2024 Oscars: What You Didn't See on TV

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell pose backstage with the Oscar for Original Song

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito presenting together was a comedy lover’s dream. Billie Eilish performed the song we’ve all been singing since watching Barbie. The first Oscar in Ukrainian history was won, with an emotional acceptance speech that followed. OMG on Ryan Gosling in that pink suit singing My Name is Ken. And Al Pacino skipped right to the winner of best picture (hooray for Oppenheimer) in lieu of reading the nominees. The 96th Annual Oscars broadcast was action-packed. But Parade was backstage and caught a bunch of stuff you didn’t. Here’s are the biggest Oscars moments you didn’t see on TV.

2024 Oscars: What You Didn't See on TV

1. Steven Spielberg almost didn’t make the show

The media, publicists and celebs were doing their best to make it to the Oscars but there was a giant protest that made it a bit trickier to navigate to the venue this year. Hollywood’s “active support of U.S.-funded Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza” protestors took over the streets around the award show in a big way. During the opening sequence, the cameras didn’t pan to the audience and one reporter in the press room said that was because Steven Spielberg wasn’t yet in the crowd. “They had to bring Steven Spielberg in on a golf cart because they couldn’t get the cars through,” she said.

2. John Cena went from naked to clothed really fast. Here’s how!

John Cena came out on stage nearly naked to present his award. When the camera played the video reel of nominees, a team of people rushed up on stage, surrounded him and threw clothes on him as fast as they possibly could. Then for the final touch, Jimmy Kimmel himself knelt and tied the sash on Cena’s robe. It happened so fast if you were in the audience and looked away for a split second to take a sip of your drink, you likely missed it!

3. Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington considers putting her award in the loo.

When asked where she’s going to house her award, Holly Waddington said, “I don’t know. I’ve got a couple from this job, and they are on the kitchen table because my children keep looking at them.” Someone suggested she do “the British thing” and put it behind the toilet and she laughed as if she was open to the idea. It is, after all, a highly visible spot.

Related: The Oscars 2024 Red Carpet: See the Dazzling Fashions Worn by Your Favorite Film Stars

4. Bradley Cooper has a hot date

When Matthew McConaughey introduced Bradley Cooper for best leading actor, the camera turned to Cooper. If you were hoping to see Gigi Hadid, his rumored girlfriend, you were obviously disappointed. But he did have a gal by his side, his mom, Gloria Campano—whom he also brought as his date to the Golden Globes. She accented her look for the big evening with blue tinted glasses, which she wore inside. Cue that song “I Wear My Sunglasses at Night,” which you now have stuck in your head—you’re welcome.

5. Da’Vine Joy Randolph gets real

After an emotional acceptance speech, Da’Vine Joy Randolph headed backstage and touched on what this win meant to her mental health: “The beautiful thing about being an actor is it requires you to have resilience. You’re constantly getting no’s and you have to keep going. It can challenge your mental health but also can strengthen it because you have to fortify yourself in a way that some people never have to do. So for that I’m grateful. You keep yourself grounded, surrounded by people who love you and keep yourself real. It can be difficult to wait that wait. When it happens, it’s a full circle moment and it was worth it.”

She also talked about wearing her grandmother’s glasses on screen. “I knew that this was going to be a difficult role for me to take on in that it was going to require a lot of vulnerability from me. And I knew she was someone in my life that would allow me to get back to the center.” She also mentioned she found ways to work in subliminal nods to additional people who had inspired her throughout the years, like the women from The Jeffersons, with little details like certain hairstyles that she rocked on set.

6. Billie Eliish thought she was going to be a failure…at the age of 12.

Younger generations seem to be figuring out what they want to do with their lives earlier and earlier these days. But Billie Eilish says she had grand ambitions for herself and thought she was headed for failure in her preteen years:

“I remember being 12 and seeing this musical and sobbing my eyes out because I was like, ‘damn, I’m a failure. I’m not going to be able to have a career.’ I was 12 and watching Matilda and I was bawling in the back of the nosebleeds and thinking I am never going to amount to anything because I am not in Matilda.” Her advice to younger people? “Give yourself time and do what you love. You’ll figure it out.”

Related: The Highs, Lows and Whoas of the Oscars 2024

7. Christopher Nolan uses his Oscars as barbells

After two big wins for Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan walked backstage holding two awards, joking that the win meant he can now do curls: “They are very heavy.” He also revealed that he was ready to celebrate. “My plan is to hit the Governor’s Ball and meet up with my kids again and have a little celebration with my family.”

Nolan then touched on how it felt to have Oppenheimer so well embraced:

“It’s just the most incredible thrill. When you make a film on a large scale, obviously you have to believe there is some audience for it out there. But starting with the release of the film in July, the response from people around the world far exceeded anything I’d imagined possible. Winning this recognition from my peers is the icing on the cake. It’s very important to me. A wonderful finish to what’s been an incredible year!”

8. The Oppenheimer team hopes the film inspires a reduction in nuclear weapons

Christopher Nolan shared that when he was working on the project, he had a conversation with his teenage son who told him “young people aren’t very concerned about nuclear weapons. It’s not at the forefront of their fears.” He’s hoping that the film inspires more of an interest and a dialogue about people doing what they can to urge officials to ease up on the creation of nuclear weapons. Instead of despair, he hopes the film communicates the need for the reduction of “the number of nuclear weapons on our planet and to make the world safer,” he said.

9. Cillian Murphy is feeling all the emotions after his big win

After becoming the first Irish-born man to win best actor, an Irish outlet told Cillian Murphy the people of Ireland were so excited for him and asked how he was feeling—and not to hold back—to which he replied: “I’m in a little bit of a daze. I‘m very overwhelmed. I’m very humbled. I’m very grateful, and I’m very proud to be Irish standing here today.”

He also recalled his first meeting with Christopher Nolan, years ago. “I did a screen test with him as a kid and I thought that would be it and it would be enough to just be in a room with Chris for a couple of hours,” he said, calling his involvement on the film “an honor.”

10. Emma Stone had her dress fixed. Whew!

When her name was called for best actress, a very shocked Emma Stone took the stage to accept her award. Backstage, she told reporters that she thinks she blacked out because she was so in shock that she won. Then she gave us an update on her broken dress: They sewed me back in right when I came back. They sewed me back in, which was wonderful. I definitely think I busted it during I’m Just Ken. I was so amazed by Ryan [Gosling] and that number blew my mind and I was right there and I was going for it and things happen,” she said, with a laugh.

She also revealed that she misses her character Bella from Poor Things. “I still feel like I’m spinning a little bit and I’m really grateful I got to celebrate the film tonight and over these past few months. I love her,” she proclaimed.

Next, The Complete List of Winners From the 2024 Oscars