At the 2025 Academy Awards, Halle Berry did something that could only be described as poetic justice. During a red carpet interview, she walked up to Adrien Brody, interrupted the conversation and declared to his wife, “I’m sorry, Georgina, but I gotta do it,” before pulling him in for a kiss. The crowd erupted in laughter, and as the moment settled, Berry smirked and added, “I had to pay him back. You know I did.”

For those unfamiliar with the history, this wasn’t just a playful stunt – it was a 22-year receipt finally cashed in. Back in 2003, Brody shocked the world when he won Best Actor for The Pianist and, instead of simply accepting the Oscar, grabbed Berry (who was presenting the award) and planted an unplanned, deep kiss on her lips. Berry, visibly stunned, played it off in the moment, but in a 2017 interview, she made it clear that she was just as bewildered as the rest of us. “That was not planned. I knew nothing about it. I was like, ‘What the f**k is happening right now?’” she explained to Andy Cohen.

That moment has aged awkwardly. What may have once seemed like an impassioned, overjoyed reaction to winning an Oscar now lands differently in an era where conversations about consent and personal space are finally front and center. Even Brody himself acknowledged this in a more recent interview with Variety, stating, “We live in a very conscious time, which is a wonderful thing, and nothing that I ever do or have done or would’ve done was meant to be disrespectful.”

So, when the Never Let Go star took matters into her own hands at this year’s Oscars, it felt less like a simple joke and more like a symbolic reclaiming of the situation. This wasn’t just about two actors revisiting a past viral moment; it was about agency. Berry made it clear that this time, the kiss happened on her terms. She even cemented the point with an Instagram post captioned, “Surprise, Adrien Brody! I had to get some payback.”

Berry, who scored a Best Actress Academy Award for her role in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, wasn’t the only one to chime in on the physical exchange via social media. “You really gotta be so strong as a spouse of an actor ‘cause what do you mean Halle Berry just came [and] kissed your man in front of you, and you’re clapping?” asked one user on X. “I would’ve ruined everyone’s night.” Another quipped that “some guys have all the luck.”

Check out some other reactions below.