Top Three Worst Moments of the 2025 Oscars

For many 2024 actors and actresses, a lot was on the line this Sunday at the 97th annual Academy Awards show— the Oscars. The event was held in the heart of Hollywood at the Dolby Theater. In its typical fashion, the night consisted of a ‘wine and dine,’ eaten while superstars in formal wear “come together to celebrate the best films from the past twelve months” (BBC). In a time of big celebration and great anticipation, it’s inevitable that this excitement stood alongside some tragedies, snubs, and all-around disastrous moments. Here, we note the top three worst moments of the 2025 Oscars with their silver linings.

Halle Berry Kisses Adrien Brody

Before the ceremony had officially kicked off, Halle Berry was getting facetious on the red carpet. At this time, Adrien Brody, who triumphed over Timothée Chalamet for Best Actor with his role in The Brutalist, was kissed on the lips by a frivolous Halle Berry. Before carrying out the act, Berry turned to Brody’s long-term partner, Georgina Chapman, and declared, “Sorry, but I have to do it.” Aside, Georgina could be seen clapping and cheering her on.

Seemingly, Halle Berry was attempting to pay tribute to their 2003 on-stage kiss. Twenty-two years ago after accepting his award from Halle for Best Actor for his performance in The Pianist, Brody kissed her in an “unplanned moment [that was] purely fueled by joy” (Brody). Though everyone involved appears to seen the interaction as a harmless and mutual mischievous act, viewers described it as both disrespectful and inappropriate.

Later in the night, Brody later heightened speculation in his already questionable character after it was revealed that he’d won Best Actor. Excited, he walked halfway to the stage before turning around and tossing Chapman his chewed gum. Again, commentators viewed this moment as ill-mannered and degrading as one of them wrote, “So he kisses another woman infant of her and makes her chase his gum like a dog, I’m done” (@youlovemichaychay, 2025). Nevertheless, Brody did acknowledge and praise Chapman multiple times throughout his acceptance speech, so, maybe the livelihood of the night does just make actions more trivial in nature.

Ariana and Cynthia Snubbed

It was no surprise that Wicked, nor the stars of the musical— Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, would be nominated for many Oscar awards this year. What was surprising, however, was that while Wicked itself won two Academy Awards (which include Best Production Design and Best Costume Design), neither star of the film took home an Oscar Sunday night. Though the movie was impactful, reaching a wide target audience, fans were disappointed to see that the actresses were not recognized for their individual roles. The disclosure was worsened after an anonymous Oscar voter revealed they did not vote for Erivo because she “was actually too old for Wicked” (@wickednewshub, 2025). Ultimately, Grande and Erivo seemed to be at peace with the decision, as the duo sang Defying Gravity together, holding space and “honoring the legacy of ‘The Wizard of Oz’” (Classic FM), a performance that both women were happy to commemorate.

Demi Moore Loses to Mikey Madison

Given Demi Moore’s fame and status as a household name, it may come as a shock that she has been unrecognized at the Oscars. The actress has been active for over forty years, and fans speculated that 2025 would be the year for her Academy Award, especially after her starring role as Elizabeth Sparkle in The Substance. The film is one of the body horror subgenres that follows a satire, nuanced take on women’s struggles with aging due to societal pressures. Moore’s portrayal of Sparkle was sometimes comedic but always sincere and vulnerable. Fans were left astounded when she was triumphed by Mikey Madison who starred in Anora.

As supporters (and, presumably, Moore) felt disappointed by the loss, still, Demi was congratulatory to Madison. On Instagram the following day, Moore publicly expressed gratitude for the award season, adding a special message explicitly for Madison stating, “can’t wait to see what you do next ❤️” (@demimoore, 2025).

Though those events were (arguably) devastating, it is nice that celebrities are able to gather and enjoy themselves during the elation of award shows, even during losses, snubs, and total unsuspecting situations. With the Academy Awards marking the end of this year’s award season, we viewers can only be so grateful that nothing much worse— like a slap to the face, maybe— occurred.