Angela Bassett was seen comforting Austin Butler just minutes after being snubbed in her own category.
In one of the biggest upsets of the night, Basset was beaten in the Best Supporting Actress category by Jamie Lee Curtis for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Bassett was nominated for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Find the full list of winners here and all the live updates from the ceremony as it happened here.
As Curtis celebrated her win, an emotional Bassett kept a blank look on her face, with many supporting her decision to not “feign excitement”.
Later in the night, Bassett was seen holding Butler’s hands as the nominees for Best Actor were read aloud.
The Elvis star, too, lost in his category as Brendan Fraser took home the gong for his turn as a 400-pound gay man in The Whale.
Fans were quick to praise Bassett for comforting Butler with a clip of the moment circulating online.
“Angela Bassett holding Austin Butler’s hand while he’s nervous… is exactly the kind of woman I imagined she was,” one fan tweeted alongside a GIF of the moment.
“Screaming at Austin Butler clinging onto Angela Bassett,” another wrote.
“Angela Bassett has a right to be hurt,” one tweeted. “It’s been a long road for her, too. And she sat there on the front row, was gracious, held Austin Butler’s hand while his category was up, and held herself like the regal queen she is.”
Following her loss, actors Michael B Jordan and Jonathan Majors supported Bassett while presenting an award on stage.
Bassett was previously Oscar-nominated for Best Actress for her role as Tina Turner in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It? in 1994, but was beaten by Holly Hunter, star of Jane Campion’s The Piano.
The 2023 ceremony saw big wins for Everything Everywhere All at Once, which took home seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh.
Meanwhile, Hugh Grant ruffled feathers before the ceremony had even started with his “rude” answers during a “painful” red carpet interview.
