Viewers React Strongly to Adrien Brody Joke at the Oscars
Adrien Brody came back to the Oscars this year to present the Best Actor award, but he quickly reminded everyone of his most talked-about moment from last year. While Michael B. Jordan took home the prize, Brody’s antics on stage stole the spotlight on social media once again.
Last year, Brody won Best Actor for The Brutalist, but his win became famous for an odd moment. As he walked to the stage, he pulled a piece of chewing gum from his mouth and tossed it toward his girlfriend, Georgina Chapman.
His acceptance speech also lasted nearly six minutes, and the orchestra struggled to play him off. This year, Brody decided to joke about his reputation for long speeches by pretending to pull out several pages of notes.
Just realized what Adrien Brody was referencing at the Oscars and now I feel sick to the stomach 🤢
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) March 16, 2026
They don't even try to hide it anymore… pic.twitter.com/ZMVLL9CypB
But the moment got uncomfortable when he mimed throwing gum into the audience—just like last year—but then pretended to put it back in his mouth and swallow it. Fans on X quickly reacted. “I’m gonna be thinking about the gum Adrien Brody swallowed for the next 7 years that it’s in his body,” one user joked.
Others were more critical. “Adrien Brody doing that with his gum is disgusting, why did he act like he forgot he was about to present a f*ck**g OSCAR!?” another wrote. The stunt seemed to respond to a question from last year about his gum-tossing habits.
Brody told reporters after his win that he didn’t want to swallow it and had to get rid of it somehow. “I could’ve swallowed it, but I didn’t think about that. I had to get rid of it somehow,” he said.
Even though Brody intended the moment as a joke, some viewers felt it distracted from the winners. For example, the team behind the song Golden from K-pop Demon Hunters had their microphones cut off mid-speech, leaving them awkwardly finishing their remarks as the audience looked on.
“So we have time for Adrien to joke about speaking for too long but no time for the actual winners’ speeches?” one frustrated viewer commented. Meanwhile, Michael B. Jordan’s win for his role in the supernatural thriller Sinners kept fans excited. The film, directed by Ryan Coogler, stars Hailee Steinfeld and Delroy Lindo.
The ceremony also highlighted K-pop’s global influence, as KPop Demon Hunters became the first animated film to win Best Original Song. The movie, which follows pop stars who hunt demons, is now a major streaming hit on Netflix.
Even with the gum controversy, the Oscars continued to celebrate major achievements in film and music, though social media made sure everyone had an opinion about Brody’s antics.
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