Oscars 2019: the best moments from the red carpet and awards ceremony
From red carpet awkwardness and stirring speeches to the biggest shocks of the night, we've collected all the twists and turns of the 91st Academy Awards

Published:
It’s fair to say that this year’s Oscars hasn’t had the easiest run-up, with the Academy’s big changes to the awards summarily cancelled after multiple backlashes, and host Kevin Hart pulling out after accusations of homophobia, leaving the ceremony without an anchor for the first time in 30 years.
But on the night itself things were bound to go smoother… right? Well, largely, yes – though that doesn’t mean there weren’t a few funny, exciting or just downright awkward moments during the 91st Academy Awards.
Check out our favourites below.
- When are the 2019 Oscars? How can I watch on TV?
- Oscars 2019: Who are the nominees?
- Who was snubbed from the 2019 Oscars?
- Who votes for the Oscars?

All hail Queen Olivia
And the winner of the #Oscar for Best Acceptance Speech: Olivia Colman pic.twitter.com/ffM3fEuDe5
— Steve Case (@SteveCase) February 25, 2019
After months of everyone assuming Glenn Close had it in the bag, British actor Olivia Colman pulled out a surprise win in the Best Actress category – and less surprisingly, gave another hilarious, tearful speech at the podium.
“It’s genuinely quite stressful. This is hilarious,” Colman said.
“Glenn Close, you’ve been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted it to be. You’re amazing.”
— E. Alex Jung (@e_alexjung) February 25, 2019
Reminiscing about when she worked as a cleaner and practised fake awards speeches, and blowing a raspberry when asked to hurry up on her autocue, Colman was a delight from start to finish.
No wonder she got a massive standing ovation – and ended the whole evening on a massively positive light. Well, until Green Book won Best Picture anyway.
Richard, meet Barbra…
someone who looks at you like Richard E. Grant looks at Barbra pic.twitter.com/93Cotmj1za
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) February 25, 2019
Remember when Richard E Grant shared an adorable story of a childhood letter he wrote to Barbra Streisand, then his emotional response when the legendary singer left him an answerphone message soon after?
Well, Grant got another chance at a moment with his idol when Streisand came onto the Oscars stage to introduce a segment about BlacKkKlansman – and the actor’s reaction was absolutely priceless.
Why on earth is no one orchestrating a public meeting between Richard E Grant and Barbra Streisand #Oscars
— Priyant (@Priyant1987) February 25, 2019
Richard E Grants reaction to Barbra Streisand is just adorable
— Samuel Ager (@Samuel_Ager22) February 25, 2019
Whoever is directing the Oscars and was prepared to cut to Richard E Grant as Streisand took the stage deserves an Emmy
— Shannon Leigh (@vanillycrunch) February 25, 2019
Sure, he may not have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but we’d say Richard still got a good night out of it.
Spike Lee FINALLY gets his win
Congratulations to Spike Lee on his Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay for Blackkklansman! pic.twitter.com/mZHzwlUWPh
— The Adam Driver Files (@AdamDriverFiles) February 25, 2019
We imagine Oscar presenters are supposed to stay fairly neutral, but Samuel L Jackson couldn’t resist letting out a whoop before revealing that Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman had picked up the award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lee co-wrote the screenplay with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Wilmott).
Lee, picking up his first non-honourary Oscar win after a critically-acclaimed career, couldn’t contain his excitement either, leaping onto Jackson when he climbed the stage and inspiring a standing ovation from the audience.
