BAFTAs producer says Ariana DeBose backlash to viral rap is 'incredibly unfair'

Nick Bullen, a producer for the BAFTA Awards, has spoken out in defense of Oscar winner Ariana DeBose after her performance during Sunday's ceremony was widely trolled online.

"I think it's incredibly unfair, to be frank," Bullen told Variety in an interview. "I absolutely loved it. Everybody I've spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She's a huge star, she was amazing."

The West Side Story star came out on stage with back-up dancers following the opening monologue from host Richard E. Grant. She sang "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves" and "We Are Family," and then segued into a rap saluting the female nominees.

Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images Ariana DeBose performing at the 2023 BAFTA Awards ceremony

"Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my Woman King/ Blanchett Cate you're a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us," DeBose rapped. The clip immediately went viral.

"That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it's been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that," Bullen said. "And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game. And she's opening the BAFTAs with a song that said so much on so many levels."

The performance, specifically the rap, has been meme-ified extensively, and the phrase "Angela Bassett did the thing" continues to trend on social media. Many poked fun at the awkward lyrics, but not all of the response has been negative. Some have accepted it as a high-level camp.

In the wake of her BAFTA performance, DeBose deactivated her Twitter account. However, she responded to one of the "Sure grandma let's get you to bed" memes posted to Instagram.

"Honestly, I love this," DeBose wrote in the comments.

When asked who wrote the lyrics of the rap, Bullen said, "She only had a few weeks to put this whole thing together. She worked with a great musical director and choreographer. So it was a real team effort. She had an amazing team around her, and she and her team put the whole piece together."

Speaking again to the response, Bullen added, "I think a lot of people don't like change, and there's a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging. But American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz and perhaps a broader range of people being involved. We felt we're not about revolution, we're about evolution."

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