Will Smith hits jokes, big wins for Everything, Everywhere at Once, stirring speeches, and disturbing snubs
While last year’s Oscars were essentially about the slap that was seen around the world, the 2023 Oscars attempted to steer clear of that controversial moment.
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Everything everywhere at once emerged as the night’s most notable winner, winning seven of the 11 awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan) and Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Here are must-see moments you missed at the 2023 Oscars:
Jimmy Kimmel attacks Will Smith, who slaps Chris Rock
Jimmy Kimmel opened the event and of course the comedian couldn’t help but take a stab at last year’s biggest controversy when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars stage.
This is the first year the Oscars have assembled a “crisis response team” in case of other unexpected circumstances.
“If someone commits an act of violence in this theater at any point during the show, you’ll be awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor and get to give a 19-minute speech,” Kimmel joked to the audience.
“If something unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year, nothing. Sit there and do absolutely nothing. You might even hug the attacker.”
For those who even wanted to try, Kimmel had a warning:
“If any of you guys get mad at a joke and decide to come here and ‘get upset’, ‘then they have to go through Adonis Creed to get to me,'” he said as the cameras cut to him Creed III Star Michael B Jordan.
“You have to fight Michelle Yeoh before you come to me,” Kimmel continued as she struck a fierce pose from her seat before the camera snapped onto other protectors including Pedro “The Mandalorian” Pascal, Andrew “Spider-Man” Garfield, Steven “Jaws” Spielberg, and of course Guillermo, Kimmel’s late-night pal.
“The sweet little man will beat the Lydia Tár out of you.”
But Kimmel’s jokes weren’t just aimed at Smith/Rock, he was trying avatar Director James Cameron (and women directors in general).
“Why doesn’t the academy nominate the guy who directed it avatar? What do you think a woman is?” Kimmel said.
The Oscars host also poked fun at Steven Spielberg, who this year became the first to be nominated for his film in six different decades The Fabelmans.
“Steven Spielberg and Seth Rogen. what a couple The Joe and Hunter Biden of Hollywood,” Kimmel said.
In a moment that drew a particularly loud response, Kimmel compared TV shows to movies, saying there are some things movies can do that TV can’t, like losing $100 million.
“Is the gang over? Babylon Here? You know,” Kimmel said after setup.
The emotional speeches by Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser for Best Actress and Best Actor
The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to two favorites during awards season, with Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser delivering particularly moving speeches.
Yeoh made history as the first Asian woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars Everything everywhere at once.
“To all the little boys and girls who look like me tonight, this is a beacon of hope and opportunity,” she said in her acceptance speech. “This is proof that dreams are big and dreams come true.”
“And ladies, don’t let anyone tell you you’ve ever passed your prime.”
Brendan Fraser, who grew up in Toronto, won the Best Actor award The whale.
“I started in this business 30 years ago and things didn’t come easily to me,” Fraser said. “But there was one facility I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped.
“I just want to say thank you for this recognition.”
Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis win big
The Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards were highly anticipated ahead of the Oscars.
Ke Huy Quan was brought to tears and brought tears to others after winning Everything everywhere at once. The actor has been very open about being largely absent from Hollywood following his roles Encino man 1992 (with Oscar nominee Brendan Fraser), The Goonies 1985 & Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984, since Asian actors did not have roles in front of the camera.
“Mom, I just won an Oscar!” Quan said as he accepted his prize.
“My journey began on a boat,” he denied. “I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage.”
“They say stories like that only happen in movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This, this is the American Dream.”
Shortly after Quan’s victory, his Everything everywhere at once Co-star Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress. We could see Curtis say “shut up” after her win was announced.
“To all the people who have supported the genre films I’ve made over the years … we just won an Oscar together,” Curtis said.
“And my mom and dad were both nominated for Oscars in different categories,” she added, before looking up and saying, “I just won an Oscar.”
Curtis’ mother, Janet Leigh, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1961 Psycho. She lost to Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry.
Her father, Tony Curtis, was nominated for the Best Actor award The Defiant.
Canadian Sarah Polley wins for “Women Talking”
In another Canadian highlight, Sarah Polley won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for her film women talk, based on the novel by Miriam Toews.
“I want to thank the Academy for not being offended to death when the words ‘women’ and ‘talking’ are so close together,” Polley said.
“Miriam Toews has written an essential novel about a radical act of democracy in which people who disagree on everything manage to sit in a room and non-violently find a way forward. They do this not just by casually talking, but also by listening. The last line of our film is… “Your story will be different from ours.” It’s a promise, a commitment and an anchor, and I want to say that with all my might to my three incredible children.”
Polley quickly garnered support from Canadians who responded online.
This follows significant criticism that all of the nominees in the Best Director category for the 2023 Oscars were all men, with many specifically claiming that Polley should have been nominated alongside Gina Prince-Bythewood The Woman King.
‘Turning Red’ nudge
While Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro was widely hailed as an animation masterpiece, with some people particularly upset that the Canadian is Domee Shi’s To redden did not win in the Best Animated Feature Film category.
Other people on social media were quick to point out that they believe Angela Bassett was “robbed” of her Oscars Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