Spike Lee hops on Sam Jackson pic.twitter.com/2HEUG5mV0j
— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) February 25, 2019
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga get close
ALL.THE.FEELS ❤️#Oscars #Shallow #LadyGaga #BradleyCooper pic.twitter.com/EfN5xK4aLg
— Natasha Del Riego (@natashaaa__) February 25, 2019
A Star Is Born’s Shallow was already the frontrunner to pick up Best Original Song, but an intense performance from the film’s stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper only underlined the song’s power – and had a few tongues wagging about the two performers as well…
Everyone’s spouse just left them for that performance of “Shallow.” #Oscars pic.twitter.com/jwjCfcrEha
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) February 25, 2019
me + my pillow later pic.twitter.com/6suSgJD8lk
— Hannah Jewell (@hcjewell) February 25, 2019
Moment of the year for me. WOW!! pic.twitter.com/KIvRwLWsLY
— robliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 25, 2019
Big props not only to the always-terrific Lady Gaga, but also to Bradley Cooper for joining her LIVE, AT THE OSCARS, IN FRONT OF THE WORLD, to sing “Shallow.” They just got a standing O when they returned to their seats after this tremendous performance. pic.twitter.com/rCoJDz5ZrI
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) February 25, 2019
I'm not crying… you're crying. I swear Bradley Cooper and @LadyGaga performing "Shallow" has me ballin' crocodile tears right now. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/0CCHwUVj3u
— Nicki Mayo (@nickimayonews) February 25, 2019
Their EXTENDED EYE CONTACT!!!!!!
— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) February 25, 2019
They’re ACTORS guys. Come on. Settle down at the back there.
The best acceptance speech – period.
Well played! #periodendofsentence pic.twitter.com/hWIGxThLYt
— Heat from the Resort City (@hclark4) February 25, 2019
In a night that saw the Academy bosses trying their best to hurry winners off the stage, there wasn’t that much time for truly great acceptance speeches – with a few exceptions.
And one of those exceptions came from an unexpected source, when the director of Period. End of Sentence. (which won the Best Documentary Short prize) was applauded for her funny and frank words at the mic.
“I’m not crying because I’m on my period or anything!” Rayka Zehtabchi gasped, adding “I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar!”
And on Twitter, many viewers applauded the film (which tackles the taboo of menstruation in rural India) picking up the Oscar, as well as Zehtabchi’s speech.
Who knew that documentary short would have the best speech of the night? #Periodendofsentence
— Jenna Royal (@JennaForTexas) February 25, 2019
Best line of #Oscars2019: "I can't believe a movie about a woman's period just won an Oscar." Congrats to #periodendofsentence for winning Best Documentary Short.
— Scott Takeda (@ScottTakeda) February 25, 2019
OMG the speech of the night ,#Periodendofsentence
#Oscars— Sundance (@sundance_dfw) February 25, 2019
"i'm not crying because i'm on my period or anything" THIS KIND OF MATERIAL IS WHY THEY NEED TO AIR EVERY CATEGORY ON LIVE TV HELLOOOO
— Gavia Baker-Whitelaw (@Hello_Tailor) February 25, 2019
Waynes’ World: Reunited
"WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!!!"
Mike Myers and Dana Carvey hit the 2019 #Oscars to introduce "Bohemian Rhapsody." https://t.co/XQU450bcno pic.twitter.com/Whvn8EvIQT
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 25, 2019
Anyone who watched Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody will have noticed Mike Myers dropping a subtle reference to his classic headbanging scene in Waynes’ World – and in the Oscars ceremony he took it to another level, bringing co-star Dana Carvey onstage to quote their old movie wholesale, to the delight of the audience.
For he’s a brolly good fellow

Writer and comedy actor Keegan Michael-Key may have made the grandest entrance of anyone at this year’s Oscars, descending elegantly from above with an umbrella, Mary Poppins Returns-style, to introduce Bette Midler’s performance for the film’s Best Original Song performance.
Now, all we need is for him to slide backwards into a magic bath and he’ll have all the best Poppins stunts nailed.
Chris Evans – Best Supporting Actor
Chris Evans wins Best Supporting Actor #Oscars pic.twitter.com/LMpfLTQqBT
— alias (@itsjustanx) February 25, 2019
He wasn’t up for any awards this year, but Captain America star Chris Evans melted hearts when he gallantly leapt up to help Best Supporting Actress winner Regina King to the stage.
THIS JUST MELTED MY HEART CHRIS EVANS IS SUCH A GENTLEMAN #Oscars pic.twitter.com/lD4dWwQS8P
— ✨Maria IS CRYING FROM FFH ✨ (@quacksonqueen) February 25, 2019
.@ChrisEvans is the perfect gentleman as he helps @ReginaKing onstage to accept her award at the #Oscars for Best Supporting Actress. pic.twitter.com/9emxjqtrRq
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) February 25, 2019
Not all heroes wear capes….or carry shields on their days off.
