Oscars 2018: 10 of the most memorable moments from the 90th Academy Awards

Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the 90th Academy Awards, wasn’t kidding when he warned during his opening monologue that the evening was poised to be a lengthy one. While his challenge for winners to keep their speeches short in exchange for a prize jet ski was well-intentioned, his foresight was spot on in that there was a lot of ground to cover.

Throughout the nearly four-hour ceremony, there were plenty of standout moments, with the year’s biggest night for Hollywood coming through with plenty to talk about. Read below for some of the top moments from the 2018 Oscars.

Taraji P. Henson’s red carpet shade of Ryan Seacrest

During the pre-show red carpet proceedings, many felt that actress Taraji P. Henson was slyly throwing shade at Ryan Seacrest during an interview. The television host was accused of sexual misconduct by a former personal stylist, and Henson’s comments and stroke of Seacrest’s chin had people buzzing before the awards began on Sunday evening.

Lakeith Stanfield’s Get Out cameo

Lakeith Stanfield had one of the most memorable roles of 2017 with his performance in Get Out, and he made a cameo appearance of his character on Sunday night. Host Jimmy Kimmel warned the evening’s winners against taking too long while giving their acceptance speeches, illustrating their penalty: Stanfield running on stage, in the same garb he wore in the film, and yelling, “GET OUT!” He then awkwardly lingered on stage, bringing a smile to director Jordan Peele’s face. Soon thereafter, he tweeted from backstage, “That was so weird.”

Mary J. Blige’s history-making nominations, and a powerful performance

Mary J. Blige made history by becoming the first person to be nominated in the categories of Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song in the same year, and gave an emotive performance of her Mudbound nominated song, “Muddy Rivers.”

Tiffany Haddish cracking us up

Tiffany Haddish was the evening’s MVP. From wearing a traditional dress to represent her Eritrea roots on the red carpet to once again sporting her Alexander McQueen dress as a presenter to going out of her way to meet (and curtsy for) Meryl Streep, Haddish is just the best. While presenting alongside Maya Rudolph, the pair asked if the Oscars are “too Black now?” before reminding viewers that there were “many more white people to come tonight.” Needless to say, we can’t wait for the comedian to host the MTV TV & Movie Awards this summer, further solidifying that Haddish is a beloved award show darling and a welcome newcomer.

Jordan Peele taking home an Oscar for Get Out

We all knew that Get Out was one of the year’s most provocative pieces of art – the question was whether or not the Academy would give the film its just due. Turns out, they did the right thing: Jordan Peele won one of the most prestigious awards of the evening, Best Original Screenplay. He became the first black writer to win the award. Ever. In its 90-year history. It was a long time coming, but we’re glad it went to such a deserving film.

Dave Chappelle introducing Common and Andra Day

Dave Chappelle has been popping up a lot recently, and we’re all for it. The comedic legend showed up at the Oscars to introduce his friend Common and Andra Day, who were performing “Stand Up For Something,” their original song from the film Marshall, a biopic about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. “In American life, there are these people who abandon comfortable circumstances and take on issues bigger than themselves. That is a thankless job to take on,” Chappelle said, before slipping in a joke. “You’ve never seen someone in a car, and you’re like, ‘damn, where you get that car from?’ ‘I’ve been killing in activism.’”

Common and Andra Day’s performance of “Stand Up For Something”

An intro from Dave Chappelle is always a good look, but Common and Andra Day held their own on stage too. The pair gave an emotive performance of their song “Stand Up For Something” from the film Marshall, and they were accompanied by a group of 10 activists – including trans activist Janet Mock, #MeToo founder Tarana Burke, and others – who stood near the back of the stage, with a spotlight shining on each person.

Multiple victories for Latino filmmakers and Mexican culture

Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro’s film The Shape of Water was one of the biggest winners of the night, sending him home with Best Directing and Best Picture, along with the awards for Original Score and Production Design – four awards out of its 13 nominations. Del Toro gave a moving speech that spoke about his immigrant status. “I am an immigrant…The greatest thing our art does and our industry does is to erase the lines in the sand,” he said.

The film Coco, a 3D-animated film about a little boy named Miguel and based on the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, also took home Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. Filipino-American songwriter Robert Lopez, who won the latter award for his and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s composition of the Coco song “Remember Me,” became the only person in the world who has ever achieved a double EGOT. The EGOT is the rare, prestigious feat of winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony; very few people are able to do that once, but Entertainment Weekly reports Lopez is the only person to win at least two of each award.

While the #OscarsSoWhite movement has largely gained press based on its advocacy for black artists, it was also aimed at building respect for other minority groups as well – and Latino culture received proper respect on Sunday.

Daniela Vega making history as first openly trans presenter at the Oscars

While much was made of the presence of women and Latinos at the Oscars this year, history was also made for the LGBTQIA film community. Entertainment Weekly reports that Daniel Vega, the actress who starred in the film A Fantastic Woman, became the first openly trans presenter at the Academy Awards. Another instance where the existence of this being a “first” is long overdue, but better late than never.

A Fantastic Woman is a Chilean film about a trans woman named Marina (played by Vega) who grieves the loss of her lover Orlando while being placed under suspicion for his death, while also battling bigotry from her family. The film took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae and more appear in Twitter’s first-ever ad during the Oscars

Twitter aired its first-ever ad during the Oscars, which featured a poem written and read by New York poet, writer and performer Denice Frohman. As the words in the poem are flashed on screen, various black and white portraits of women appear in bursts, followed by the Twitter logo at the very end. Throughout the commercial, the likes of director Ava DuVernay, Insecure creator Issa Rae, filmmaker Julie Dash and documentary filmmaker/activist Jennifer Brea. The ad is seen as a response to the #MeToo and #TimesUp social media movements toward female empowerment.