The Best Moments From the 2023 Oscars Included a Sweet Reunion and a Donkey

As many predicted, Ke Huy Quan won the first major category of the evening, taking home the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role for "Everything Everywhere All at Once." As many also predicted, he gave one of the night's most touching speeches, describing his journey from entering the US as a child refugee to having a story "[that] only happens in the movies — this is the American dream." He finished his speech with a reminder to everyone: "Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive!"

Jenny, the beloved animal star of "The Banshees of Inisherin," made a surprise guest appearance alongside host Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel escorted Jenny out on stage, complete with a glitzy gold "support animal" vest, to a chorus of awwws from the audience. Kimmel also pointed out Jenny's costars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who were sitting in the front rows and seemed delighted to see their most adorable colleague.

There was a twist to this cute tale, though: the donkey on stage wasn't actually the "real" Jenny. Martin McDonagh, the director of "The Banshees of Inisherin," revealed to the Los Angeles Times backstage that they used a Jenny double, saying they "never would have allowed" the real Jenny to be flown out from Ireland. It was a sweet moment nonetheless!

When "Creed" costars (and Marvel villains) Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors walked out to present the award for best cinematography, they took a moment to shout out their Marvel costar Angela Bassett.

"Hey Auntie," Jordan said, smiling and nodding at Bassett, who was seated in the front row. "We love you," Majors added. Only minutes earlier, Bassett, who had been nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," lost her category to Jamie Lee Curtis. Jordan's sweet shout-out mirrored his famously ad-libbed line from the original "Black Panther," where Killmonger casually greets Queen Ramonda with a tossed-off "Hey Auntie."

When "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" costume designer Ruth E. Carter won the Oscar for best costume design, she not only made a great Oscars moment with a touching tribute to her late mother (and to the late Chadwick Boseman) but also made Oscars history. She became the first Black woman to win multiple Oscars, having won her first one for the first "Black Panther."

"Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman. She endures, she loves, she overcomes. She is every woman in this film," Carter said in her acceptance speech.

When "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won the prize for best original screenplay, cowriters Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan took the stage to accept their award (the first of three speeches they'd make throughout the night). Scheinert joked about taking the opportunity to tell off teachers who had punished him back in his school days but actually turned his speech into a very touching tribute to the educators who inspired him and helped him become the creator he is today — many of whom, he noted, are public school teachers.

The smash-hit song "Naatu Naatu" from the Tollywood blockbuster "RRR" provided one of the night's sweetest and most joyful acceptance speeches when it won for best song. Songwriter M. M. Keeravani gave an emotional speech, talking about growing up with a love for the American musical duo The Carpenters and singing his acceptance speech — to the tune of The Carpenters' famous song "Top of the World." He finished with the statement that he, in that moment, felt "on top of the world."

Watch Keeravani's speech above, then check out the showstopping performance of "Naatu Naatu" from earlier in the show below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx9_85YED6k

When the award for best actress was announced, it was "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star Michelle Yeoh who got the statuette and the standing ovation. In Yeoh's emotional speech, she thanked her mother and her colleagues, past and present, while also noting the historic nature of her win — the first Asian actor to win best actress, and only the second actor of color to win the award in the 95-year history of the Oscars.

"For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that dreams do come true," she said.

As soon as Harrison Ford's name appeared on the list of Oscar presenters this year, viewers everywhere had their fingers crossed for him to share a moment with Ke Huy Quan, who played his sidekick Short Round decades ago in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Ford presented the award for best picture, which went to "Everything Everywhere All at Once," and Quan was the first of the cast to bound on stage, sharing a huge, jumping-up-and-down hug with his long-ago costar.