29 Oscars Acceptance Speeches That Were So Wholesome Or Jaw-Dropping, We're Still Talking About Them
We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which Oscars acceptance speeches they absolutely love or were the wildest to watch. Here are a few of the best responses:
Note: Not all submissions are from Community users and #10 mentions suicide.
1.First, when Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her work as Queen Anne in The Favourite (2018) and was simply super flustered by all the famous people around her and started thanking random actors.
"I keep going back to it. She just never came to terms with the fact that she won. She fangirled over Glenn Close, blew a raspberry at the camera and said, 'Argh! Lady Gaga!!' as the last line of her speech. It was hilarious."
You can watch Olivia's full acceptance speech below:
2.When One Survivor Remembers (1995) won for Best Documentary Short Subject and Gerda Weissmann Klein, who is a Holocaust survivor and the subject of the film, beautifully accepted the award.
"The most emotional speech I've heard was one given by Gerda, who came up after a film about her won. It still sends shivers down my spine. You'll never take anything for granted after."
You can watch Gerda's full acceptance speech below:
3.When Sacheen Littlefeather accepted Marlon Brando's second Academy Award for Best Actor for his work as Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972) because he boycotted the ceremony in protest against Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans, and to draw attention to the standoff at Wounded Knee.
Suggested by: laurengarafano
You can watch Sacheen Littlefeather's full acceptance speech on behalf of Marlon below:
4.When Bong Joon-ho won Best Directing for his work on Parasite (2019), and he thanked his fellow directors and announced he was going to get drunk after the ceremony.
"In his speech, he thanked Martin Scorsese, who also was nominated, and got the audience to do a standing ovation for him. His speech was very humble. Especially since he wasn't favored to win. Plus he joked about drinking until the next day."
You can watch Bong's full acceptance speech below:
5.When Troy Kotsur won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Frank Rossi in CODA (2021) and he dedicated his win to the deaf community and talked about how his family inspired him.
You can watch Troy's full acceptance speech below:
6.When Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for her work as Rose Lee Maxson in Fences (2016), and she gifted everyone with this beautiful speech about whose stories are important to her.
"Viola Davis had the best Oscar speech of all time."
You can watch Viola's full acceptance speech below:
7.When Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for her work as Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), then she tripped going up to accept her award and opened her speech with a joke about it.
"This will always be my favorite award show moment."
You can watch Jennifer's full acceptance speech here:
8.When Sally Field won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for her work as Edna Spalding in Places in the Heart (1984) and was shocked that her peers really liked her.
Suggested by: kirstenc49a2212b1
You can watch Sally's full acceptance speech below:
9.When Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his work as Władysław Szpilman in The Pianist (2002), and he used his time on stage to kiss Halle Berry and mention the war in Iraq.
Suggested by: bravesgirl21
You can watch Adrien's full acceptance speech below:
10.When Graham Moore won Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on The Imitation Game (2014), and he gave a moving speech about how he hopes young children out there know they belong.
"Towards the end of the speech he talked about trying to kill himself when he was a teenager because he believed that he did not belong, and he dedicated his speech to 'that kid out there' who doesn't feel like they fit in. I was 14 when I watched this speech live, and I was that kid who didn't fit in and wanted to kill myself. Even though life has definitely had its downs (with a few ups) since, Graham's words gave me hope when I desperately needed them."
You can watch Graham's full acceptance speech below:
11.When Kate Winslet won Best Actress for her work as Hanna Schmitz in The Reader (2008) and she didn't know where her parents were seated, so her dad whistled so she could find them.
"This is one of my personal favorite Oscars speeches because I just adore Kate being so excited. From her talking about practicing her speech in a bathroom when she was a kid — and now that's where she keeps her Oscar — to the sweet moment with her parents, it's perfect from start to finish."
You can watch Kate's full acceptance speech below:
12.When Jack Palance won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Curly Washburn in City Slickers (1991), and he ended his speech by doing one-armed push ups.
You can watch Jack's full acceptance speech below:
13.When Ariana DeBose won Best Supporting Actress for her work as Anita in West Side Story (2021) and she took time to thank Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for Anita in 1962, and she talked about being an openly queer woman of color and how she hopes others know there is a place for them.
You can watch Ariana's full acceptance speech below:
14.When Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul won Best Original Song for "City of Stars" from La La Land (2016), and Benj adorably thanked his mom for letting him quit soccer to join his school's musical.
