BAFTA viewers criticize Ariana DeBose’s unusual and out-of-breath opening act about female nominees
3 min readOn February 19, 2023, the 76th BAFTA awards ceremony honoured the best foreign and national films of 2022. Twitter was abuzz with discussions of what seemed to be an unusual opening performance by Ariana DeBose, who was voted Best Supporting Actress last year before returning to the stage to open BAFTA 2023. Known for her outstanding performances in ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Westworld,’ actress Ariana DeBose performed a song inspired by this year’s female nominees at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Sisters are doing it for themselves! The incredible @ArianaDeBose opens the 2023 #EEBAFTAs with an iconic performance! ✨ pic.twitter.com/G9YgKN2e1t
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 19, 2023
Numerous memes and comments were generated in response to the performance. Ariana DeBose’s opening performance at the BAFTAs exploded on Twitter. Many people didn’t know who Ariana DeBose was, but others said that she actually won an Oscar and this wasn’t her best work. The internet user asked, Who is she and why is she trying to sing? Another wrote It’s an off day for Ariana DeBose since she won an Oscar for a musical.
The reaction shots in the Ariana Debose BAFTA performance are sending me pic.twitter.com/ru4m7BRWL7
— Nicol (@nikowl) February 20, 2023
At the 2023 BAFTAs, Ariana DeBose Was Slammed Online For Her Bizarre, ‘Out Of Breath’ Opening Act
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Several Twitter users were discussing Ariana DeBose’s unusual opening performance for the 2023 ceremony, after winning the BAFTA Supporting Actress award for ‘West Side Story’ last year. The 76th BAFTA awards ceremony was held on February 19, 2023, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2022. At London’s Royal Festival Hall, the actress performed a song inspired by this year’s female nominees, known for her work in Hamilton and Westworld. Memes and comments arose as a result of the performance, which sent the Internet into a frenzy. The opening performance of Ariana DeBose at the BAFTAs ignited a social media frenzy. Some people didn’t know she was DeBose, while others said she won an Oscar and this wasn’t her best work. According to an internet user, who is she and what is she trying to sing about? In another post, a user wrote, It’s an off day I promise that she won an Oscar for a musical.
from now on my personality trait is ariana debose saying “angela bassett did the thing” pic.twitter.com/U6DvOd1tfU
— L 🩸 lestat apologist (@alucasard) February 19, 2023
Commenters and meme-sharers went a little further with their comments. According to a user, Miss Dame Danielle Deadwyler has requested I be left out of the #EEBAFTAs. Yeah, she sounds like she’s out of breath a bit… like it’s supposed to be rap, said one user who referred to their favourite TV show moment with, “same energy. I think it would have been better if they just had her sing instead of this, because this doesn’t work for her, perhaps someone else. There are a lot of well-known celebrities featured in Ariana DeBose’s rap, including Ana de Armas, Katy Brand, Michelle Yeoh, Viola Davis, and Jamie Lee Curtis. When each celebrity’s name is mentioned, the camera cuts to them. Jamie Lee Curtis was seen dancing away in her seat, while others looked baffled and uncomfortable.
Who is she and why on earth is she trying to sing?
— Su Eriksson (@sudiel) February 19, 2023
Yah, she sounds out of breath a bit to me… like was this supposed to be a kind of rap? And by audience reaction, people appear uncomfortable… maybe they should've just had her sing instead of this, because this doesn't work for her, maybe someone else though.
— Zé (@Febreathe) February 20, 2023
Whyyyyyy???????? pic.twitter.com/Pu7F4hKR1A
— 🌴Golden Girls & Golden Palace Podcast! 🌴 (@SoGoodWeNamedlt) February 20, 2023
so many levels of cringe 🫣 pic.twitter.com/WKB5goAhSV
— Laira Rosario 🇵🇷 (@unsuspendLairaR) February 19, 2023
That was bloody awful.
— Bekah (@Hestia_6277) February 19, 2023