Al Pacino's Oscars Slip-Up Goes Viral—'Chaotic'

Video footage of Al Pacino's less-than-smooth announcement of the Best Picture winner at the 96th Academy Awards has gone viral on social media.

The veteran actor was on hand to announce the winner of the major category, with Oppenheimer, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Maestro, Past Lives and The Zone of Interest vying for the coveted trophy on Sunday night.

And while Oppenheimer emerged as the victor at the star-studded ceremony, Pacino's moment onstage ahead of the announcement became a talking point among amused viewers on social media.

"Only one will take the award for Best Picture," Pacino, 83, said of the nominees, as he stood before the stars at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre.

"And, uh, I have to go to the envelope for that. And I will, here it comes," Pacino went on, drawing laughs from the audience. "And my eyes see Oppenheimer? Yes, yes."

As the orchestra played and the audience members leapt to their feet to applaud the announcement, the camera shot back to Pacino who asked: "What happened?"

In a statement shared with Newsweek, Pacino said that jumping straight into sharing the name of the winner without going over the full list of nominees was actually planned.

"There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name[...] before announcing the best picture award," the actor said. "I just want to be clear it was not my intention to omit them, rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony.

"I was honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented. I realize being nominated is a huge milestone in one's life and to not be fully recognized is offensive and hurtful.

"I say this as someone who profoundly relates with filmmakers, actors and producers so I deeply empathize with those who have been slighted by this oversight and it's why I felt it necessary to make this statement."

Buzzfeed's deputy editorial director Spencer Althouse shared the footage of Pacino on X, formerly Twitter, where it garnered more than 1.5 million views in just two hours.

"I'm obsessed with the way Al Pacino announced Oppenheimer as Best Picture," Althouse captioned the clip. "[Couldn't] have been more chaotic or confusing lol."

"Lol, and the question," another X user observed, before recounting the series of events. "'And my eyes see Oppenheimer?' *Orchestra plays* *Audience gasps*."

"Don't leave out the best part—Pacino saying 'What Happened!'" another wrote.

Another imagined how the "video guys backstage [were] caught in surprise for the super early cue to play the winner video on screen. 'Oyy he announced it already play the winner bumper!!'"

"The way he didn't even bother to read the nominees and cut straight to the chase announcing the winner and goes 'what happened' LMAO," read another comment.

"Everyone waiting for further confirmation from literally anyone before they celebrate because La La Land still haunts them," another viewer weighed in. "Perfect. No notes."

While presenting the Best Picture award at the 89th Academy Awards, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty accidentally announced La La Land as the winner.

The Hollywood icons were mistakenly handed the Best Actress envelope, with La La Land star Emma Stone taking home the award that year.

The 2017 Best Picture award actually went to Moonlight, but the mistake wasn't revealed until after the La La Land team had hopped onstage and made their speeches.

Moonlight director Barry Jenkins and his crew did get their moment in the spotlight, but the mix-up was one of the most awkward moments in Oscars history.

During Sunday night's ceremony, Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, went on stage to accept the Best Picture award.

Nolan said in his acceptance speech: "Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old. We don't know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think I'm a meaningful part of it means the world to me."

He ended his speech by thanking those who have supported him throughout his career including a heartfelt shoutout to his wife.

On the night, Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy scooped the coveted Best Actor award for his role as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who had a pivotal role in developing the first nuclear weapons.

Murphy thanked Nolan in his speech, saying: "It's been the wildest, most exhilarating, most creatively satisfying journey you've taken me on over the last 20 years. I owe you more than I can say."

"Thank you so much [to] every single crew member, every single cast member, on Oppenheimer; you guys carried me through," the actor continued. "All my fellow nominees, I remain in awe of you guys. Truly."

Update 3/15/24, 1:35 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Pacino.