"I'm one of those people who often goes down Oscar rabbit holes and watches acceptance speeches on YouTube just for fun. One of my absolute favorites is when Justin Paul, Justin Hurwitz, and Benj Pasek won. Benj's voice trembled throughout his speech because he was so excited — he literally cut himself off to say, 'Oh my god, I'm actually freaking out right now!' — but the best part was when he thanked his mom for letting him quit soccer so he could join the school musical. The camera then cut to his mom in the audience who was sobbing with so much joy. It's a really beautiful moment that gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Wow. I love seeing people's dreams come true."
You can watch their full acceptance speech below:
15.When Halle Berry won Best Actress for her work as Leticia Musgrove in Monster's Ball (2001) and became the first (and still the only) Black actor to win this award.
You can watch Halle's full acceptance speech below:
16.When Joaquin Phoenix won Best Actor for his work as Arthur Fleck/Joker in Joker (2019) and he quoted his late brother River Phoenix's song.
"I loved this one, especially because at the end of his speech he quoted his brother River, 'run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.' This is one speech that I think about a lot and has stayed with me since."
You can watch Joaquin's full acceptance speech below:
17.When Will Smith won Best Actor for his work as Richard Williams in King Richard (2021) and gave his acceptance speech moments after hitting Chris Rock on stage.
You can watch Will's full acceptance speech below:
18.When Julia Roberts won Best Actress for her work as Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000) and she politely told the music conductor to not even think about playing her off.
You can watch Julia's full acceptance speech below:
19.When Joe Pesci won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas (1990) and his speech consisted of only five words.
You can watch Joe's full acceptance speech below:
20.Daniel Kaluuya won for Best Supporting Actor for his work as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah (2020) and he was so caught up in the moment he thanked his parents for having sex.
Suggested by: jenniferabidor
You can watch Daniel's full acceptance speech below:
21.When Roberto Benigni won Best Foreign Language Film for Life Is Beautiful (1997) and he literally climbed over seats and other celebs when Sophia Loren announced the winner.
Also, Roberto won later in the evening for Best Actor for his portrayal of Guido Orefice in Life Is Beautiful. He became the first actor to win an acting award for a performance in a foreign language film since Sophia Loren won for Two Women in 1962.
You can watch Roberto's full acceptance speech below:
22.When Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for her work as Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) and used her speech to highlight the violence and legislation against the LGBTQ+ community and to make sure everyone knows they are loved and supported.
You can watch Jessica's full acceptance speech below:
23.When Cuba Gooding Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire (1996) and he started yelling over the orchestra's music as they began to play him off.
"When he started shouting over the orchestra it was iconic!"
You can watch Cuba's full acceptance speech below:
24.When Tom Hanks won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his work as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump (1994) and he adorably thanked Rita Wilson for teaching him what love is.
"I've always loved the short, yet very emotional speech Tom Hanks gave at the 1995 Oscars for Forrest Gump, especially when he chokes up and says, 'I am standing here because the woman I share my life with has taught me and demonstrates for me every day just what love IS.' It's so tender, but also so direct and poignant. Very classy!"
You can watch Tom's full acceptance speech below:
25.When Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for her work as Édith Piaf in La Vie en Rose (2007) and was pretty speechless.
Suggested by: palimpsest00
You can watch Marion's full acceptance speech below:
26.When Ben Affleck and Matt Damon won Best Screenplay for their work on Good Will Hunting (1997), and Ben gave the speech, while Matt just reminded him of people to thank and shouted about Boston.
"Overall, I think writers tend to give the funniest speeches, but I almost never remember who they are. The speech Ben and Matt gave when they won was adorable. They are so young and excited. Ben is listing people while Matt is just yelling a thank you to all of Boston in the background."
You can watch Ben and Matt's full acceptance speech below:
27.When Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Dick "Dicky" Eklund in The Fighter (2010) and he was so flustered and emotional, he couldn't even say his wife's name.
Suggested by: hailcthulhu
You can watch Christian's full acceptance speech below:
28.When Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor for his work as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014) and he was so stunned he won, he just kept looking at his statue.
"Eddie's speech seemed very heartwarming and genuine. He was so flustered yet excited at the same time. You can sense that it was a genuine reaction."
You can watch Eddie's full acceptance speech below:
29.And finally, when Moonlight won Best Picture in 2017, but only after La La Land was accidentally crowned the winner, and Barry Jenkins delivered his acceptance speech while praising La La Land.
"Best Oscars moment ever."
Watch the entire La La Land and Moonlight debacle below:
We can't fit everyone into one post, so which other Oscars acceptance speeches do you love or find the most jaw-dropping? Tell us in the comments below!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
