywhere All At Once” dominating the acting categories and taking home best picture.
Kimmel lost momentum when he turned to random members of the audience to ask irrelevant questions, and those responsible for playing off winners didn’t do so consistently. Here are TheWrap’s best and worst moments of the 2023 Oscars:
Best: Jimmy Kimmel’s Monologue
In the wake of his “Top Gun: Maverick” spoof trailer for hosting the Oscars, host Jimmy Kimmel parachuted onto the stage. His monologue — which did reference The Slap multiple times — then surprised and delighted many, referencing several of the nominated movies, calling out James Cameron and Tom Cruise — who begged everyone to go see movies in theaters — for not attending the long Oscars ceremony this year.
Kimmel warned anyone that may want to approach him like last year would have to go through Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan), Michelle Yeoh as her “Everything Everywhere All At Once” character, Andrew Garfield and two Guillermos to get to him. H e then joked that a group of dancers from “Naatu Naatu” would be ready to dance any speaker who took too long off stage.
Best: Ke Huy Quan Wins Best Supporting Actor
Ke Huy Quan became the second Asian to win in the Best Supporting Actor category in 38 years. He tearfully made sure to mention his mother first in his acceptance speech. He was the expected winner after sweeping all the previous shows from the Golden Globes to the SAG Awards. Quan’s shoutout to his “Goonies” pal and his reminder to never give up kicked off the energy for the night. “I almost gave up on my [dream,]” he said onstage. “To all of you out there: Please keep your dreams alive.”
Best: Jamie Lee Curtis Wins Best Supporting Actress
Jamie Lee Curtis won the Academy Award for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” shouting out her cast members, crew and the directors behind the film to emphasize the team effort that it was. Curtis, who has responded to the Nepo baby discourse, also dedicated her Award to her late parents Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, saying “We won an Oscar!”
Best: “Navalny” Wins Best Documentary Feature Film a Year After Russian Invasion of Ukraine
“Navalny” winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short poignantly reminded viewers that it has been over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. The documentary, directed by Daniel Roher, follows the story of Russian dissident and former presidential candidate Alexei Navalny. Roher reminded the audience of the relevance of their victory, and then he let wife of Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya speak.
“My husband is in prison just for telling the truth. My husband is in prison just for defending democracy,” she said. “Alexei — I am dreaming the day when you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong, my love”
Best: Jonathan Majors and Michael B Jordan Shout Out Angela Bassett
Before the “Creed III” actors began their teleprompter spiel, they looked in Bassett’s direction saying “Hey Auntie, We love you,” moments after Bassett lost the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. They approached the stage to present the award for best cinematography, shouting out Spike Lee’s work in “Malcolm X” and Orson Welles’ technique.
Majors wore an elegant suit inspired by abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Best: Jenny the Donkey’s Cameo
Host Jimmy Kimmel brought Jenny the Donkey, star of “The Banshees of Inisherin,” out on the stage after the film, wearing a gold sparkly sash denoting that she is an Emotional Support Donkey, or she was when they needed to get her on the flight over here. He then pointed out Jenny’s costars in the audience and joked that they needed to get her back for her Spirit Airlines return flight.
Worst: Playing Off Speeches
Judy Chin, co-winner of the Oscar for Makeup and Hairstyling for “The Whale” got played offstage before finishing her speech. Annemarie Bradley didn’t get any time on the mic. Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Mongadouble were also cut off during their acceptance speech for the Best Documentary Oscar for “The Elephant Whisperers.” Winners for Best Animated Short Film “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and The Horse,” were not cut off, leading fans to complain about the inconsistency.
Best: Ruth Carter Pays Tribute to Her Mother and Chadwick Boseman
Ruth Carter won her second Oscar for costume design in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She also won for the original “Black Panther” film. Carter shouted out her mother, who died this week, asking Chadwick to please take care of her. She described her mom as every woman in the Marvel sequel film. “This is for my mother, she was 101,” Carter said.
Best: “Naatu Naatu” Performance
The lively performance of “Naatu Naatu, the first song from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar, delivered a great dose of Bollywood pep after foreshadowed in Kimmel’s monologue. The song was expected to win for “RRR,” defeating Lady Gaga’s “Holdy My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” and Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Best: Rihanna’s Performance of “Lift Me Up”
Fresh off her electric Super Bowl halftime show performance, Rihanna took another elevated stage to belt out “Lift Me Up,” her nominated song from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She definitely rivaled Lady Gaga’s performance of “Hold My Hand.” The singer and Fenti makeup creator joked that her son with Travis Scott must be jealous that his soon-to-be sibling will be attending the Oscars and not him.
Best: Cocaine Bear Without Visual or Special Effects
Elizabeth Banks went up on stage to present the award for Visual Effects, and someone dressed in a bear costume followed her. She joked that without special effects, her latest film “Cocaine Bear” would have looked like that. The Bear also came back during Kimmel’s question section.
Best: “Naatu Naatu” Song Acceptance Speech
Songwriters M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose won for Original Song for “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR.” Keeravani sang his speech to the Carpenters tune “Top of the World,” noting the duo was an influence on him growing up.
Best: The Daniels Win Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Directors
Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan took the stage many times, and made sure their speeches were memorable. Scheinert thanked his parents in indulging him in his creative phase, including dressing in “drag,” which he declared “is a threat to no one.”
Kwan thanked his immigrant parents, saying, “We are all products of our context. We are all descendants of something and someone.”
Worst: Jimmy Kimmel’s Malala Joke
To ask Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, something so trivial about Harry Styles seemed disrespectful, especially when so many women are fighting for rights around the world and against totalitarian regimes.
His longstanding “feud” against Matt Damon fell flat too, especially since Damon was not present at the awards.
Best: Michelle Yeoh Wins Best Actress
Yeoh became only the second woman of color and first Asian to win Best Actress. The icing on the cake? She was presented the award by the first woman of color to do so: Halle Berry.
