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After the internet gushed over how best actress Oscar winner Emma Stone appeared to ignore Michelle Yeoh while accepting the award, Yeoh addressed the moment on social media on Monday.
Yeoh, who was among several previous category winners who presented the award to Stone for her role in “Poor Things,” wrote in a instagram publication that he had unknowingly “confused” the newly crowned winner on stage.
Stone had sparked a backlash after many thought she had taken Yeoh’s Oscar, ignoring her and immediately proceeding to greet Jennifer Lawrence, who was next to Yeoh. The video of the moment shows Yeoh presenting the award to Stone and then passing it to Lawrence, and then they both congratulate Stone.
“Congratulations Emma!! I confused you, but I wanted to share that glorious moment of giving you the Oscar along with your best friend Jennifer!! Yeoh wrote in instagram, along with photographs of the three on stage. “He reminded me of my Bae Jamie Lee Curtis. Always there for each other!!
Viewers also brought up another situation during the ceremony in which Robert Downey Jr. was accepting the Oscar for best supporting actor for his work in “Oppenheimer.” Many thought Downey did not recognize or make eye contact with last year’s winner, Ke Huy Quan, who presented him with the statuette. This led people on the Internet to accuse both Stone and Downey of “unconsciously discriminate” against Asians and behaving disrespectfully towards the martial arts icon.
Neither Stone nor Downey and Quan responded to NBC News’ request for comment.
The night ended up being a big one for Yeoh, who was celebrating the one-year anniversary of her best actress win, making her the first Asian to take home the category in the Academy’s 95-year history.
“For all the boys and girls who look like me and are watching tonight, this is a ray of hope and possibility,” Yeoh said in his acceptance speech last year. “This is proof that dreams dream big and dreams come true.”