The 2025 Oscars had their fair share of surprises, but one thing was undeniable—Anora owned the night.
The film, a gripping drama about sex work, snagged five golden statues, including Best Picture. Director Sean Baker cleaned up with wins for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. But the biggest shock of the night? Mikey Madison taking home Best Actress, officially blocking Demi Moore from finally securing her first Oscar win.
Demi’s performance in The Substance was widely praised, but in the end, the Academy leaned towards Madison’s breakout performance in Anora. At least The Substance got some love in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category—but let’s be real, that’s not the win Moore was hoping for.
Meanwhile, Adrien Brody took home Best Actor for his role in The Brutalist, and Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin walked away with Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.
But let’s talk about Conan O’Brien, who made his hosting debut in true Oscar-worthy fashion—emerging from Demi Moore’s back, recreating a The Substance-style body horror moment that instantly went viral. His monologue took shots at everything from Anora’s Russian plotline to the latest Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake beef.
One of the most touching moments of the night was Morgan Freeman’s tribute to Gene Hackman—a poignant nod to the legendary actor who passed away earlier this week. Of course, Twitter couldn’t resist pointing out that Hackman’s Unforgiven character literally whipped Freeman’s to death, but hey, Hollywood loves irony.
The usual In Memoriam snubs caused a stir, with names like Shannen Doherty, Olivia Hussey, and Tony “Candyman” Todd notably missing from the segment.
Another Oscars, another round of chaos and controversy. But if one thing is clear from last night—Anora just cemented itself as one of the biggest films of the year.
(You can see all the winners here.)
