Oscars 2025 recap: Biggest moments from the 97th Academy Awards

The 97th Academy Awards took place Sunday night.

ByHayley FitzPatrick, Carson Blackwelder, Angeline Jane Bernabe, and Mason Leib

Last Updated: March 2, 2025, 11:05 PM EST

The 2025 Oscars honored the best in cinema from the past year Sunday night.

The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O'Brien, ended with "Anora" taking home the coveted trophy for best picture.

Oscars 2025: Complete winners list

"Anora" was the top film of the night, taking home five Oscars including best director for Sean Baker.

The top acting prizes went to Adrien Brody, who won best actor for "The Brutalist," and Mikey Madison, who won best actress for "Anora." Winning in the supporting categories were "Emilia Pérez" star Zoe Saldaña and "A Real Pain" star Kieran Culkin.

Heading into the ceremony, "Emilia Pérez" led the field of nominees with 13 total Oscar nominations. It ended the night with two trophies.

Oscars red carpet 2025: See what stars wore for Hollywood's biggest night

This year's show honored the city of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires that left at least 29 dead and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this year, bringing firefighters onto the Oscars stage and hosting a charitable component to raise money for fire victims.

The Oscars ceremony aired live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.

Scroll down for a recap of the 2025 Oscars.

Key moments:

Mar 02, 2025, 10:46 PM EST
'Anora' wins best picture Oscar
Mar 02, 2025, 10:42 PM EST
Mikey Madison wins best actress Oscar
Mar 02, 2025, 10:30 PM EST
Sean Baker wins best director Oscar for 'Anora'
Mar 02, 2025, 10:22 PM EST
Adrien Brody wins best actor Oscar

Here's how the night unfolded. All times Eastern.

Mar 02, 2025, 5:00 PM EST

Oscars predictions: Who will win tonight?

Film critic Peter Travers shared his predictions on who will win and who should win at the 2025 Oscars, breaking down the major categories of the night.

Travers said "The Brutalist" should take home the biggest prize of the night -- best picture -- but predicted "Conclave" will squeak out a win over "Anora."

Travers predicted that Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña will win the best supporting actor and best supporting actress Oscars for their respective work in "A Real Pain" and "Emilia Pérez," but he had other opinions about who should win in the categories.

Check out more of Travers' predictions here.

For those who prefer more statistical predictions, 538 has those here.

Mar 02, 2025, 4:55 PM EST

Oscars host Conan O'Brien shares his pre-show ritual

Ahead of the Oscars, host Conan O'Brien shared a funny photo of his "pre-show ritual" on X, which included a pipe and a guitar.

"Preshow ritual," he captioned the photo, which showed him holding the guitar, with the pipe in his mouth. "I'm hosting the #Oscars tonight on @ABC and @hulu. See you there!"

Mar 02, 2025, 4:56 PM EST

Who is up for best actress at the Oscars?

The best actress nominees at the 2025 Oscars include Cynthia Erivo ("Wicked"), Karla Sofía Gascón ("Emilia Pérez"), Mikey Madison ("Anora"), Demi Moore ("The Substance") and Fernanda Torres ("I'm Still Here").

A look at the best actress race for the 2025 Oscars.
ABC News, Universal, Metropolitan Films, Sony Pictures, Netflix, Universal pictures

Erivo is the only previous Oscar nominee, with the others earning their first Oscar nominations this year.

Read more about this year's best actress race here.

Mar 02, 2025, 4:56 PM EST

Who is up for best actor at the Oscars?

Nominees for the best actor category at the 2025 Oscars include Adrien Brody ("The Brutalist"), Timothée Chalamet ("A Complete Unknown"), Colman Domingo ("Sing Sing"), Sebastian Stan ("The Apprentice") and Ralph Fiennes ("Conclave").