Oscars 2025 is all about the Oscar winners — but let’s be honest, it’s also about the memes and viral moments that enter the pop culture lexicon for years to come. The Oscars might have been created to honour the art of filmmaking, but its contribution to modern society includes some of the most unforgettable pop culture memes to ever exist.
Just think about the 2014 Oscars, which gave the world the infamous (and now extremely cringey) Oscars selfie. 2018 gave us an upgraded version of Meryl Streep with her hands cupped over her mouth cheering (I still use this one today). 2020 was green-haired Billie Eilish’s disgusted face. And let us not forget last year when Robert Downey Jr. thanked his “terrible childhood” for his award and the internet had a field day.
Looking back, these ones hit different.
This year's Oscars will bring us dozens more meme-able moments that’ll stand the test of time. It’s our legacy to leave behind to future internet historians — our duty as pioneers of this modern culture.
Plus, with Conan O’Brien making his Oscars hosting debut, it is entertainment. Stars like Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Timothée Chalamet appeared for an amazing, star-studded night.
So, what were the best memes and viral moments from Oscars 2025? See our fave picks below.
Edvin Ryding sings Cynthia Erivo’s iconic Wicked riff
Cynthia Erivo might be on her way to becoming the youngest EGOT winner ever tonight, but Young Royals star Edvin Ryding is coming for her Wicked riff. While paying princely homage to his home country by rocking Swedish brands on the red carpet, Ryding joined Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg in singing their rendition of the famous notes…even if it was a bit off pitch.
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Amelia Dimoldenberg jokes with Kit Connor about “losing his Oscars virginity”
Heartstopper star Kit Connor also joined Dimoldenberg on the red carpet. Connor, who stars in the Oscar-nominated animated film The Wild Robot tells the host it’s his “first time” at the awards ceremony. In typically Dimoldenberg fashion, she responded by joking that he’s losing his “Oscars virginity” with her.
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Timothée Chalamet butters up the crowd
Timothée Chalamet, who was nominated for his role in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, just solidified Butter Yellow as the 2025 colour of the year. You butter believe fans are spreading their love of the star’s Oscar’s fit across social media, with some photoshopping the nominee into a butter dish 'fit for an Academy luncheon. Even host O’Brien teased Chalamet about his suit saying, “Love that suit, you will not get hit on your bike tonight.” Personally, I think he’s calling back to his Wonka role, doing his best impression of a banana-flavoured Laffy Taffy.
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Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo defy gravity together
If only someone would look at me the way Ariana looks at Cynthia. During their tear-jerking Wicked performance to open the Oscars, Ariana not only kissed Cynthia’s hand, but stood back and watched with the world as her co-star nailed the recognisable riff in Defying Gravity. We’re calling it now, this is going to be one of the most meme’d moments of the 2025 Oscars, just wait and see. (P.S. we second that the cameraman during that performance deserves a raise).
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Adam Sandler is all of us at home
Interrupting O’Brien’s opening monologue, a wild Adam Sandler appeared in the most Sandler outfit imaginable: a cosy hoodie, tropical button down, and a pair of basketball shorts. It’s an unusual (and hilarious) attire for a night full of glitz and glam. This also provided us with our second most memeable moment of the night with Sandler (us at our worst) sitting behind Da'Vine Joy Randolph (us at our best). Of course, Sandler ended the bit by hugging Chalamet and shouting his name in his very Sandler way.
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Lisa descends on the Oscars
Blackpink’s own Lisa became a temporary Bond girl while at the Oscars. Not only is she the first K-pop star to perform at the near 100-year-old celebration, but she basically broke the internet when she descended onto the stage like an angel in her own right. Singing a rendition of Live and Let Die, Lisa delivered a performance of a lifetime.
Zoe Saldaña proves you’re never too old to call out for your mum
The first woman of Dominican heritage to win a Supporting Actor Oscar, Zoe Saldaña immediately calls out for her mum at the ceremony. “Mami!” she shouts with tears in her eyes. It’s also what I’m shouting every time I see Fernanda Torres pop up during the ceremony. Moral of the story: You’re never too old or too famous to thank your mum for all her support. Some in the Latinx community did note that Zoe emotionally shouting for her mother was giving JLo saying “mi gente latino” at a different awards show. It's a subtle shade, but seriously, who wouldn’t want to celebrate this win with their mum?
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Is this the setup for Babygirl 2?
The jokes about Andrew Garfield profusely thanking Goldie Hawn (and sweetly remembering his late mother) on the Oscars stage haven’t gone unseen, but the best one comes from Drag Race’s Katya Zamolodchikova who hilariously suggested this may be the cast of Babygirl 2. Not that it exists, but if it did, we’d fully support this cast.
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Drake can’t watch the Oscars in peace
Good thing O’Brien is an A-list comedian, because after this joke I’m going to assume a majority of his Oscars paycheck is going straight to his lawyers’ pockets after his Drake diss. Returning from the commercial, the former late night talkshow host welcomed everyone back by saying, “Well, we're halfway through the show, which means it's time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile.” To be honest, we wouldn’t have hated a halftime performance for this year’s Oscars…
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Kieran Culkin isn’t going home alone
From his first paid role in Home Alone alongside his brother Macaulay Culkin to Academy Award winner, Kieran Culkin is bringing his shiny new trophy home with him this year. The internet is loving the former Succession star’s win, instantly turning his seven-year-old self into a meme. Others joked that Kieran’s character in Succession was plotting this win the whole time, since he was up against his former costar Jeremy Strong in the category.
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John Lithgow’s disappointed face is perfection
Perhaps my new favourite meme reaction, John Lithgow (aka our likely new Dumbledore) offered his most disappointed face for O'Brien’s opening monologue. It was immediately memed and used to poke fun at the Emilia Pérez songwriter who began to sing during her acceptance speech. It’s also going to be used every time someone tells me to listen to something other than the Wicked soundtrack at the gym.
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Hulu Oscars livestream ending before the show is over
The entire Hulu stream in the US cut out before they announced Best Actress and Best Picture nominees.
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Adrien Brody spitting out his chewing gum during his acceptance speech
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As he walked on stage to collect his award for Best Actor, Brody spat his chewing gum into his hand and threw it to his partner Georgina Chapman before he began his length speech. Errrr we're not sure about this one.
This article was originally published on Teen Vogue.
