Award season is worth every like, share and retweet.
And this year is no different. Indeed, 2023 has had no shortage of iconic occurrences throughout its series of awards shows. After all, this year has gifted us Ariana DeBose's incredibly catchy BAFTAs rap, yet another Ben Affleck meme, a sweet reunion between exes Taylor Swift and Harry Styles as well as Austin Butler's response to his apparently changed voice.
Other noteworthy moments? Well, there was the time Michelle Yeoh told the Golden Globes musicians to "shut up, please" while accepting an award as they began to play music over her speech. And then there was Beyoncé, who trended online for not being there to give a speech during her first Grammy win of the night thanks to traffic. Rest assured, she eventually made it—and became the most awarded artist in Grammys history.
Through torrential rain and seemingly endless traffic, viral-worthy moments never miss an awards show. To see some of the ones deserving of their very own trophy from 2023's award season, keep reading.
It was the rap heard around the world thanks to social media. Ariana DeBose opened the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards with a performance that quickly went viral due to a series of creative rhymes dedicated to some of the female nominees. While the performance was met with both criticism and praise, Ariana later responded to the virality of it all by noting she accomplished her goal of uplifting women with her words.
"That was the assignment, like, 'Come celebrate women,'' Ariana said on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. "I was like, 'Absolutely!' And we did that, and it was fun."
Austin Butler's voice has remained a topic of discussion among fans for quite some time thanks to his seemingly permanent Elvis Presley accent. Well, the Elvis star addressed his apparently changed voice when speaking to reporters at the 2023 Golden Globes.
"I don't think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot," he said at the time. "I had three years where that was my only focus. So, I'm sure there's pieces of him in my DNA and I'll always be linked."
During the 2023 Golden Globes, Regina Hall got a lot of attention thanks to her delivery while explaining why Kevin Costner wasn't there to accept his Best Actor in a Television Drama Series award.
"He so much wanted to be here but because of the unprecedented weather and flooding, he has to shelter in place in Santa Barbara. Jesus," the Girls Trip star said with a smile while reading the teleprompter. "This is a sad story right now. He's stuck in Santa Barbara."
"Let's pray, everyone," Regina continued with a laugh, which led to laughter throughout the audience. "No, that's awful. No, no, no, this is true. Everyone, we do pray, we hope everyone affected by these storms remains safe and I'm going to accept that award right there on your behalf, Kevin."
Hugh Grant made headlines during the 2023 Oscars for what he said on the red carpet—or rather, what he didn't say. The Notting Hill alum proved to be a man of few words when giving curt responses to Ashley Graham's questions.
When asked what he was wearing, he replied, "Just my suit." But which fashion label? He said he couldn't remember, before simply giving credit to his tailor. Ashley asked him about appearing in Netflix's Glass Onion, yet all Hugh could say was that he was "barely in it," explaining, "I'm in it for about three seconds" and admitting that he "almost" had fun.
Michelle Yeoh caught the attention of everyone everywhere all at once when she let out a couple of curse words (in the name of joy) while accepting the 2023 SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
"SAG-AFTRA, to get this from you, who understands what it is to get here. Every one of you knows the journey, the roller coaster ride, the ups and downs. But most importantly, we never give up. S--t. F--k," Michelle said at the time, which was followed by clapping and cheering from audience members. "Wow, thank you. Thank you. This is not just for me, this is for every little girl that looks like me."
Beyoncé—who is now the most decorated artist in Grammy's history—wasn't there to accept her first award of the night at the 2023 Grammy Awards ceremony due to a pretty relatable reason.
"Beyoncé is on her way," host Trevor Noah shared on stage at the time. "You know, the upside of hosting the Grammys in L.A. is that everyone can be here. The downside of hosting in L.A. Is the traffic. Beyoncé is on her way."
And after her eventual arrival to the event, Trevor delivered the award to her table along with some comedic words: "I was shocked to find out traffic could stop you. I thought you traveled through space and time."
Sometimes traffic gets in the way, even if you do run the world.
Ben Affleck, who is no stranger to becoming an internet meme, went viral for his facial expressions while at the 2023 Grammys with wife Jennifer Lopez. During Stevie Wonder's performance, Ben was caught on camera looking pretty out of it, which some fans couldn't help but poke fun at.
"Ben Affleck is every introvert everywhere," tweeted one person. "You can see his batteries draining in real time. Man is already at 23% #GRAMMYs #SaveBen."
Another Twitter user added, "Ben Affleck at the Grammys is me any time I have to be on a zoom call."
Ten years after their breakup, exes Taylor Swift and Harry Styles shared a moment together at the 2023 Grammys—and we still can't calm down.
At the time, an eyewitness told E! News that Taylor walked over to Harry during Steve Lacy's performance. The two shared a hug and a brief convo, and at one point, Taylor was also seen with her hand on Harry's shoulder in a supportive fashion.
It's safe to say there is no bad blood between these two.
The White Lotus star went viral by giving a head-turning answer at the 2023 Golden Globes during a backstage interview with Access Hollywood, where she said her dream movie role is a dolphin.
While Jennifer Coolidge got to live out that dream in commercial form, her big screen wish come true yet as director Olivia Wilde declared on her Instagram Story of Jennifer's aquatic vision, "I will make this happen."