“View gallery Image Credit: Disney The 2025 Oscars started off on a literal high note with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo‘s Wicked performance. Throughout the evening, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences honored their picks in film, from actors to directors, costume design and, of course, the Best Picture winner! But did the”, — write: hollywoodlife.com
View gallery 
Image Credit: Disney The 2025 Oscars started off on a literal high note with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo‘s Wicked performance. Throughout the evening, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences honored their picks in film, from actors to directors, costume design and, of course, the Best Picture winner! But did the entire evening live up to its full potential for viewers? Hollywood Life has rounded up some of the best — and worst — moments from the Oscars below.
Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo’s Performance: Best There’s no question that Ariana and Cynthia’s gravity-defying duet brought everyone inside the Dolby Theatre and viewers watching from home to tears. Ariana started off the awards ceremony with a performance of Judy Garland’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” before Cynthia took over to sing “Home.” The two powerhouse singers then reunited on stage to sing “Defying Gravity.”
Aside from their epic performance, Ariana and Cynthia’s wardrobe also slayed. The pop star and Best Supporting Actress nominee changed out of her red carpet look into a sparkling ruby red gown. As for Cynthia, the Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee graced the stage in a white ball gown that was accented with floral arrangements, exuding fairytale vibes.
Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images Hulu’s Live Stream Gets Cut: Worst For millions of Hulu subscribers around the world, the live stream abruptly cut off right when they were about to announce who won in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category.
Social media quickly blew up at the upset, with many Hulu users threatening to cancel their subscriptions as a result of the snafu.
Mikey Madison’s Best Actress Win: Best Mikey Madison graciously accepted the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Anora instead of the highly anticipated winner, Demi Moore, for her performance in The Substance. Mikey sweetly pointed to her fellow nominees in the audience and made sure to thank everyone in her inner circle.
(Disney/Frank Micelotta)
MIKEY MADISON Demi Moore’s Smile at Mikey Madison: Best Despite how the internet speculated over Demi’s reaction to Mikey’s win, cameras caught the moment when Demi looked up at Mikey during her acceptance speech to smile at her.
Adrien Brody’s ‘Cut the Music’ Moment: Worst Although Adrien Brody‘s speech was powerful, some fans didn’t appreciate his demand for the Oscars crew not to cut him off. After accepting the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Adrien discussed his responsibility in representing the “lingering traumas, and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression, and of anti-semitism, and racism,” referring to his role in The Brutalist. “I believe that I pray for a healthier and happier, and a more inclusive world, and I believe if the past can teach us anything it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked,” he concluded.
Though his speech included that significant point, viewers didn’t appreciate the moment when Adrien said, “I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up, turn the music off. I’ve done this before, thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief, I will not be egregious I promise.”
Multiple outlets reported that Adrien’s Oscars speech was more than 5 minutes long, which broke a record.