Bunny business
Brian Tyree Henry and @melissamccarthy hilariously parody #TheFavourite at the #oscars https://t.co/TOExH6BlES pic.twitter.com/8xhfi8ziv8
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 25, 2019
Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry took their duties presenting the Best Costume Design Oscar VERY seriously, with the pair donning hilarious mash-up costumes based on every film nominated.
Tyree Henry went for a Mary Poppins-meets-Buster-Scruggs-meets-Black-Panther look, while McCarthy’s The Favourite look (complete with cute, distracting bunny puppet, which she used to open the award envelope, and a Mary Queen of Scots-esque haircut) was a highlight of the entire ceremony.
Can an awards show getup be nominated for Best Costuming next year? Asking for a friend. And to think, they wanted to present this during the commercials.
Hostesses with the mostess(es)

Who needs a host? Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler got the ceremony off to a terrific start when presenting the first award of the night (Best Supporting Actress), throwing in a mini-monologue and a pile of great jokes that sounded suspiciously like the sort of thing we WOULD usually see from an Oscars host.
“There is no host tonight, there won’t be a popular movie category and Mexico is NOT paying for the wall,” Maya Rudolph explained, before she and her cohorts shared a few of the funny lines they WOULD have said if they were the hosts. Which, of course, they weren’t. Honest.
"Not your #oscars hosts" Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and @MayaRudolph open the show https://t.co/U1WtzAb5a5 pic.twitter.com/6RE3IKRxME
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 25, 2019
Our favourite? Rudolph’s pick up line for Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman – “Wakanda plans you got later?” was a masterstroke.
Yes, Queen.
"We will…
We will…
ROCK YOU."
Queen and Adam Lambert get the 2019 #Oscars started with a bang. https://t.co/RbE291ZMLq pic.twitter.com/T0LKvEoXiM
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2019
How to get around having no host, and therefore no opening monologue? The Academy opted to sprinkle some Queen on the problem, enlisting the legendary rock band to perform some of their greatest hits to open the ceremony.
However, while it was fun to see the cream of Hollywood bopping along like parents at a wedding (we see you, Javier Bardem), not everyone was overly impressed with the opening for the ceremony – and they weren’t convinced that the stars were either…
(avoiding eye contact with literally everyone)
— Birth.Movies.Death. (@bmoviesd) February 25, 2019
“Ladies and gentlemen, your host for the Oscars, MUSIC!!!” #Oscars
— Ben Schwartz (@rejectedjokes) February 25, 2019
The cream of Hollywood's acting talent aren't convincing me that they enjoyed that
— Alex Needham (@alexneedham74) February 25, 2019
I have always wanted the Academy Awards to be a celebration of vibrato.
— Natalie Walker (@nwalks) February 25, 2019
this “queen” performance is awful
— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) February 25, 2019
Though some people felt a little more positive about the whole thing, so what do we know?
The Queen number is worth is for every single audience reaction shot #Oscars
— Ira (@ira) February 25, 2019
Petition to open every awards show with a Queen medley #Oscars
— Patti Murin (@PattiMurin) February 25, 2019
That’s how you open a show. #Oscars #Queen pic.twitter.com/WGex23giEh
— Krishna (@KrishnaB71) February 25, 2019
That Awkward Moment

Super-excited Best Supporting Actor nominee Richard E Grant may have charmed the world over the last few weeks, but he had less luck winning over Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet.
