Oscars 2024 recap: Biggest moments from the 96th Academy Awards
The 2024 Oscars have come and gone, and "Oppenheimer" was the big winner of the night.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 96th Academy Awards, a ceremony which honored excellence in cinematic achievements for some of the past year's biggest films.
MORE: Oscars 2024: Complete winners list for the 96th Academy Awards
"Oppenheimer" earned seven Oscars from its 13 total nominations, including the top prize of the night, best picture, as well as best director for Christopher Nolan.
In the lead acting categories, "Poor Things" star Emma Stone took home the award for best actress while "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy took home best actor.
MORE: Oscars 2024: Must-see red carpet looks on Hollywood's biggest night
"The Holdovers" star Da'Vine Joy Randolph and "Oppenheimer" star Robert Downey Jr. snagged wins in the supporting acting categories.
For all the biggest moments from the 2024 Oscars, keep reading below.
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Mar 10, 10:38 PM
'Oppenheimer' wins best picture
"Oppenheimer" won the Oscar for best picture.
"I think any of us who make movies know that you kind of dream of this moment," producer Emma Thomas said. "I could deny it, but I have been dreaming about this moment for so long, but it seemed so unlikely that it would ever actually happen, and now I'm standing here and everything's kind of gone out of my head."
Thomas said director Christopher Nolan -- her husband -- was the reason the film became what it was, calling him "singular" and "brilliant," before giving a shoutout to their four children.
Al Pacino presented the category in celebration of the 50th anniversary of "The Godfather Part II."
Other nominees in the category included "American Fiction," "Anatomy of a Fall," "Barbie," "The Holdovers," "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Maestro," "Past Lives," "Poor Things" and "The Zone of Interest."
Mar 10, 10:37 PM
Emma Stone wins best actress
Emma Stone won the best actress Oscar for her performance in "Poor Things."
In her acceptance speech, Stone acknowledged her fellow nominees in the category.
"The women in this category -- Sandra, Annette, Carey, Lily -- I share this with you," she said. "I'm in awe of you. It's been such an honor to do all of this together. I hope we get to keep doing more together."
"The other night, I was panicking -- as you can see, happens a lot -- that maybe something like this could happen," she continued. "And Yorgos said to me, please take yourself out of it. And he was right. Because it's not about me. It's about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts. And that is the best part about making movies, is all of us together. And I am so deeply honored to share this with every cast member, with every crew member, with every single person who poured their love and their care and their brilliance into the making of this film."
Stone then thanked director Yorgos Lanthimos for giving her "the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter." She ended her speech by thanking her mom, her dad, her brother Spencer Stone, her husband Dave McCary and her daughter.
"I love you bigger than the whole sky, my girl," she said.
This is Stone's second Oscar win. She previously won best actress for 2016's "La La Land."
Stone also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA this awards season for her work in "Poor Things."
Before the Oscar was announced, each best actress nominee was honored by previous best actress winners including Michelle Yeoh, Sally Field, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Lange.
Other nominees in the category included Annette Bening for "Nyad," Lily Gladstone for "Killers of the Flower Moon," Sandra Hüller for "Anatomy of a Fall" and Carey Mulligan for "Maestro."
Mar 10, 10:36 PM
Christopher Nolan wins best director
Christopher Nolan won the Oscar for best director for "Oppenheimer."
During his acceptance speech, Nolan thanked Universal Studios and the authors of the biography on which the movie is based, "American Prometheus," by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
He also thanked all the cast members including Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh and Cillian Murphy, as well as his wife, "the incredible Emma Thomas … producer of all our films, and all our children. I love you."
"Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old," he continued, adding, "We don't know where this incredible journey is going from here, but to know that you think that I'm a meaningful part of it, means the world to me. Thank you very much."
In addition to best director, Nolan was also nominated tonight for best adapted screenplay, which ultimately went to Cord Jefferson for "American Fiction."
