The Best, Worst and Most Oops Moments of the Oscars 2025

Awards season has come to an end, and we’ve been here for all the highs and lows of every show. On Sunday night, the Oscars was determined to hit some of the high notes of shows past (honoring the Los Angeles first responders following the January wildfires; making sure Cynthia Erivo gets a chance to sing) while also bringing some surprises to the stage.

Host Conan O’Brien brought his signature goofy humor (yes, there was a Substance bit), the sandworm from Dune made not one but two appearances, and through all of the jokes and performances, there were some truly emotional speeches that made even the most awards season-hardened among the PEOPLE staff admit to tearing up a bit.

Read on for the best and worst moments from the 2025 Oscars.

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Best: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Opening Medley

Somehow managing to top their already-gorgeous red carpet gowns, Wicked‘s Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) opened the show walking down the yellow brick road of Wizard of Oz-inspired hits, from Grande’s take on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the 1939 film (in three — yes, three — ruby slippers of her own) to Erivo’s “Home” from The Wiz to, finally, their famous duet from Wicked that had everyone in the audience defying gravity of their own to leap out of their seats for a standing ovation.

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Most ‘Ooooohh’: Conan O’Brien’s Karla Sofía Gascon Joke

“I loved Anora, I really did. Little fact for you, Anora uses the ‘F’ word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist,” O’Brien joked, referring to the reveal of controversial X posts by the Emilìa Perez actor that are thought to have tanked her Oscars campaign. As the audience groaned, O’Brien went further:”You tweeted what?!”

When the host introduced her in the audience, Gascon bowed her head and blew a kiss to the stage.

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Most Unfairly Maligned: Adam Sandler

In his monologue, Conan O’Brien called out Adam Sandler for being underdressed on an evening where everyone from Timothée Chalamet to Michelle Yeoh was wearing a gazillion dollars of diamonds. But any Sandlerophile knows that an Aviator Nation hoodie and basketball shorts is the comedian’s version of black tie. Let the Sandman stay!

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Best Night for Kieran Culkin’s Wife’s OBGYN

After winning an Emmy in January 2024 for Succession, Kieran Culkin memorably used his acceptance speech to ask wife Jazz Charton for a third kid. And after winning an Oscar for A Real Pain just over a year later, he went for a four-peat.

He recalled their discussion after his Emmy announcement, during which he told her he really wanted four. “She said, ‘I will give you four when you win an Oscar,’ ” he recalled. “I held my hand out. She took it, and I have not brought it up once, until just now. You remember that, honey, you do? Okay, then I just have this to say to you, Jazz, love of my life…No pressure. I love you. I’m really sorry I did this again, and let’s get cracking on those kids. What do you say?”

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Worst Use of the Group Chat: Forgetting to Tell Bowen Yang He Shouldn’t Get in Costume

As actors from the films nominated for Best Costume Design took the stage, it was clear that Bowen Yang had taken his tribute to Wicked costume designer Paul Tazewell just a smidge farther than the rest of the group. Lily Rose Depp and John Lithgow both declared the bit “cringe” — but in the end, Wicked took the win!

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Best Night for Sparkles

Doja Cat was dripping in a million Swarovski crystals (literally) for her “naked” “Diamonds are Forever” dress during the James Bond tribute, and Ariana Grande wasn’t just clad in a glittering ruby gown with matching ruby slippers, but her Schiaparelli dress had a surprise third shimmering scarlet shoe embedded in the bodice.

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Worst Night for Mascara

From the moment Zoe Saldaña took the stage sobbing for “Mamí,” we knew weren’t getting through her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for Emília Perez without a few tears shed of our own. From her heartfelt dedication to her sisters, husband and son to her declaration of pride at being the first Dominican winner and a child of immigrants, there were plenty of opportunities for waterworks at home.

Since we’d already gone through half a box of tissues during Andrew Garfield’s heartfelt tribute to Goldie Hawn, a favorite of his late mom’s, we really were not prepared.

