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 via GMA logo
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.

"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.

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:

Here's how the night unfolded. All times Eastern.
Mar 02, 2025, 7:15 PM EST

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo kick off Oscars with gravity defying performance

"Wicked" stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the Oscars with a showstopping performance.

Grande kicked things off with a performance of "Over the Rainbow" from 1939's "The Wizard of Oz."

Erivo then took the stage and sang "Home" from the 1975 Broadway musical "The Wiz."

The duo ended their performance with the song "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked."

Cynthia Erivo (L) and Ariana Grande perform onstage during the 97th Annual Academy Awards Hollywood March 2, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande perform onstage the 97th Annual Oscars March 2, 2025 in Hollywood.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Mar 02, 2025, 6:59 PM EST

Demi Moore gives advice to her younger self on Oscars red carpet

Demi Moore stopped by ABC's "The Oscars Red Carpet Show" ahead of the 97th Academy Awards and offered some sage advice to her younger self.

After "Dancing with the Stars" co-host Julianne Hough asked Moore what advice she would give herself as a younger woman, Moore said, "It would really be to appreciate all of who you are as you are right in that moment."

"That it is imperfectly perfect and how human and beautiful that is," she added.

Demi Moore attends the 97th Annual Oscars at Dolby Theatre, on March 2, 2025, in Hollywood, Calif.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images

Moore is nominated for her first-ever Oscar this year, up for best actress for her instantly iconic role in "The Substance."

"I am just so filled with joy. I feel like I'm bursting," Moore told Hough of how she's feeling tonight. "Like, it really is just still, in so many ways, so unexpected and just really just a joy, and I'm really trying to stay present so I don't miss any of it."

Mar 02, 2025, 6:58 PM EST

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell hit the carpet

Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell made the Oscars a date night.

The two were all smiles as they posed for photos on the carpet.

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram for more red carpet moments.

Mar 02, 2025, 6:51 PM EST

Ben Stiller remembers Gene Hackman on the red carpet

Ben Stiller took a moment to remember the late Gene Hackman on the 2025 Oscars red carpet Sunday night.

Ben Stiller attends the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., Mar. 2, 2025.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

“He was someone I looked up to as one of the most authentic, real, charismatic and honest actors,” Stiller told ABC on the carpet, adding “He was a giant.”

The pair worked together on 2001’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

Hackman, 95, was mysteriously found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico, home last month alongside his wife and one of their dogs. There were no obvious signs of how they died and an investigation is currently underway.

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola