Triple-threat actor, singer and dancer Ariana DeBose broke her silence over being lumped into a joke about ‘actors who think they are singers’ at the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards.
Following the show in Santa Monica on Sunday night, the 32-year-old Wish star took to Instagram to inform her more than 712,000 Instagram that she ‘didn’t find’ the quip, which sparked backlash on social media, ‘funny’ at all.
It was pretty clear that the insult hurt her feelings as she glared furiously at Bella Ramsey, who poked fun at her while presenting the Best Song category.
The English actor, 20, who identifies as nonbinary and uses all pronouns, introduced the nominees, including Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz and Dua Lipa, in the category as ‘some of the most famous voices in the music industry’ before dissing DeBose’s vocal range.
Offended: Triple-threat actor, singer and dancer Ariana DeBose broke her silence over being lumped among the ‘actors who think they are singers’ at the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards
Following the show, she took to Instagram to inform her 712,000 Instagram that she ‘didn’t find it funny’
Critics Choice 2024 WINNERS: AT A GLANCE
FILM
Best Picture: Openheimer
Best Actor: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Best Actress: Emma Stone – Poor Things
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Jo Randolph – The Holdovers
Best Acting Ensemble: Oppenheimer
Best Director: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Best Comedy: Barbie
Best Song: ‘I’m Just Ken’ – Barbie
Barbie was given Best Comedy in an impromptu segment as director Greta Gerwig (left) and star Margot Robbie accepted the honor
TELEVISION
Best Drama Series: Succession
Best Actor in a Drama Series: Kieran Culkin – Succession
Best Actress in a Drama Series: Sarah Snook – Succession
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown
Best Comedy Series: The Bear
Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White – The Bear
Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Ayo Edebiri
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Meryl Streep – Only Murders in the Building
Best Limited Series: Beef
Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Steven Yeun – Beef
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Ali Wong – Beef
Ramsey then joked, ‘Then there are the actors who think they’re singers: Jack Black, Ariana DeBose, and Ken himself, Ryan Gosling.’
DeBose, who won an Academy Award for starring as Anita in Steven Spielberg‘s musical West Side Story (2021), was clearly taken aback by the diss as she sat stiffly at her table, fuming.
The North Carolina proceeded to furrow her brows as an outward expression of disapproval.
‘The writers for @CriticsChoice missed the mark with their comment about ‘actors who think they’re singers’ and including Ariana DeBose as part of that list. The woman starred in Broadway musicals – she’s a trained singer,’ one upset viewer wrote on X (previously known as Twitter).
Another condemned the way they ‘insulted Ariana DeBose’ for calling her an ‘actress who thinks she can sing.’
‘I’m sorry, you said that about someone from the OG cast of Hamilton? Google someone before you approve the joke omg,’ one fan fired. ‘It would have made sense if the nominees were well known actors, who are first time singers, but… a Broadway star?!’
A third expressed pity for ‘poor Bella Ramsey’ for having to ‘deliver that HORRIBLY JUDGED ‘joke’ about Ariana DeBose.’
‘I won’t blame young Bella, the presenter…but how DARE a writer for the intro label Ariana, a Broadway triple threat, with the smarmy category of ‘actors who think they can sing,’ another tweeted. ‘Get a clue. Fact check. Apologize. Change your job.’
Not okay: DeBose, who won an Academy Award for starring as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s musical West Side Story (2021), seemed taken aback by the diss, which immediately caused an uproar on social media
‘The writers for @CriticsChoice missed the mark with their comment about ‘actors who think they’re singers’ and including Ariana DeBose as part of that list. The woman starred in Broadway musicals – she’s a trained singer,’ one upset viewer wrote on X (previously known as Twitter)
A handful of social media users pointed out the icy look ‘Ariana Debose made when Bella Ramsey’ listed her among the group of ‘actors who think they’re singers’
A third expressed pity for ‘poor Bella Ramsey’ for having to ‘deliver that HORRIBLY JUDGED ‘joke’ about Ariana DeBose’
‘I won’t blame young Bella, the presenter…but how DARE a writer for the intro label Ariana, a Broadway triple threat, with the smarmy category of ‘actors who think they can sing,’ another tweeted. ‘Get a clue. Fact check. Apologize. Change your job’
Show some respect: Others weren’t as forgiving toward Ramsey, with one reminding the Golden Globe nominee that ‘DeBose is an Academy Award winning, Tony nominated Actress’
‘I’m sorry, you said that about someone from the OG cast of Hamilton? Google someone before you approve the joke omg,’ one fan fired. ‘It would have made sense if the nominees were well known actors, who are first time singers, but… a Broadway star?!’
Others weren’t as forgiving toward Ramsey, with one reminding the Golden Globe nominee that ‘DeBose is an Academy Award winning, Tony nominated Actress.’
‘You have the audacity to say she’s an actress ‘who thinks they can sing’?! one asked Ramsey. ‘That’s not how you present a category or talk about people live on television.’
A handful of social media users pointed out the icy look ‘Ariana Debose made when Bella Ramsey’ listed her among the group of ‘actors who think they’re singers.’
‘You have the audacity to say she’s an actress ‘who thinks they can sing’?! one asked Ramsey. ‘That’s not how you present a category or talk about people live on television.’
A handful of social media users pointed out the icy look ‘Ariana Debose made when Bella Ramsey’ listed her among the group of ‘actors who think they’re singers.’
Ouch: It was pretty clear that the insult hurt her feelings as she looked visibly upset as BellaRamsey poked fun at her while presenting the Best Song category
Speaking up: A handful of social media users pointed out the icy look ‘Ariana Debose made when Bella Ramsey’ listed her among the group of ‘actors who think they’re singers’
DeBose’s statement should come as no surprise as she is known for sticking up for herself, most notably after her universally panned rap at the 76th EE British Academy Film Awards, last February.
The Golden Globe winner, told Time Out that the song was ‘fun’ and she ‘owns every ounce’ of her performance.
Viewers, however, declared they were left cringing when the West Side Story star took to the stage to spit lyrics about the female nominees.
She told the publication: ‘These lyrics were never meant to be Charles Dickens. They are what they are’.
Going on to say: ‘On TikTok people were asking about why [one lyric was] ‘Blanchett, Cate?’ It’s literally a play on Madonna’s “Vogue” rap.’
Confident: DeBose’s statement should come as no surprise as she is known for sticking up for herself, most notably after her universally panned rap at the 76th EE British Academy Film Awards, last February (seen in 2023)
She also teased that she wouldn’t ‘shy away’ from the viral performance and would recreate it during her upcoming London and New York concerts.
Adding: ‘I still maintain what it was. It was just fun. I enjoy the memes. There are DJ remixes to this little rap.’
Following Ariana’s BAFTA perfomance one viewer wrote on Twitter: ‘P***ing myself laughing at Ariana DeBose’s BAFTA song, why did this happen?’
With another adding: ‘Absolutely awful she wouldn’t get a ingle turn on [talent show] The Voice.’
More agreed writing: ‘It was awful’ and ‘God-awful.’
Another said: ‘Got a lot of time for the celebs who smiled charmingly and awkwardly during Ariana DeBose’s painful BAFTA rap.’
And: ‘Ariana DeBose doing an absurd rap about the women up for things. She is, however such a pro (non more pro) so hardly matters.’
