The 97th Academy Awards just wrapped, and it’s time to spill the tea on Hollywood’s biggest night. From Conan O’Brien‘s hosting debut to Hulu’s streaming disaster, the 2025 Oscars served up some major drama according to Disney exec Rob Mills who worked on the award show behind the scenes.
Here’s all the tea he spilled:
Everything that happened at the 2025 Oscars
What a wonderful, wacky night. (Credit: Getty)
Conan killed it as the host
First up, our favourite lanky redhead absolutely smashed it as host. Mills couldn’t stop gushing to Variety, comparing yesterday to “Conan’s greatest hits” and practically begging him to come back next year.
“That’s really up to Conan, but I know we would love to have him back,” Mills said.
“I don’t know if this counts as an official offer, but I really hope he wants to come back. It was a joy and a privilege, and probably the only sort of methadone I could have for not being able to do the show with Jimmy Kimmel.”
Mills also let us in on a secret about that bonkers opening with Conan popping out of Demi Moore‘s body, The Substance style. Turns out, Demi had no clue it was coming.
Adam Sandler wanted to hang around after his bit
If you haven’t seen Adam Sandler’s bit during the opening monologue, I implore you to watch it now:
While the bit would have you believe Sandler was just there for the lols, insiders told the publication that he actually stuck around afterwards, although he stayed in his comfy attire.
“I don’t think he was kidding about that basketball game,” Mills said.
Conan’s Drake joke: a $50 gamble
Halfway through the show, O’Brien dropped a bomb that had the audience gagged: “We’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile“. Ouch.
The comedian quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’m lawyered up”. According to Variety, this zinger was the brainchild of writer Skyler Higley, who bet the executive producer $50 that it would kill. Spoiler alert: He’s now $50 richer.
Hulu & Disney+’s streaming stuff up
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room — Hulu’s (and Disney+) livestream disaster. Some poor fans couldn’t even log in, and others got cut off during the best actress award. Mills tried to spin it as a “teachable moment” and TBH I appreciate the delulu approach he’s taking.
The James Bond tribute
The James Bond tribute featuring Doja Cat, Raye, and Lisa wasn’t just a random mashup. Mills revealed that producer Raj Kapoor‘s Grammy connections helped snag these powerhouse performers. And that killer opening dance by Margaret Qualley? A last-minute addition that has everyone buzzing about her potential future in the 007 franchise.
“I think Margaret was sort of thought about afterwards,” Mills said.
“I thought that was absolutely incredible. She was great. And certainly, I’m sure they’re looking now and thinking, this is somebody who needs to be part of the James Bond franchise in some way, shape or form in the next film.”
Scrapping the “Fab Five” presenters tradition had nothing to do with Karla Sofia Gascón
Eyebrows were raised when it was revealed the “Fab Five” presenters tradition had been scrapped.
The format, most recently displayed at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, takes place during the reading of the nominees, and features five previous Oscar winners (or nominees) giving praise to this year’s potential recipients.
Folks have assumed that the reason behind this was to avoid giving any praise to Emilia Perez’s Karla Sofia Gascón as a result of the controversy.
Mills has insisted that the scrapping of this tradition has nothing to do with Gascón.
“I can tell you, my hand to God, that was not ever the plan. The Fab Five plans were done months before [the scandal],” Mills said.
“You have to remember when you’re winnowing it down to people who have won in the past in those respective categories, the list is not incredibly long. It’s hard to get that many people to get there. They have to book 20 Academy Award-winning actors and actresses. It is really difficult.”
Instead, the time was used spotlight other “artisans” including Lily-Rose Depp, Elle Fanning, John Lithgow, Connie Nielsen, Bowen Yang, as well as the costume designers.
“So, this was always planned [to focus the ‘Fab Five’ presentations this year on artisans categories],” Mills said. “It also was a way to sort of give a shine a light on some of the technical categories too, which is why it was so great with costuming and cinematography. So, this had nothing to do with Karla.”
Speaking of, Mills also revealed Conan O’Brien “kept the Gascón jokes to a minimum”, as the drama had already “died down and he didn’t want it to set the wrong tone”.
What really happened with the In Memoriam segment
Perhaps the biggest backlash of the night came from the multiple omissions in the In Memoriam segment.
Punters were quick to call out the ceremony for failing to mention Michelle Trachtenberg, Tony Todd, Chance Perdemo, Shannen Doherty, Tony Roberts, Linda Lavin, Alain Delon, and documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, while the recently deceased Gene Hackman was honoured.
“That morning, we were all texting about what we were going to do for Gene, the one thing we knew immediately was we can get him in the montage,” Mills recalled.
“But it was really important that we figure out what is the right sort of grace note we can do for for Gene. The show was already running long, but it was really important.”
He added, “The In Memoriam package had been locked, but they made a rare exception to fit Hackman in. There is a way to go back in last minute. Sometimes it’s harder than others. There was enough time there. I remember when Bill Paxton passed away the day of the show that was hard. Here, it was nice that we were able to get him in and have him close out the montage.”
He threw some light shade at Adrien Brody’s lengthy speech
One of the other controversies was Adrien Brody getting cut-off midway through his speech, prompting him to say: “I’m wrapping up, please turn the music off. I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will will be brief.”
“What are you gonna do?” Mills said. “Maybe if he kept his gum in his mouth, he would have not given such a long speech. You can’t fault Adrien Brody; he is an incredible artist. I do think the speech was so long that it’s actually kind of hard to remember what his points were.
“Everyone is told before the show, be succinct, be memorable. Yes, we’re trying to keep the show moving, but it’s also going to help you, because that’s what you’ll remember about the speech. And right now, what I remember is Adrien Brody saying, ‘This isn’t my first rodeo. Don’t play me off.’ Was everybody doing a little bit of hand wringing, because the show was already long? Sure, absolutely. But at that point, during at the end of the night, I think it shouldn’t take away from what certainly one of the great movie-going experiences of the year.”
And that’s a wrap for the 2025 Oscars behind the scenes goss! To see what went down at the afterparties, head HERE.
The post Oscars Insider Spills On In Memoriam Backlash, Scrapped Segments, Adrien Brody & More Tea appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
