Must-see moments! The stars were shining bright in Hollywood as celebrity A-listers descended upon the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, March 12 — and the fun continued all night long.
Host Jimmy Kimmel set the tone at the historic 95th annual Academy Awards with his opening monologue peppered with his trademark sense of humor. The comedian, 55, didn’t shy away from jokes about Will Smith, who infamously rocked the 2022 Oscars when he slapped presenter Chris Rock for his dig at wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
“We have nominees from every corner of Dublin,” Kimmel revealed. “Five Irish actors are nominated tonight. Which means the odds of another fight on stage just went way up.”
Elsewhere in his speech, the talk show host pointed out that the Academy was taking last year’s surprise attack very seriously.
“If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech. But seriously, the Academy has a crisis team in place,” Kimmel said, referencing how Smith, 54, took home the Best Actor Oscar in 2022 for King Richard after the onstage assault. “If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the show, sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug.” (The Wild Wild West actor has since apologized for his actions. Smith was also banned from all Academy events for 10 years and is no longer a member of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.)
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host quipped: “And if any of you get mad at a joke and decide you want to get jiggy with it — it’s not going to be easy.” He then pointed to actors Michael B. Jordan, who is known for his role as a boxer in Creed, Andrew Garfield, who has played Spider-Man, and Michelle Yeoh, who famously starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as audience members who would have his back. (Later in the evening, Yeoh, 60, won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.)
Kimmel playfully added, “No nonsense tonight. We have no time for shenanigans.”
As the awards show got underway, the cast of Everything Everywhere All at Once quickly won two major categories back-to-back. Ke Huy Quan was brought to tears while accepting the trophy for Best Supporting Actor.
“Mom, I just won an Oscar!” the 51-year-old actor started off his speech. “They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This — this — is the American dream!”
Jamie Lee Curtis was equally as surprised when she won Best Supporting Actress for the drama 60 years after her late mother, Janet Leigh, was nominated for an Oscar in the same category. Her late father, Tony Curtis, was also an Academy Award nominee during his career, but neither of her parents ever won.
“I know it looks like I’m standing up here by myself, but I am not,” the 64-year-old actress told the audience. “I am hundreds of people … The group of artists who made this movie, we just won an Oscar!” (The film also won Best Picture.)
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Check out Us Weekly’s video above to relive the best moments from the 2023 Oscars — including Rihanna and Lady Gaga’s stripped-down performances.
