Oscars Name Wrong Best Picture Winner: A Play-By-Play of the Epic Mix-Up
The Oscars saw its biggest screwup ever in the final minutes of Sunday night’s show when La La Land was incorrectly named best picture winner instead of actual winner Moonlight.
Here’s a play-by-play of how the epic TV moment went down.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, stars of 1967’s classic Bonnie and Clyde, introduced the best picture nominees. After opening the envelope, Beatty stumbled with announcing the winner before handing the envelope card to Dunaway, who then announced La La Land.
The cast and crew of La La Land, including best director winner Damien Chazelle and best actress winner Emma Stone, took the stage and began to give their acceptance speeches.
Until La La Land producer Fred Berger interrupted the joyful moment to say, "We lost by the way, you know.“
Read more: Oscars: ‘Moonlight’ Wins Best Picture in Stunning Upset After Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway Flub Winner
After a moment of bewilderment and confusion, La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz announced in the microphone, "There’s a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won best picture.”
As emotions both on and off stage continued to swirl, producer Marc Platt leaned into the microphone to announce that Beatty and Dunaway had read the wrong name.
“This is not a joke. Moonlight has won best picture,” reiterated Horowitz.
He then held up the envelope to show the audience and those watching at home that the card clearly read Moonlight.
The audience erupted in cheers upon seeing the envelope.
Host Jimmy Kimmel jumped in to say, “This is very unfortunate what happened. Personally, I blame Steve Harvey for this.” Harvey had famously flubbed the Miss Universe pageant winner in 2015.
Read more: Oscars Shocker: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway Read Wrong Best Picture Winner
“I’m going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from Moonlight,” said Horowitz as the cast and crew of Barry Jenkins’ coming-of-age drama made their way to the stage.
“That’s very nice of you,” Kimmel said of Horowitz as the distraught La La Land team moved over to give Moonlight its moment.
Stone, who had her hand over her mouth, then began clapping.
Dunaway left the stage, but Beatty stepped into offer an explanation as to what happened.
“Warren, what did you do?!” yelled Kimmel, who was thisclose to wrapping a highly entertaining and smooth telecast.
“I opened the envelope and it said: Emma Stone, La La Land,” he told the audience. “That’s why I took such a long pause and looked at Faye, and at you. I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
Envelope in Warren Beatty’s hands read “ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE” when announcing Best Picture. https://t.co/naq6LCfSrE #Oscars pic.twitter.com/YmXWXcudfu
- ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2017
When Jenkins stepped up to the mic, he said, “Even in my dreams this could not be true. But to hell with dreams! I’m done with it because this is true, oh my goodness.”
He added, “And it is true, it’s not fake. We have been on the road with these guys for so long and that was so gracious, so generous of them. My love to La La Land. My love to everybody. Man.”
He then credited everyone who joined him on stage for bringing the film to fruition.
Read more: Emma Stone on Best Picture Mystery: “I Was Holding My Best Actress Card”
When speaking to press backstage, Stone said, “Of course it was an amazing thing to hear La La Land, I think we all would have loved to win best picture, but we are so excited for Moonlight.”
She added, “I think it’s one of the best films of all time.”
She then lit fuel to the fire by explaining how she had her best actress card in her hand during the time of the reveal.
“I also was holding my best actress in a leading role card that entire time,” she said.
Read more: Oscars: Massive Best Picture Mistake Becomes Internet Gold
Moonlight’s best supporting actor winner Mahershala Ali said he wasn’t surprised when La La Land’s name was called at first.
“When I did see security or people coming onstage and their moment was being disrupted in some way I got really worried,” he said backstage. “And then when they said Moonlight, you guys have won. It just threw me, more than a bit. I didn’t want to go up there and take anything from somebody. It’s very hard to feel joy in a moment like that… but I feel very fortunate for all of us to have walked away with the best picture award. It’s pretty remarkable.”
When reached by The Hollywood Reporter, Price Waterhouse Cooper, the accounting firm who handles the Oscar envelopes, said they were working on a statement.
When approached by THR at the Governors Ball annual afterparty, Dunaway refused to comment.
Backstage after the moment, Jenkins said he had yet to get an explanation from the Academy about what happened.
An eyewitness backstage told THR that after Dunaway announced La La Land, a stage manager was heard saying, “That’s the wrong envelope. It’s Moonlight.”
Traditionally there are two sets of winners’ envelopes printed and stuffed into two briefcases, with two PwC accountants standing on opposite ends of the stage ready to hand the envelopes to the presenters.
Horowitz later said one of the stagehands approached him on stage and discovered they had handed Beatty the wrong envelope.
Despite the confusion, Horowitz said it was an “honor” to welcome Moonlight onto the stage.
In 1932, the wrong Frank was incorrectly announced to the stage as the best director winner. Frank Capra (Lady for a Day) was announced when Frank Lloyd won for Cavalcade.
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