Michelle Yeoh attempted to clear the air after claims that Emma Stone snubbed her onstage when Yeoh presented her with the best actress award at the Oscars Sunday. The best actress awards presentation differed this year as five previous winners introduced and addressed this year's nominees before the most recent winner — in this case, Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' — announced the winner.
In footage from the event, Stone approaches Yeoh onstage, moving to accept the statue from her. In an awkward exchange, Yeoh holds onto the golden statue while seemingly trying to hand it to Jennifer Lawrence — to then give to Stone, who won for her performance in 'Poor Things.' After embracing Lawrence and Sally Fields, Stone briefly acknowledges Yeoh and previous winners Jessica Lange and Charlize Theron before moving toward the microphone to accept the award.
Some watching at home accused Stone of rudely snubbing Yeoh when she accepted the award. Yeoh appeared to address those claims in an Instagram post on Monday — and her comments don't indicate any bad blood between the two.
'Congratulations Emma!!' Yeoh wrote in a caption of a photo from Sunday night's awards show. 'I confused you, but I wanted to share that glorious moment of handing over Oscar to you with your best friend Jennifer!! She reminded me of my Bae Jamie Lee Curtis. always there for each other!!'
As awards show snubbing discourse has become hyper-prevalent, at the Oscars, Robert Downey Jr. came under fire for what some perceived as failing to acknowledge Ke Huy Quan, the most recent winner of the best supporting actor award for his 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' role. And while the two were later pictured standing side-by-side and smiling backstage, according to another photo posted by Yeoh, the comments on Yeoh's post show that not everyone is buying her explanation. Some accused Stone of racial discrimination, while others said she was still rude to Yeoh regardless of the presenter's intentions.
'Poor Things,' per the Hollywood Reporter, has brought in $105 million at the global box office. That makes it not only director Yorgos Lanthimos' ('The Favourite') highest-grossing film but also the highest-earning limited release of 2023.
Stone, who played the peculiar Bella Baxter in the film, was considered a frontrunner, though not the favorite, for the best actress award. That was Lily Gladstone of 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' who won a Golden Globe for her performance as the Osage woman Mollie Kyle.
