3 Historic 2022 Oscar Wins: From Ariana DeBose to Troy Kotsur

The 2022 Oscars had its fair share of history-making moments and when it came to wins, there were three big ones for the night.

There were plenty of first times to go around, kicking off with one for West Side Story‘s Ariana DeBose, carrying onto Coda‘s Troy Kotsur, and then another for the movie itself. Below, we’re taking a deeper look into the three big history-making wins of the 94th Academy Awards, beyond the onstage drama that unfolded during the ceremony.

The team behind Coda poses with their statues (Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Ariana DeBose Becomes the First Openly Queer Woman of Color to Win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Ariana DeBose wowed with her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story, and following in the footsteps of her predecessor Rita Moreno, she took home gold for Best Actress in a Leading Role. But it wasn’t just that she won for playing the same character in a new adaptation, no, DeBose has become the first queer woman of color to take home the acting prize.

DeBose and Kotsur pose with their fellow acting winner Jessica Chastain (Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

Troy Kotsur Becomes the First Deaf Man to Win an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Coda‘s shining star, Troy Kotsur, warmed viewers’ hearts with his awards-season success which concluded with his Best Actor in a Supporting Role win at the Oscars. The only other acting award handed out to a deaf performer in an acting category at the Oscars was his onscreen wife Marlee Matlin‘s 1987 win for Children of a Lesser God.

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Coda Becomes the First Movie From a Streaming Service to Win Best Picture

We’ve seen them before, films from streaming platforms that made it to the Oscars stage, including 2021’s Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Sound of Metal, but no movie from streaming has ever won until now. Apple TV+‘s Coda took home the evening’s top honor of Best Picture, while also setting precedent for streamers in the future.

What did you think of these history-making moments? Let us know in the comments section, below.