Richard E Grant breaking Ryan Seacrest is surely going to be the highlight of this year’s #Oscars
— Cathy Conneff (@CathyConneff) February 24, 2019
Hahaha @RyanSeacrest totally bamboozled by @RichardEGrant ???? #OscarsAllAccess @redcarpet pic.twitter.com/hdOqZHMIc6
— Bonnie Whitfield (@Bondiddle) February 24, 2019
“She’s having my twins in August,” Grant quipped when the host asked about his close working relationship with co-star Melissa McCarthy – but Seacrest was clearly confused and thrown off by Grant’s quick wit, even turning to camera to assure viewers that Grant was not, in fact, having children with McCarthy. Awkward…
Going for gold
Glenn Close came to win and lead the Rebels in an attack on the Empire pic.twitter.com/wRaT3fgi9N
— Cameron Williams (@MrCamW) February 24, 2019
Glenn Close wasn’t the only star to turn up to the ceremony wearing a cape (Edna Mode is SHOOK, guys), but she was the only one to actually dress up like one of the awards they were all competing for.
WOW. What if next year instead of winning an Oscar, you win a Glenn Close????? pic.twitter.com/tOvt8Vhtk4
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) February 24, 2019
There’s confidence, then there’s Glenn Close going to The Oscars dressed like an Oscar. pic.twitter.com/R9GzA0mTeG
— Ali Plumb (@AliPlumb) February 24, 2019
glenn close dressed like the oscar statuette herself… seems pretty much like A WINNER to me pic.twitter.com/WelUvglfAM
— larissa joy nolan (@camiIIiepreaker) February 24, 2019
Glenn Close matching with her statue tonight pic.twitter.com/tsEE2sTyM9
— p. (@mindhvntr) February 24, 2019
Well, OK, she was basically just wearing gold, but it sends a message! If she’d managed to get her dog along in a matching outfit, her dominance of the whole ceremony would be complete.
Cleaning up at the Oscars
Attention all #Oscars guests: Please keep the red carpet tidy. @MarieKondo has arrived and we're trying to make a good first impression. pic.twitter.com/37VAKz3jGC
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 24, 2019
Tidying guru Marie Kondo also made an impression on the red carpet, with many speculating that her de-cluttering methods (recently demonstrated on her Netflix series) might be used on this year’s slightly chaotic Oscars…
Of course Marie Kondo is at this year’s Oscars pic.twitter.com/ArAmZbUi6j
— Ira (@ira) February 24, 2019
Marie Kondo is here… safe bet is she’ll be performing in a bit for the show. Does BO RHAP spark joy? pic.twitter.com/WGnuaOHNna
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) February 24, 2019
Marie Kondo is here to TAKE OUT THE TRASH #oscars pic.twitter.com/nxs38QGTdx
— Hannah Jewell (@hcjewell) February 24, 2019
Do the Academy Awards spark joy? Hmmm….
Dressed to thrill
…And just like that, the #Oscars were over pic.twitter.com/uApUq3MXCP
— Tilly Pearce (@tillyjeanette) February 24, 2019
The red carpet was barely getting started when Pose star Billy Porter laid down one hell of a marker, slaying the competition in a Christian Siriano velvet tuxedo gown that had fans on Twitter declaring the Best Dressed contest already won.
I’m already yelling at the TV because the @enews Red Carpet isn’t showing Billy Porter #oscars pic.twitter.com/WCNhlTegGJ
— Sarah Dollard (@snazdoll) February 24, 2019
THIS is how you make an entrance #Oscars pic.twitter.com/VzSBWM7pTF
— them. (@them) February 24, 2019
Billy Porter showed up as the glamorous dowager with a dangerous secret AND her suave butler with mysterious designs of his own. pic.twitter.com/3clcmVSljG
— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) February 24, 2019
The king of Siam better watch out cause Billy Porter has come to teach the children pic.twitter.com/qudy4xcebd
— Ben Platt (@BenSPLATT) February 24, 2019
I think Billy Porter just won the Oscars and it doesn't start for hours idk https://t.co/r9RRAIsht8
— Ryan' Around The Christmas Tree (@souchy_boyy) February 24, 2019
49-year-old Porter, who previously attracted praise for his caped look at the Golden Globes, definitely got things off to a stylish start.
The Oscars take place on Sunday 24th February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the ceremony can be watched live in the UK on Sky Cinema Oscars. You can find all of RadioTimes.com’s coverage here.
Oscars highlights are on Monday 25th February at 8pm on Sky Cinema Oscars and 9pm on Sky1
Watch the whole ceremony or highlights with a 14-day free trial for NOW TV