The ending of this year’s Oscar telecast may go down as one of the most talked-about in history, as the wrong film,La La Landwas announced asBest Picture.Bonnie & ClydestarsWarren BeattyandFaye Dunawayreunited to present the final award, on the 40th anniversary of that classic film, but whenWarren Beattyopened the envelope, he was surprised to discover that the envelope was actually for Best Actress, whichEmma Stonehad just won forLa La Landmoments earlier. The accounting firm of Price Waterhouse and Cooper issued a statement apologizing for this unfortunate error, while we have also compiled a number of tweets from celebrities as they watched this on-stage drama unfold. Take a look at the accounting firm’s full statement below.
“We sincerely apologize toMoonlight,La La Land,Warren Beatty,Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred. We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, andJimmy Kimmelhandled the situation.”
Many drew comparisons to the widely-publicized gaffe byMiss UniversehostSteve Harvey, when he read the wrong contestant’s name as the winner of the beauty contest. The real winner,Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, was one of many to take toTwitterto address theOscar mishap, posting a brief video where she states, “If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.” After the error was corrected,Moonlightwriter-directorBarry Jenkinshad this to say in his statement.
“I think all of the movies that were nominated were worthy, so I accepted the result. I applauded like everyone else. I noticed the commotion that was happening and I thought something strange had occurred, and then I’m sure everybody saw my face, but I was speechless when the result was [revealed]. I’ve never seen that happen before. So it made a very special feeling even more special, but not in a way I expected.”
Along with the above statements, we have collected a number of tweets that were sent out as this mishap unfolded on theOscar stage. Perhaps one of the best tweets in this collection comes from writer-directorM. Night Shyamalan, a filmmaker known for epic twists in his movies, who joked that he wrote the ending of last night’s awards telecast. Take a look at all of the tweets below discussing the shocking ending to last night’sAcademy Awards.
