Ariana DeBose Cries as She Names Ke Huy Quan a Winner at Oscars 2023: 'I'm a Big Ol' Softie'

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Ariana DeBose couldn't hold back tears when she named Ke Huy Quan the Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars 2023.

The West Side Story actress, 32, and Troy Kotsur, 54, served as presenters for the prestigious award on Sunday night.

After the nominees were highlighted, DeBose announced through tears that Quan was the winner.

The Everything Everywhere All at Once actor beat out Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway), Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans), and Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin).

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Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty

The 51-year-old star began his emotional acceptance speech by shouting out his 84-year-old mother, who was home watching her son win his first Oscar.

"Mom, I just won an Oscar!" he said, holding up his trophy, before reflecting on his journey, from "spending a year in a refugee camp" to becoming a child actor and, now, an Academy Award winner "on Hollywood's biggest stage."

"They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it's happening to me," Quan continued. "This — this — is the American dream!"

Following his heartfelt speech, DeBose returned to the stage to present the award for Best Supporting Actress. Still emotional, the Prom star noted her teary eyes and confessed, "I'm a big ol' softie."

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Kevin Winter/Getty Ke Huy Quan

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At last year's ceremony, DeBose made history when she won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress playing Anita in West Side Story — the same role that won costar Rita Moreno an Oscar exactly 60 years ago in the original film. DeBose is the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar in an acting category.

In her own acceptance speech, DeBose stated that "dreams come true." She called Moreno her "divine inspiration" in her speech and said she's "grateful" her Anita has "paved the way for tons of Anitas like me."

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DeBose added in her speech, "Lastly, imagine this little girl in the backseat of a white Ford Focus. Look into her eyes, you see a queer — openly queer — woman of color, Afro-Latina who found her strength in life through art, and that's what I believe we are here to celebrate."

"So to anybody who has ever questioned their identity ever or find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us," she said, referencing an iconic Stephen Sondheim lyric from West Side Story. "Thank you to the Academy."

The Oscars are airing live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, at 8 p.m. ET.