2019 Oscars: 6 rewatchable moments from entertainment’s biggest night

The 91st Academy Awards ceremony was full of memorable moments, but here are some of the greatest highlights from this year’s Oscars.

The Academy Awards always make for some exciting news stories the following day, but the 91st installment of the ceremony was a particularly special one. For one thing, there was a noticeable shift this year, likely in response to the common complaints that the Oscars have a history of lacking diversity. This year’s ceremony, however, was a record-breaking evening for women and featured winners from a number of racial and cultural backgrounds, a real win for Hollywood given the current political climate.

There were also plenty of firsts at this year’s show—from the decision to not include a host to the fact that superhero films actually took home awards. And of course, several actors and actresses won their first Oscar, which is always touching to see.

All in all, the 91st Academy Awards ceremony stood out among many of the previous ones. Here are moments, in particular, we found memorable.

Chris Evans helping Regina King to the stage

Regina King, who won an award for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars ceremony, lost her balance on her way up to accept her award. To the delight of internet users everywhere, Chris Evans swooped in to escort her to the stage—a chivalrous move that went viral thanks to swooning fans.

Of course, in the grand scheme of things, Evans’ actions weren’t that huge of a deal. But you know it’s going to be a good award ceremony when a meme-worthy moment occurs within the first few minutes, and that’s exactly what happened here.

Marvel snagging its first Oscars wins ever

Despite the popularity of superhero films, they’re not known for winning at huge award shows like the Oscars. In fact, a Marvel film has never taken home an Oscar—not until this year, at least. Black Panther became the first-ever Marvel film to snag an Academy Award, and it didn’t just take one.

Black Panther won in three of the categories that it was nominated for: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. And to make these wins even more iconic, Hannah Beachler made history with her win for Best Production Design, becoming the first African-American woman to win in that category.

But Marvel’s Oscar’s turnaround didn’t stop with Black Panther. In a pleasantly surprising turn of events, Into the Spider-Verse took the award for Best Animated Feature Film, managing to defeat Pixar’s The Incredibles—an impressive but much-deserved feat.

A film about menstruation winning Best Documentary Short

It was a win for women everywhere when Period. End of Sentence. was announced as the winner for the category Best Documentary Short. The film, which is set in India and hones in on the taboos surrounding the topic of menstruation, was such an unexpected win that director Rayka Zehtabchi exclaimed, “I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar,” when she accepted the award.

And given the Academy Awards’ reputation for catering to a historically white and male audience, this particular win is definitely a step in the right direction.

Spike Lee jumping on Samuel L. Jackson

Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson have an iconic friendship, and it was on full display at last night’s Academy Awards ceremony. Not only did Jackson take a moment before presenting an award to inform Lee that the Knicks finally won a game, but Lee jumped into Jackson’s arms after receiving his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. It was an adorable moment, and it certainly made the win for BlacKkKlansman that much sweeter.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performing “Shallow”

There were several breathtaking musical performances during this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, but Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper stole the show with their rendition of “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. The two have undeniable chemistry onscreen and off, and it came out in full force during the award ceremony last night.

Needless to say, fans everywhere are still swooning over the two of them.

Lady Gaga’s humble acceptance speech

The speech Lady Gaga gave after A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” won Best Song was definitely one of the most memorable acceptance speeches in recent years. Despite the fame she’s achieved over the course of her career, Gaga remained humble as ever when she accepted the award. In fact, she was visibly shaking and even teared up while thanking her supporters.

It was truly a touching moment, and it was obvious how much the accomplishment meant to her. We can only hope every award winner feels that much passion for their work.

Rami Malek’s shock at winning Best Actor

Plenty of awards went to the hit film Bohemian Rhapsody last night, but the most unexpected was Rami Malek’s win for Best Actor. Even the actor himself was shocked by the announcement, something that the internet has made more than a few jokes about. In fact, poor Malek even fell off the stage following his speech.

Of course, this isn’t to say Malek didn’t deserve his award for playing Freddy Mercury. He more than did, and it’s about time he snagged an Oscar. That said, his disbelief made the moment that much more unforgettable. His speech also encompassed the emotions of being an immigrant Egyptian actor winning such a prestigious award in cinema.

Malek told the audience:

"I think about, I think about what it would have been like to tell little Bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him, and I think his curly-haired little mind would be blown. That kid was, he was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out. And I think to anyone struggling with theirs and trying to discover their voice, listen we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself. And the fact that I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this. I am the son of immigrants from Egypt. I’m a first generation American and part of my story is being written right now and I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you, and everyone who believed in me for this moment."

Olivia Colman’s speech for winning Best Actress

Olivia Colman was nearly as surprised as Rami Malek to receive the Oscar for Best Actress for The Favourite, defeating both Lady Gaga and Glenn Close in the process. Colman was so stunned when she got onstage to accept her award that words failed her, leading to an adorable ramble of an acceptance speech that left even the other nominees in the category cheering her on.

Actually, the only thing sweeter than Colman’s speech was Emma Stone’s reaction to her win beforehand. She was just so thrilled for her, and we love seeing queens support queens.

The 91st Academy Awards ceremony was one for the history books, especially in terms of progress. This year was full of firsts, and we only hope that continues going forward. What was your favorite part of last night’s Oscars?