Timothée Chalamet, Cynthia Erivo And John Lithgow
French-US actor Timothee Chalamet attends the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
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Oscars 2025 was well-received, with a pitch-perfect opening monologue from Conan O’Brian, and no unexpected drama.
We might never see another unscripted chaotic moment like Will Smith’s infamous slap again, but regardless, Oscars 2025 delivered many memes and viral moments—here are some of the best.
Conan Calls Out Karla Sofía Gascón’s Tweet Storm
There was a bit of an elephant in the room in the 2025 Oscars ceremony, with Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón Oscar’s campaign disrupted after her many, many inflammatory tweets were uncovered by internet sleuths.
O’Brian decided to acknowledge the elephant during his opening monologue, quipping, “Anora has used the F-word 479 times, which beats the record of Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist after seeing her tweets.”
The camera then cut to Gascón, who seemed to find the one-liner funny, before O’Brien acknowledged her with another joke. “If you tweet about the Oscars tonight, my name is Jimmy Kimmel”.
Timothée Chalamet’s Buttery Yellow Outfit
Timothée Chalamet, nominated for his role in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, managed to dominate the discourse despite going home empty handed.
Chalamet was acknowledged multiple times by Hollywood’s biggest stars, but also sparked many memes after showing up to the ceremony in a striking, bright yellow suit, sparking many comparisons to a stick of butter.
Commentators really pushed the butter comparison, but some highlighted the similarity between Chalamet and the Man with the Yellow Hat from Curious George.
Even O’Brien mentioned the vibrant suit, assuring Chalamet that “you will not get hit on your bike tonight.”
Ariana Grande And Cynthia Erivo Hold Space To Defy Gravity
The combination of Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo usually ignites meme magic, and the two performed “Defying Gravity” to open this year’s Oscars ceremony.
The audience really seemed to “Hold Space” for the performance, and the camera even captured a moment where Grande is gazing at Erivo in adoration.
At one point, Grande kissed Erivo’s hand, but sadly, there was no opportunity for a reassuring finger grab; the “Holding Space for the lyrics of Defying Gravity” meme remains unbeaten.
John Lithgow Is Deeply Disappointed
O’Brien’s opening monologue made sure to highlight the power of John Lithgow’s disappointed face, and Lithgow dutifully performed it for the camera.
The screenshot quickly became a meme, immediately utilized as a reaction image for the songwriter of Emilia Pérez, who awkwardly began to sing during her acceptance speech.
Adrien Brody And Halle Berry Recreate Their 2003 Kiss
The 2003 Oscars saw Adrien Brody win Best Actor for his performance in The Pianist, and celebrate by smooching Halle Berry, who presented him the award.
The two recreated the moment for the 2025 Oscars, rather boldly, right in front of Brody’s girlfriend, Georgina Chapman, who didn’t even flinch.
“Tonight I had to pay him back,” Berry told Variety. “He deserved that.”
Brody won Best Actor again for his performance in The Brutalist, but commentators criticized his lengthy acceptance speech, which was viewed as a tad indulgent.
Before accepting the award, Brody also spat out his gum in his hand and tried passing it to Chapman, who didn’t manage to catch it.
The awkward moment even inspired a minor conspiracy theory, with one commentator writing:
“My conspiracy theory is that adrien brody is secretly embarrassed about throwing his gum at his wife so he took forever to finish his speech so no one would mention it.”
A Lot Of James Bond, Not Enough David Lynch
The legendary David Lynch passed away earlier this year, and many viewers were disappointed that the surrealist filmmaker didn’t receive more of a tribute.
David Lynch was featured in the “In Memoriam” segment of the ceremony, but Lynch fans reckoned that the Mulholland Drive director deserved a larger send-off, considering the impact and originality of his works.
There was a long tribute to James Bond, which confused some viewers, considering that there was no Bond film released this year.
However, some commentators noted that the James Bond rights had been sold off to Amazon, and that the tribute was something of a funeral for the iconic spy, before he inevitably suffers the fate of being bled out into multiple spin-offs by the streaming giant.
Hulu Ended The Oscars Livestream Too Early
There was much confusion and grumbling from viewers watching the Oscars on Hulu, as the streaming service cut off the ceremony before Anora was announced as Best Picture and Mikey Madison as Best Actress.
Some joked that Sean Baker’s speech condemning the impact of streaming was the turning point for Hulu to cut off the broadcast.
Despite the livestream fail, it was a successful Oscar night—the ceremony can’t go wrong with Conan O’Brian.
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