Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesWhile fans were crossing their fingers for Leonardo DiCaprio, the Oscar winner was showing a different finger.
There on the Dolby Theater stage stood the 41-year-old star beaming with pride before legions of Hollywood A-listers—and all people could look at was an errant middle finger holding an envelope. The digital theories ran rampant.
Was DiCaprio trying to send a very subtle message to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the same voting body that had turned him down five heartbreaking times before? Was he indeed discreetly flipping them all off in his moment of glory?
Among the 440,000 tweets that hit social media the minute Leo's name was called, many users couldn't help but point out his wandering finger.
While his middle finger is undeniably front and center, we're not so sure we can get behind this theory. To start, the statue weighs in at almost 9 pounds, requiring as many fingers as possible to hold up. A prized possession, we doubt Leo would want to take any chances dropping the long-awaited statue in such an emotional moment.
Next, we tried out the juggling act ourselves. If you hold a round object in your hand and then try to hold a piece of paper in the same hand, you'll find that it is easiest to hold the larger object with your thumb and pointer finger while your middle finger has a solid amount of dexterity to grasp the sheet of paper.
Plus, if these aren't reasons enough to explain the middle finger appearance, take a gander at Leo's date—his mother. We're pretty sure she raised him better than to flip off the Academy on national television, particularly during the biggest moment of his decades-long career.