Adrien Brody secured his second Oscar at the 2025 Academy Awards, winning Best Actor for his lead role in Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist.”
However, before delivering his buzzworthy acceptance speech, he created one of the night’s most viral moments—when his name was announced, he casually removed the gum he had been chewing and tossed it to his girlfriend, Georgina Chapman, as he walked to the stage.
Backstage at the Oscars, Brody and Chapman joined “Live With Kelly and Mark” just minutes after his win. Reflecting on the moment, Brody admitted, “I could’ve swallowed it, but I didn’t think about that. I had to get rid of it somehow.”
Chapman, however, revealed that she didn’t actually catch the gum. When Kelly Ripa replayed the clip and zoomed in, it became clear that Chapman fumbled the catch, causing the gum to land on the Oscars carpet near the stage.
It was an eventful night for Brody beyond his win. Earlier in the evening, Halle Berry crashed one of his red carpet interviews to surprise him with a kiss—a playful nod to one of the Academy Awards’ most memorable moments.
Back in 2003, when Brody won his first Oscar for “The Pianist,” he famously took the stage and kissed Berry, who was presenting the award, in an impromptu moment that stunned audiences.
“That was one hell of a night for him, and for me as well. To be a part of his moment… tonight I had to pay him back,” Berry told Variety on the red carpet after the surprise kiss. “I’ve seen him out at parties, but this is the first time since that night that I’ve seen him on the red carpet somewhere.”
Following the viral gum toss, Brody continued to command attention with his acceptance speech. As his remarks went beyond the allotted time, the Academy attempted to play him off, but he was quick to take control.
“I’m wrapping up, please turn the music off,” Brody said. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief.”
Brody’s five-minute speech reflected on his career and the gratitude he feels for being able to continue working in the industry.
“Acting is a very fragile profession. It looks very glamorous, and at certain moments it is. But the one thing that I’ve gained having the privilege to come back here is to have some perspective.
No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that, and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”
