Adrian Brody defends backlash after divisive moment during Oscar’s acceptance speech: ‘I forgot!’
Adrien Brody has defended his controversial moment at the 2025 Oscars, where he threw his chewing gum toward girlfriend Georgina Chapman.
The 51-year-old actor was caught on camera removing the gum from his mouth before accepting his Best Actor award for The Brutalist.
The incident sparked backlash from viewers, with many branding the act “disgusting”.
As his name was announced, Brody became emotional while making his way to the stage, but halfway up the stairs, he paused to remove his chewing gum.
Instead of discarding it in a tissue, he turned and tossed it toward the audience where Chapman was seated, with the camera capturing the moment Chapman reached out to catch the gum as Brody continued to the stage.
The moment quickly became one of the most talked-about incidents of the ceremony, as many watching took to their X accounts to give their take on the moment.
Adrien Brody tosses gum to girlfriend on his way to accept Oscar pic.twitter.com/fqfawcqToS
— New York Post (@nypost) March 3, 2025
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One fan wrote: “Adrien Brody throwing his chewing gum and his [partner] catching it is true love.”
“I would’ve been fighting for Adrian Brody’s piece of gum like a wedding bouquet,” another joked before a third said: “Anyone else find Adrien Brody throwing his gum disgusting? Just wait or put it in a tissue bro,” (sic)
During his backstage interview on Live with Kelly and Mark, Brody explained his actions and said: “I forgot I was chewing gum, and I can’t [chew gum in a] thank you speech.”
When co-host Mark Consuelos noted that “you can’t swallow it” because “it’s bad for you”, Brody responded candidly.
“I could’ve! I didn’t think about that. [I just thought] I’ve got to get rid of this somehow!” he explained.
The actor appeared to have made a split-second decision before delivering his acceptance speech.
In a surprising twist, Chapman later admitted she didn’t actually catch the gum and admitted it landed on the carpet in front of the stage instead.
Despite the controversy, Brody’s win marked a significant achievement in his career as it was his second Oscar, with his first win coming in 2003 for The Pianist.
Brody beat out strong competition including Timothée Chalamet, Colman Domingo, Sebastian Stan, and Ralph Fiennes.
He also set a record for the longest acceptance speech in Academy history, even asking organisers to “turn the music off” when they attempted to cut him short.
A reunion 22 years in the making. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/MkaF2xb6SE
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 2, 2025
Before the ceremony began and the actors were walking down the red carpet, Brody was approached by his friend and former co-star Halle Berry.
She grabbed him for a Hollywood kiss, in what she described as “payback” for an infamous moment that happened on stage at the Oscars after Adrien’s first Best Actor win more than 20 years ago.
Chapman was seen cheering on the moment, and later quipped to Extra: “I mean, how can you deny a man a kiss with Halle Berry?”