The BAFTAs just can’t catch a break. After Rebel Wilson was labeled the worst host ever in 2022, the British Academy Awards are making headlines again, not thanks to the winners of the evening, but because of Ariana DeBose‘s unintentionally hilarious musical opening number. The Oscar-winning actress has deactivated her Twitter account in reaction to the rampage of memes that flooded the platform on Sunday, yet everyone is already begging her to come back.
DeBose, who won a BAFTA in 2022 for Best Supporting Actress thanks to her performance as Anita in Spielberg’s West Side Story, remixed Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” with Eurythmics’ “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” but it was the bonus original rap moment that instantly went viral.
In the performance, meant as a tribute to the female nominees of the evening, DeBose made sure to shout-out her “Woman King” Viola Davis, “genius” Cate Blanchett, and Angela Bassett for “doing the thing.” All the while, celebrities in attendance looked on in bewilderment, except for Jamie Lee Curtis, who was having the time of her life.
While some can’t quite get on board with the surprising rendition, others are loving it for its camp energy and instant classic status. Most of all, we’re all just dying for award shows to become fun again.
DeBose initially joined in on the jesting, but considering she was serious about the performance, all the Twitter banter likely got to be too much, and the actress and singer presumably deactivated her account as a result.
BAFTA producer Nick Bullen came to DeBose’s defense in a statement to Variety, saying the performance was an effort to modernize the awards, and calling the backlash “incredibly unfair.”