Taking place on March 12, 2023, or the early morning of March 13, 2023, for Indian audiences, the 95th Academy Awards had a bunch of awkward Oscars 2023 moments that stood out throughout the event. Ultimately, this is what viewers actually tune in for and we’ve got all the heat of the biggest award ceremony of the year.
Hosted by the American TV host and comedian, Jimmy Kimmel, the show was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where Vanessa Hudgens, Lilly Singh and Ashley Graham helmed the pre-show interviews for the night. Following the boisterous infamous exchange between Chris Rock and Will Smith at last year’s Oscars, it was but obvious that the incident would be brought up this time around, especially with Kimmel taking the mic as the host.
Known for his dry humour and comments that don’t necessarily stick the landing with all audiences, Jimmy made it a point to refer to the notorious slap to fuel his jokes, which eventually left the people watching him on screen exhausted after a point. Some even passed lighthearted remarks about recreating the same moment in order to get him off stage. Alas, that’s not all there was to these uncomfortable moments of the night. Here are a few more of them, and some of them are just plain uncomfortable to watch and have cricket noises sounding in the background, while others compelled us to let out a chuckle or two.
Some Awkward Oscars 2023 Moments
Hugh Grant’s Pre-Show Interview With Ashley Graham
Bringing to you, the most awkward highlight of the Oscars this year – the pre-show interview with Hugh Grant (also a presenter) and Ashley Graham. Oh boy oh boy, Ashley tried her all to coax out an appropriate answer from the industry veteran, but it looks like his heart wasn’t in it, which brought forth the most curt and half-hearted responses of all time. Netizens were taken aback upon witnessing this encounter and while some laughed it office calling Grant their ‘spirit animal’, others couldn’t accept his rudeness and wondered why he agreed to be interviewed in the first place if he had no interest in being there.
From him scoffing at being called a ‘Veteran of the Oscars’, to being asked about his favourite thing about the ceremony, if he was rooting for anyone, who his tailor was, and, of course, the Vanity Fair miscommunication and his comment about him starring in Glass Onion for barely three seconds, the entire interview was a rollercoaster. Even more so for Graham than for us, as she left the dice rolling despite barely getting any form of reciprocation.
Austin Butler – Laverne Cox Champagne Carpet Interview
In yet another fashion story of the night, Laverne Cox tried to get Austin Butler’s take on the “story” he was trying to tell with his outfit. However, this exchange barely panned out the way she wanted it to, because Butler just left her with an “I don’t know”, which probably left all of us speechless just as much as it did her and led to the interview being concluded abruptly.
The Not So Red, but Champagne Carpet
Yes, so the red carpet was not red this time. The Academy switched the colours up for change and rolled out the champagne carpet instead, which as the viewers complained, didn’t even sparkle. All the dirt on the carpet was way too evident for it to go unnoticed, and what made this even worse is the fact that many artists chose to come out sporting their beige, or white attires, making for some strange and unpleasing clicks of the night.
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Lady Gaga Going Back to Help the Photographer Who Fell During the Champagne Carpet Event
While snapping pictures of celebrities on the champagne carpet, a photographer dashed past Lady Gaga, and eventually fell down. In a heart-warming sequence, the singer quickly retraced her steps and went back to help him up, charting yet another instance of her humility coming to the forefront.
Jimmy Kimmel Poking Fun at Babylon in His Opening Monologue
Followed by, Kimmel’s Dry Humour Bringing in Women to His Avatar Way of the Water Joke
The gasps from the audience each time around made the reaction loud and clear.
Angela Bassett’s Reaction to Jamie Lee Curtis Winning the Best Supporting Actress Award
There are a lot of people who believe that Angela Bassett and Stephanie Hsu were snubbed for their performances in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Everything Everywhere All At Once respectively. And Bassett’s disappointment couldn’t have been more accurately portrayed by anyone else than her own reaction spoke volumes after Jamie Lee Curtis bagged the award for the Best Supporting Actress.
Her heartbroken emotions were loud and clear, and though Curtis won her first Academy Award at the event, we won’t be able to forget Bassett being shut out like that.
Elizabeth Banks – Nearly Trips on Stage – Voice Cracks – All While Presenting the Award With Cocaine Bear
Almost as if paying homage to her Hunger Games co-star Jennifer Lawrence’s epic fall at the Oscars 2013, Elizabeth Banks, who’s directed the 2023 horror comedy Cocaine Bear, stepped out with the titular lead of her film to present the Oscar for Best Visual Effects and nearly tripped. Following the incident, she regained her composure, but was nonetheless stunned and continued to tip-to-walk on the stage, which made the scene even more hilarious.
It didn’t end there. The comical walk had an even more iconic follow-up as she took the mic to hold Cocaine Bear accountable for tripping her, all of which was echoed in one voice crack after another.
Finally, Jimmy Kimmel Startling Malala Yousafzai With the ‘Spitgate’ Question
The Harry Styles-Chris Pine ‘Spitgate’ debate has been ongoing since the Don’t Worry Darling promotion days of 2022. Yet of all people Jimmy could’ve turned to discuss the matter once again, he chose the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. Not only was she stunned by the question, but she also shut him out with her dignified elegance, claiming that she “only talks about peace”.
Is there are any other moment from the award show that you just can’t get out of your head for all the wrong reasons? Let us know your favourite hilarious takes on this year’s Academy Awards in the comments section below.
The Oscars 2023 replay is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.