This awards season, Nolan has won a Golden Globe for best director and BAFTAs for best director and best film.
Other nominees in the best director category at the 2024 Oscars included Justine Triet for "Anatomy of a Fall," Martin Scorsese for "Killers of the Flower Moon," Yorgos Lanthimos for "Poor Things" and Jonathan Glazer for "The Zone of Interest."
Mar 10, 10:09 PM
Cillian Murphy dedicates best actor win to 'peacemakers everywhere'
Cillian Murphy won the Oscar for best actor for his role in "Oppenheimer."
The actor, who portrayed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in "Oppenheimer," said he was "overwhelmed" to have won the award.
"I'm a very proud Irishman standing here tonight," he said. "We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb and, for better or for worse, we're all living in Oppenheimer's world, so I would really like to dedicate this to peacemakers everywhere."
Murphy accepted the Oscar from a group of previous best actor winners, including Nicolas Cage, Matthew McConaughey, Brendan Fraser, Ben Kingsley and Forest Whitaker.
This awards season, Murphy has won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.
Other nominees in the category included Bradley Cooper for "Maestro," Colman Domingo for "Rustin," Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers" and Jeffrey Wright for "American Fiction."
Mar 10, 10:05 PM
Michael Gambon, Chita Rivera, Harry Belafonte and more remembered during 'In Memoriam' segment
The Oscars paid tribute to those in the entertainment industry who died in the past year during the "In Memoriam" segment.
Michael Gambon, Chita Rivera, Alan Arkin, Julian Sands, Andre Braugher, Glynis Johns, Paul Reubens and Ryan O'Neal were among the stars who were remembered, as well as Mathew Perry, Richard Lewis, Lee Sun-Kyun and Carl Weathers.
During the segment, Andrea Bocelli sang "Time to Say Goodbye" with his son Matteo Bocelli.
Mar 10, 9:54 PM
‘Oppenheimer’ wins best original score
“Oppenheimer” won the Oscar for best original score.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo presented the award to composer Ludwig Göransson. This is his second Oscar win and third nomination.
Upon accepting the award, Göransson thanked director Christopher Nolan for allowing him to collaborate with his wife, acclaimed violinist Serena McKinney.
Other nominees in the category included “American Fiction,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “Poor Things.”
Mar 10, 9:54 PM
Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell's 'What Was I Made For?' wins best original song
Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell won the Oscar for best original song.
The sister and brother duo's hit song, "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie," marked the duo's second Oscar win for best original song. They previously won the award in 2022 for their song "No Time To Die" from the James Bond film of the same name.
During their acceptance speech, Eilish said she felt "so incredibly lucky" and "honored" to take home the award.
"Thank you for this," she said. "I'm so grateful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel, and -- this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is."
Other nominees in the category included "The Fire Inside" by Diane Warren from "Flamin' Hot," "I'm Just Ken" by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt from "Barbie," "It Never Went Away" by Jon Batiste from "American Symphony" and "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" by Scott George from "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Mar 10, 9:48 PM
Ryan Gosling performs 'I'm Just Ken'
Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson took the Oscars stage and delivered an epic performance of "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie."
During his performance, Gosling was joined by his fellow Kens from the film and got director Greta Gerwig and co-stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera to join a sing-along from the audience.
The performance also featured Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, who played on the recorded track.
"I'm Just Ken," which was written and co-produced by Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, is nominated for best original song tonight.
Mar 10, 9:36 PM
'The Zone of Interest' wins best sound
"The Zone of Interest" won the Oscar for best sound.
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn took to the stage to accept the award for their work on the Jonathan Glazer film.
Other nominees in the category included "The Creator," "Maestro," "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" and "Oppenheimer."
Mar 10, 9:31 PM
Becky G performs 'The Fire Inside'
Becky G hit the stage and performed "The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot."
She was joined onstage by a choir of young girls during her moving performance.
"The Fire Inside" marks Diane Warren's 15th Oscar nomination for best original song.
