SPECIAL REPORT: ‘Anora’ Claims Top Prize, History-Making Award Winners, and More at the 2025 Oscars
From historic first-time wins to 'Anora' claiming the top prize, here's what you missed at the 2025 Oscars hosted by Conan O'Brien.
Hello,
Welcome to The Diamond Report. Today's bonus edition is all about the 2025 Oscars. From Paul Tazewell becoming the first Black man to win Best Costume Design to ‘Anora’ claiming the top award of the night, let’s dive into everything you may have missed from last night’s show.
But, before you go any deeper, I would like to welcome you to The Diamond Club. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe and come back next month (or maybe sooner) for more!
The 97th Annual Academy Awards, which aired live on Sunday, March 2, from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, had surprise wins, historic first-time achievements, a gravity-defying performance, and a few laughable and exciting moments. But, overall, last night’s show was lackluster and boring.
Former late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien hosted Hollywood’s biggest night, inserting several bits and jokes that actually added some humor into an otherwise dull awards show, as he tried to keep the show moving. By only going over by 15 minutes and wrapping up completely before 11 p.m. EST, I would say that it was a job well done for the first-time Oscar host.
The show opened with a dynamic performance from Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The two vocal powerhouses sang a musical medley (more on that later), which I thought would set the tone for the rest of the night. I was very wrong.
By time O’Brien, 61, finished his monologue and the show officially started, it took a steep downturn, with only a few moments worth highlighting. Here’s some of the top moments you may have missed from the 2025 Oscars.
Top Moments From the 2025 Oscars
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Opened the Oscars with a Powerful Musical Medley
The 97th Annual Academy Awards started off super strong with a phenomenal performance from Erivo and Grande, 31. They sang The Wiz’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Home,” before closing out with Wicked’s “Defying Gravity.”
Watching the performance only reminded me of Erivo’s unbelievable and incredible talent. I was in awe the entire time. The Harriet actress, 38, commanded the stage, belting out each lyric with an effortless grace that’s absolutely strong enough to bring anyone to tears.
Check out the full performance below:
Paul Tazewell Says His Historic Win Marks the “Pinnacle” of His Over 35 Year Career
Costume designer Paul Tazewell took home the award for Best Costume Design for his work on Wicked, making him the first Black man to win in that category. Ahead of his big win, he spoke with Entertainment Tonight’s Nichelle Turner and Kevin Frazier about what winning the award would mean to him.
“It’s so meaningful to think that I might be the first Black man to receive the Oscar for outstanding costumes because it’s what I do,” he told the outlet. “It’s what I’ve spent so much time developing and to be honored in that way is … the highlight of my career.”
Whether it was manifestation or destiny, Tazewell secured his win just a couple hours later, accepting his award from Wicked and Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang, 34.
“I’m the first Black man to receive the costume design award for my work on Wicked. I’m so proud of this,” he said in his acceptance speech before thanking the cast for trusting him to bring their characters to life. “This is everything.”
During his post-win interview in the press room, Tazewell reflected on his career and why winning this award was a full circle moment for him.
“This is the pinnacle of my career. I’ve been designing costumes for over 35 years, [and so] much has been on Broadway and now into film,” he said. “The whole way through there was never a Black male designer that I saw that I could follow [or] that I could see as inspiration. And, to realize that that’s actually me, it becomes a Wizard of Oz moment. There’s no place like home. So, to come back to the inspiration being inside of me is really remarkable.”
Zoe Saldaña Snags Historic First Oscar Win
It was no surprise that Zoe Saldaña took home the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Oscars. The From Scratch actress, 46, has been receiving a lot of praise this award season for her portrayal of lawyer Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Pérez, winning a SAG Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice Award.
Her first Oscar win, however, sets itself apart from the rest. With it, Saldaña made history as “the first American of Dominican origin” to accept an Oscar.
“I am floored by this honor. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and the power in a woman, like Rita,” she tearfully began, before acknowledging the “loving community” she shares with her fellow nominees. “My grandmother came to this county in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hardworking hands and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.”
Queen Latifah Performs The Wiz’s “Ease on Down the Road” During Her Tribute to the Late Quincy Jones
Queen Latifah brought the show back to life, even if it was only for a few minutes, toward its close. The rapstress, 54, who was introduced by The Color Purple co-stars Oprah Winfrey, 71, and Whoopi Goldberg, 69, had a fun, engaging performance of The Wiz’s “Ease on Down the Road” to pay tribute to the late Quincy Jones.
Who Won?
The nominees for the 97th Annual Academy Awards were revealed live on Thursday Jan. 23 by Yang and Saturday Night actress Rachel Sennott, 29, from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. This year’s announcement was postponed from its originally scheduled Jan. 17 date, due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Emilia Pérez, a Netflix musical thriller about a notorious drug lord’s transition into living as a woman, led the nomination list with 13 awards, making it the top nominated non-English language film in Oscars history. Following closely behind with 10 nominations each is Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, a historical drama highlighting the journey of a visionary architect who migrates to America post-war, and Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, which releases on Peacock on March 21.
The Timothée Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and Edward Berger’s mystery thriller Conclave, which follows Ralph Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence participating in the selection of a new pope, both had eight nominations and were vying for the highly coveted win for Best Picture. Anora, the Cinderella story of a young woman from Brooklyn who meets and marries the son of an oligarch, secured six nominations, while both Dune: Part Two and The Substance received five.
Check out the full list of winners from the 2025 Oscars below:
Best Picture: Anora
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Adrien Brody in The Brutalist
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Mikey Madison in Anora
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez
Best Animated Feature Film: Flow
Best Animated Short Film: In The Shadow of The Cypress
Best Documentary Feature Film: No Other Land
Best Documentary Short Film: The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Best International Feature Film: Brazil’s I’m Still Here
Best Live Action Short Film: I’m Not A Robot
Best Cinematography: Lol Crawley for The Brutalist
Best Music (Original Score): Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist
Best Music (Original Song): “El Mal” by Clément Ducol and Camille (music); Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard (lyrics) for Emilia Pérez
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Peter Straughan for Conclave
Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Sean Baker for Anora
Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell for Wicked
Best Directing: Sean Baker for Anora
Best Film Editing: Sean Baker for Anora
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli for The Substance
Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley on Production Design and Lee Sandales on Set Decoration for Wicked
Best Sound: Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill for Dune: Part Two
Best Visual Effects: Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer for Dune: Part Two
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