I have seen every single Oscars ceremony in the past three decades, and in all my years, I have learned one simple truth: No matter who wins or loses, the Oscars will be full of memorable moments, and you’re going to want to make sure you don’t miss out. To that end, I’ve gathered the very best moments of the 2025 Oscars, from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s jaw-dropping opening performance to No Other Land’s big win.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Opening the Oscars
Wicked stars and Oscar nominees Ariana and Cynthia opened the awards with a stunning performance honoring the magic of Hollywood and the classic Wizard of Oz story that inspired Wicked. Ariana began by performing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” from A Wizard of Oz, with Cynthia later joining in with “Home” from The Wiz. The performance ended with their hit duet from the film, “Defying Gravity.” Yes, I did cry—as did Michelle Yeoh, who was spotted wiping tears off her face in the audience.
Kieran Culkin’s Speech
Kieran Culkin capped off a triumphant awards season with an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor for his work in A Real Pain. And in his speech, he referenced back to his 2024 Emmys speech, where he publicly begged his wife, Jazz Charton, for another baby—they currently have two children. According to Kieran, that very night, they made a new deal. “She said, ‘I will give you four [kids] when you win an Oscar.’ I held my hand out, she shook it, and I have not brought it up until now,” he said from the Oscars stage. “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?”
If any other star had used the Oscars stage to start family planning, it wouldn’t have worked, but somehow Kieran makes it charming. 10/10 perfect speech.
Bowen Yang Presenting Paul Tazewell the Oscar for Best Costume Design
Not only did Bowen Yang get back into his Wicked costume to help present the Oscar for Best Costume Design, he then got to hand the Oscar to the film’s costume designer, Paul Tazewell. The sweet moment was made even better when Paul announced that he was the first Black man to win in this category, sparking a standing ovation from the crowd. You deserve it, Paul!
No Other Land Best Documentary Speech
No Other Land took home the Oscar for Best Documentary. The film, which has yet to find distribution in the United States, is about the life of Palestinian Basel Adra, who lives under Israeli occupation and who made the film with Israeli Yuval Abraham. The two were on hand to accept the award, delivering one of the most moving and impactful speeches of the night.
“No Other Land reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and we still resist as we call on the world to take serious actions…to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” Basel said in part. Yuval, meanwhile, took the opportunity to specifically call for change in the U.S. “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger. We see each other, the destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end, the Israeli hostages, brutally taken in the crime of October 7, which must be freed....There is a different path...without ethnic supremacy,” he said, continuing, “The foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. Why? Can’t you see that we are intertwined? That my people can be truly safe if Basil’s people are truly free and safe? There is another way. It’s not too late for life, for the living.”
Earlier on Sunday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly announced a blockade of all humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip after a breakdown of negotiations of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has just committed to sending more arms to Israel.
Ben Stiller
It’s hard to nail an awards show bit, but for Ben Stiller, it’s easy. He brought physical comedy to the Oscars stage to present Best Production Design, and, frankly, we could have used a little more silliness.
Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal Reunion
Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunited to present the award for Best Picture (congrats, Anora!) and they looked good. If you’re a rom-com fan, then you probably know that the two starred in When Harry Met Sally, aka the best romantic comedy of all time. So, yeah, seeing them together again was a pretty big deal. Not just for me, but also for the audience in the room, which audibly swooned when Billy paraphrased his character’s declaration of love to present the nominees.
