Oscars 2025 recap: Highlights and biggest moments from 97th Academy Awards

ByKimberlee Sakamoto, Hayley FitzPatrick, Carson Blackwelder, Angeline Jane Bernabe, and Mason Leib OTRC logo
Last updated: Monday, March 3, 2025 5:20AM GMT
2025 Oscars
Joelle Garguilo recaps the Oscars, highlighting some of the big moments.

LOS ANGELES -- The 2025 Oscars honored the best in cinema from the past year Sunday night.

The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O'Brien, ended with "Anora" taking home the coveted trophy for best picture.

"Anora" was the top film of the night, taking home five Oscars including best director for Sean Baker.

The top acting prizes went to Adrien Brody, who won best actor for "The Brutalist," and Mikey Madison, who won best actress for "Anora." Winning in the supporting categories were "Emilia Pérez" star Zoe Saldaña and "A Real Pain" star Kieran Culkin.

Heading into the ceremony, "Emilia Pérez" led the field of nominees with 13 total Oscar nominations. It ended the night with two trophies.

This year's show honored the city of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires that left at least 29 dead and destroyed thousands of homes earlier this year, bringing firefighters onto the Oscars stage and hosting a charitable component to raise money for fire victims.

The Oscars ceremony aired live on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.

Scroll down for a recap of the Oscars and check out all coverage of the 97th Academy Awards here.


OTRC logo
Mar 03, 2025, 12:32 AM

Full list of winners from the 97th Academy Awards

Go here for a look at the full winners list.

OTRC logo
Mar 03, 2025, 4:35 AM

PHOTOS: 2025 Oscars parties highlights

Take a look at the photo gallery below for the glitz and glamour of the Oscars viewing and after parties with exclusive photos capturing Hollywood's elite celebrating the night in style.

1 of 67
Cynthia Erivo attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Vanity Fair
OTRC logo
Mar 02, 2025, 8:34 PM GMT

Every single movie to win top Oscar

In the Oscars' nearly 100-year history, the Academy has nominated 611 films for the best picture award.

Some winners, like the comedy-drama "Forrest Gump" (1994), are considered classics. While others, like the psychological horror "Silence of the Lambs" (1991), are trailblazers in their genres.

"Titanic" (1997) and "All About Eve" (1950) top the list as the most-nominated movies to win best picture, with 14 nominations each. "La La Land" (2016) also boasts 14 nods but did not win best picture, even if Warren Beatty's famous faux pas had millions of ceremony viewers briefly believing it had.

"Titanic" is also one of three movies to win a record 11 awards, joined by "Ben-Hur" (1959) and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" (2003). Yet the latter takes the cake for being the most-nominated movie to win in every single nominated category.

For more fun movie facts and a full list of the last 96 Oscar best picture winners, go here.

This combination photo shows, from left to right, "Forrest Gump," "The Godfather Part II" and "Titanic."
This combination photo shows, from left to right, "Forrest Gump," "The Godfather Part II" and "Titanic."
OTRC logo
Mar 02, 2025, 8:14 PM GMT

What time does the Oscars red carpet and ceremony start?

Live red carpet coverage is underway now with "On The Red Carpet at the Oscars."

Watch all the action on the red carpet live on ABC, streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com and On the Red Carpet's Facebook and YouTube pages.

The 97th Oscars, hosted by Conan O'Brien, begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. and will be followed by a special preview of "American Idol."

GMA logo
Mar 02, 2025, 8:03 PM GMT

Who is hosting the Oscars?

Conan O'Brien is the host for the 2025 Oscars, marking the comedian and talk show host's first time helming the show.

Conan O'Brien, host of Sunday's 97th Academy Awards, helps to roll out the red carpet for the show at the Dolby Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Conan O'Brien, host of Sunday's 97th Academy Awards, helps to roll out the red carpet for the show at the Dolby Theatre on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Ahead of the Oscars, O'Brien told "Good Morning America" that he was enjoying the preparation for the big show.

"I have a big happy grin, yeah," O'Brien said, adding, "I have an amazing team of writers. We have been going through tons of ideas, and I'm excited because I grew up watching the Oscars, and it is something [[that's] imprinted on my memory."

OTRC logo
Mar 02, 2025, 8:14 PM GMT

See the full list of Academy Awards nominees

Ahead of Sunday's big show, refresh your memory on the 2025 Oscar nominations.

Go here to see the full list of the nominees for the 97th Academy Awards.

On The Red Carpet's Oscar nominees special features interviews with the stars of this year's most nominated films, including "Emilia Pérez," "The Brutalist," "Wicked," "A Complete Unknown," and more.