Oscars 2022: What Was Your Favorite Moment of the Night? (POLL)
The 2022 Oscars were truly a sight to behold. The night was filled with exciting wins and good laughs, and of course, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock.
Outside of that unforgettable incident, the 94th Academy Awards was a night of historic firsts, energetic live performances, thrilling surprises, and reunions for the casts of some of Hollywood’s most beloved films. It even featured an upbeat In Memoriam tribute that felt like more of a celebration than a memorial. And after several years of Oscars host confusion and chaos, Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer proved to be thoroughly entertaining joint hosts.
For better or worse, nothing will be more memorable than Smith and Rock’s interaction and the chaos that ensued. But here are some of the other memorable moments from the night. Be sure to cast your vote in our poll below to let us know which Oscars moment you loved most.
Encanto Cast Performing “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” with Megan Thee Stallion
The cast and musicians behind the Encanto soundtrack performed two of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs from the now Oscar-winning animated film during the ceremony. Colombian singer Sebastián Yatra went first, performing the Oscar-nominated “Dos Oruguitas.”
Members of the Encanto cast — joined by Becky G and Luis Fonsi — later performed “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” live for the first time. Megan Thee Stallion also joined them in a surprise appearance, delivering a new, Oscars-themed verse for the viral song.
Historic Wins
The 94th Academy Awards marked milestone wins. At the beginning of the night, Ariana DeBose’s Best Supporting Actress win made her the first Afro Latina, openly queer actor of color to win an Oscar. Watching her accept the honor was Rita Moreno, who also won Best Supporting Actress for playing Anita in West Side Story in 1961. Up until DeBose, Moreno was the first and only Latina actor to win an acting Oscar.
Later in the evening, Jane Campion won Best Director for The Power of the Dog, marking the first time women have won Best Director two years in a row. Chloé Zhao won for Nomadland in 2021. Campion is also the only woman to be nominated for Best Director twice. Her first Best Director nomination was for 1993’s The Piano.
CODA‘s three wins were also historic milestones. Troy Kotsur became the first deaf male actor to win an Oscar in history. His CODA costar, Marlee Matlin, is the only other deaf actor to have won an acting Oscar. She won Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God in 1987.
CODA is also the first feature film with a largely deaf cast to win Best Picture. And it made Apple TV+ the first streaming platform to win Best Picture.
Film Legend Appearances
Peppered into the ceremony were cast reunions from beloved films like White Men Can’t Jump, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, and Juno. To that end, Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, Woody Harrelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Al Pacino, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, and Elliot Page, Jennifer Garner, and J.K. Simmons took to the stage to reminisce on their films and present awards.
In one of the best surprises of the night, Lady Gaga presented Best Picture with the legendary Liza Minnelli. After Minnelli struggled a bit to get through the teleprompter text, the House of Gucci star leaned down and said “I got you” under her breath, not realizing their mics were hot. Minnelli replied, “I know.” And the internet wept.
Oscar Host Shenanigans
Sykes, Hall, and Schumer ended up being solid hosts for the evening. Their opening monologue trolled the audience and called out the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida. Schumer later delivered a searing roast of the nominees and audience. And Hall’s “COVID test” bit was a hit among viewers.
The hosts later appeared dressed as characters from their favorite movies of the year. Sykes dressed as Smith’s Richard Williams from King Richard. Hall dressed as Venus Williams as Tammy Faye, and Schumer descended from the ceiling as Spider-Man.
What was your favorite part of the 2022 Oscars? Let us know in the poll below.
