Every Political Statement at the 2025 Oscars
The 97th Academy Awards celebrated the year in film by handing out those coveted gold statues to the performers, creators, and musicians who managed to stand out in their very crowded fields of Tinseltown talent.
The evening was mostly focused on the films in contention for the night’s biggest prizes, but there were several moments where the moment became about more than just what was seen on the silver screen.
Here’s a rundown of all of the overtly and sometimes covertly political statements made throughout the night at the 2025 Oscars.
The first came from Best Film Editing presenter Daryl Hannah, who used just two words to make her point: “Slava Ukraina.” The phrase is a showing of support for Ukraine at a time when the nation is still fighting off the Russian invasion that began three years ago but comes at a particularly perilous moment for American-Ukrainian relations after Donald Trump berated Ukraine’s President Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Next was Best Supporting Actress winner Zoe Saldana, who noted that she is now the first American actress of Dominican descent to win and praised her family for following their “dreams and dignity” to migrate to the United States and called herself a “proud child of immigrant people.” That might not be a patently political statement in another environment, but in an era of mass deportations, it is more pointed than usual.
No Other Land co-creators Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra used their moment at the podium, while accepting the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, to reiterate the message of their film. A joint creation by Israeli and Palestinian civilians, the two pleaded for peace in Gaza.
“No Other Land” director Basel Adra: “We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people.” | #Oscars pic.twitter.com/NzoqLKiBSJ
— Variety (@Variety) March 3, 2025
Though host Conan O’Brien kept his comments on government affairs to a bare minimum, he did slip in a dig at the current U.S. president in the back half of the show. Noting that Anora was having a “good night” with two wins for Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay, he seemingly took a swipe at Trump’s deference to Vladimir Putin by joking, “Two wins already. I guess Americans are excited to see someone stand up to a powerful Russian.”
Best Actor winner Adrien Brody also demanded more time at the podium for his The Brutalist performance achievement so that he could finish his speech with a thought, explaining that his movie was about “the lingering traumas of war and systematic oppression and antisemitism and racism” before adding, “I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world. And I believe if the past can teach us anything it’s to not let hate go unchecked.”
“I believe if the past can teach us anything it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”
Adrien Brody encourages people to “fight for what’s right” during his Best Actor acceptance speech for his role in “The Brutalist.”#Oscars https://t.co/nl9CxOviL4 pic.twitter.com/rANoe4LkGC
— ABC News (@ABC) March 3, 2025
Anora star Mikey Madison, who won Best Actress, paid tribute to sex workers in her acceptance speech and promised to “always be an ally” to members of that community.
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