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Best Spring Chicken: Mick Jagger

Bob Dylan (whose story was told in the nominated film A Complete Unknown) passed on the opportunity to present Best Original Song, telling the Academy to find someone younger to do it. That someone younger … was Mick Jagger, who at 81 is a full, spry two years younger than Bob Dylan.

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Biggest Lie: ‘I Won’t Waste Time’

When O’Brien brought out the sandworm from Dune and a dancing Deadpool to assure us the show wouldn’t go long, it was tongue-in-cheek … but when he later told us, about two hours into the show, that we were only halfway through, we had to wonder: Was he playing us the all along?! (In the end, the show clocked in a mere 45 minutes longer than its stated 10 p.m. end time.)

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Best Razzle-Dazzle: Glittering Gowns

So many stars hit the red carpet in high-shine attire that almost looked like armor, including three particular standouts: Selena Gomez in a Ralph Lauren gown sewn with thousands of glass beads, Emma Stone in a rhinestone-embellished Louis Vuitton tank dress and Halle Berry in a shattered-mirror effect Christian Siriano gown.

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Best Bling: Giant Necklaces on Everybody

Who needs to take home an Oscar when you’ve got hardware like this on your neck? Elle Fanning wore Cartier, Isabella Rossellini selected a striking Bulgari sapphire-and-diamond necklace, Scarlett Johansson wore 74+ carats of De Beers diamonds and Mikey Madison shined in a Tiffany & Co. Archives diamond necklace.

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Best Throwback to a Worst Moment: Halle Berry Plants One on Adrian Brody

When Adrien Brody won his first Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, he raced up the stairs and planted one on presenter Halle Berry, who later said she had been taken by surprise, and not in a good way. Brody recently acknowledged the awkward moment, and Berry got him back by surprising him with a smooch on the red carpet Sunday night — hours before he’d go on to win his second Oscar.

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Most Willing to Test John Lithgow’s Patience: The ‘Emilía Perez’ Songwriters

Conan O’Brien promised that winners who went long would get frowned off the stage by a “not mad, just disappointed” John Lithgow. The winners for Best Original Song, Camille, Clément Ducol and Jacques Audiard (also the film’s director) took the stage with a song in their heart, harmonizing happily as the orchestra began to play them off the stage.

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Best Men Not in Black: Stars Who Opted for Non-Traditional Tuxes

Anyone can (and does!) look smashing in a black tuxedo. These stars decided to stand out in something entirely different, from Timothée Chalamet’s all-yellow ensemble to Andrew Garfield’s shiny brown shirt to Jeremy Strong’s artichoke-green Loro Piano tux to Colman Domingo’s vibrant cardinal-red dinner jacket.

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Best Use of the LAFD at an Awards Show So Far

Since the devastating L.A. wildfires at the beginning of January, each awards show has honored the men and women of the L.A. Fire Department in its own way. But the Oscars decided to put the firefighters to work, having them read them some of the jokes O’Brien said he wasn’t brave enough to deliver. “All of our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes,” one deadpanned. “I’m talking about the producers of Joker 2.”

Well, who better to know a sick burn than a firefighter?

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Most Surprising In Memoriam Snubs

Every year, beloved names are missed in the In Memoriam tribute, but people were especially surprised to see Michelle Trachtenberg — who launched Nickelodeon Movies with Harriet the Spy — excluded from the lineup after her untimely death at 39 last week. Other omissions that stung: Shannen Doherty, indelible in Heathers, Martin Mull, a standout in Clue, and Morgan Spurlock, whose documentary Super-Size Me was Oscar-nominated in 2004.

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Best Surprise: Anora’s Big Night

Many felt that this was one of the most unpredictable Oscars in a while, but few predicted that Anora would take so many of the top categories, including an upset Best Actress win for Mikey Madison and the night’s top honor, Best Picture.

“One last thing: I wanna thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film,” director Sean Baker declared in his speech. “This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists. Long live independent film.”