While Oscar presenters are expected to smile and remain neutral, Miley Cyrus broke protocol last night over a situation she found unfair.
The star showed her solidarity with Gareth John, a sound engineer who was not even allowed to give a short speech after receiving his statuette for Dune: Part Two.
Though his Dune colleagues were given the opportunity to speak, Gareth's microphone was cut off by the time it was his turn to thank his loved ones, and orchestra music signaled that the group's time was up.
Highlights
- Miley Cyrus protested against Oscar organizers for cutting off Gareth John's speech.
- Gareth's microphone was muted after his Dune colleagues spoke.
- Fans praised Miley for supporting the sound engineer.
Miley, who presented the Best Sound award alongside Miles Teller, was seen protesting the show organizers' decision to mute the British sound engineer.
Image credits: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
One lip reader on X (formerly Twitter) claimed the singer told Gareth, "F**k that!" as she escorted the winners offstage.
Gareth won the award for his work with Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill. The other films nominated for Best Sound were A Complete Unknown, Emilia Pérez, Wicked, and The Wild Robot.
Viewers discussing the award show on social media did not miss the sequence, expressing their indignation and comparing the moment to how the event organizers treated other, more famous winners.
Gareth John, a sound engineer who won Best Sound for Dune: Part Two, was silenced and played off the stage after his colleagues gave a short speech
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"Y'all let Zoe Saldaña sob into the mic for 10 min but my man for Dune's sound can't say thanks to his loved ones?" one user wrote, while another responded, "They were mean to that guy. He literally just started talking and they muted him."
"And Adrien Brody annoyed the hell out of me talking for half an hour," a separate user fumed.
The Brutalist actor spoke for 5 minutes and 40 seconds. His speech was the longest of the ceremony and one of the longest in Oscars history, according to Deadline.
Miley, who presented the award alongside Miles Teller, showed her solidarity with the sound engineer during the broadcast
Image credits: ABC News
"And they let that lady from Emilia Pérez make everyone cringe with her singing for three hours," added another viewer.
The user was referring to Camille Dalmais, who accepted the award for Best Music (Original Song) alongside co-writer Clément Ducol, for El Mal, one of the songs from Emilia Pérez.
The duo closed their speech by performing an impromptu song, which resulted in them getting played off the stage some time into the performance.
Image credits: ABC News
"Absolute cinema," somebody else wrote, praising Miley for supporting the winning editor.
"My reaction was the same as Miley's," another outraged viewer said. Another viewer wrote: "She's so real fr."
Miley was just 15 years old when she presented at the Oscars for the first time in 2008 while starring as Hannah Montana on the hit Disney Channel show.
Now 32, the Flowers singer attended the ceremony with her boyfriend, drummer Maxx Morando, marking their first time posing together on an awards show red carpet.
Miley was seen rolling her eyes and seemingly saying, "F**k that!"
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The superstar wore a custom black Alexander McQueen gown featuring a beaded bodice that extended into a turtleneck.
She completed the elegant look with diamond drop earrings and short lace gloves, keeping her eye makeup simple with a soft smoky brown liner. Her bleached eyebrows added an edgier touch.
For the Vanity Fair after-party, Miley changed into a black strapless Maison Margiela gown and even debuted a new hairstyle.
The Flowers singer debuted micro bangs at the Vanity Fair after-party
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She surprised her fans by rocking micro bangs cut one inch above her brows—a look that she reportedly got while en route from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
The bold new hairstyle sparked mixed reactions, with some fans saying Miley pulled it off effortlessly, while others felt it didn't suit her.
"She loves playing with her hair and it looks good on her," one commented, while someone else said, "I feel like she cut them an inch too short."
Another observer slammed her stylist, Bob Recine, writing, "It looks like a toddler cut her hair."
While some people said she pulled off the edgy look, others weren't too convinced
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Miley is preparing for the release of her next album, Something Beautiful, which is inspired by Pink Floyd's The Wall.
"We really leaned in. And so I have this heart-first attachment to it. My idea was making The Wall, but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture," the Grammy winner told Harpers' Bazaar.
"I would like to be a human psychedelic for people," Miley added. "I don't want anyone trying to be like me or imitate me or even be inspired by me. I want to impact frequencies in your body that make you vibrate at a different level."
"I was embarrassed and angry," one viewer said after sound engineer Gareth John's microphone was cut off
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