Oscar viewers criticise Adrien Brody for ‘self-indulgent’ Best Actor speech

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter

Adrien Brody drew the ire of Oscars 2025 viewers while accepting the award for Best Actor.

The American actor, 51, won the award for his lead performance in Brady Corbet’s period epic The Brutalist. The win was Brody’s second in the category, having previously become the youngest-ever Best Actor winner when he won for The Pianist in 2003.

As he walked on stage to accept the award, Brody was seen spitting out chewing gum and throwing it to his partner, Georgina Chapman.

His lengthy speech saw the actor tell the Oscar showrunners to “turn the music off”, before he continued speaking for a while longer. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will will be brief,” he said.

On social media, viewers took aim at Brody’s conduct and his over-long acceptance speech.

“Adrien Brody’s speech is gonna have an intermission,” one person joked.

“We as a nation must agree to never honour Adrien Brody’s acting abilities again,” quipped another.

Adrien Brody at the 2025 Oscars (REUTERS)

“Adrien Brody managed to say so much and also nothing at all,” someone else wrote, while another viewer complained: “Sorry Adrien Brody but you should have enough perspective to know that you need to wrap it up – this is so self-indulgent.”

Several viewers joked that Brody’s speech was “longer than The Brutalist”.

In his speech, Brody spoke about his own life story, and called out racism and antisemitism.

“Thank you got for this blessed life,” Brody said as he took the podium. “If I may just humbly begin by giving thanks for the tremendous outpouring of love that I felt from this world and every individual that has treated me with respect and appreciation.

“I feel so fortunate,” he continued. “Acting is a very fragile profession. It looks very glamorous and in certain moments it is, but the one thing that I’ve gained having the privilege to come back here is to have some perspective. No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away.”

Elsewhere on the night, Sean Baker’s sex worker dramedy Anora was the big winner, taking home prizes for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress (for Mikey Madison).

You can keep up to date with the latest Oscar developments here.