Oscars 2022 recap: 'CODA' wins best picture, Will Smith wins best actor

Here is a full timeline of everything that occurred at the 94th Academy Awards.

Last Updated: March 28, 2022, 9:52 AM EDT

The 2022 Oscars have come to a close.

"CODA" was the big winner of the night, taking home the Academy Award for best picture, while Jessica Chastain and Will Smith won best actress and actor in a leading role.

Winners who made history Sunday night included "The Power of the Dog" director Jane Campion, who became the third woman to win best director, and Troy Kotsur, who became the first deaf man to win an Academy Award for acting.

Much of the night’s attention will undoubtedly be on Smith after a confrontation with Chris Rock on stage after the comedian said made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

See our full winners list here.

Latest updates

Here is how the night unfolded.
Mar 27, 2022, 11:35 PM EDT

Will Smith wins best actor after Chris Rock confrontation

Will Smith is an Academy Award winner for his performance in “King Richard.”

Will Smith cries as he accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "King Richard" at the Oscars, March 27, 2022, in Los Angeles.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what god is calling on me to do and be in this world,” said Smith, who played Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, in the film.

“Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father just like they said,” he continued, referencing a seemingly heated confrontation he had with comedian Chris Rock. “Love will make you do crazy things.”

Earlier in the show, the actor left many speechless after a seemingly heated moment on stage between comedian Rock.

Rock, who was presenting the award for best documentary feature, first addressed a few nominees of the evening including Javier Bardem and his wife, Penelope Cruz, then mentioned Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.

Will Smith hits Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Calif., March 27, 2022.
Brian Snyder/Reuters

“Javier Bardem and his wife are both nominated,” Rock said. “Now, if she loses, he can’t win. He is praying that Will Smith wins, like, please lord, Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it, alright?”

Viewers were left stunned when Smith took the stage and appeared to strike Rock after the comedian’s remark. Many took to social media to question if the moment was rehearsed or a genuine reaction from Smith.

While presenting later in the night, Sean “Diddy” Combs mentioned the moment, stating “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family ... But right now we’re moving on with love.”

Smith was then shown in the crowd laughing at Combs’ comments.

“I want to apologize to the Academy,” Smith said about the moment on stage. “I want to apologize to my fellow nominees.”

Mar 27, 2022, 11:23 PM EDT

Jane Campion becomes 3rd woman to win best director

Jane Campion won the Academy Award for best director for “The Power of the Dog,” becoming just the third woman to win the trophy.

Jane Campion accepts the Directing award for "The Power of the Dog" onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, Calif.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The New Zealand-born filmmaker, 67, follows in the footsteps of Kathryn Bigelow’s win for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010 and Chloé Zhao’s win for “Nomadland” in 2021. Only seven women have ever been nominated for best director in Oscars history.

Campion, who was previously nominated for her 1994 film “The Piano,” beat out fellow nominees Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”), Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”) and Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”).

During her acceptance speech, Campion said, “I love directing because it’s a deep dive into story yet the task of creating a world can be overwhelming.”

“On ‘The Power of the Dog,’ I worked with actors I’m moved to call my friends. They met the challenge of the story with the depth of their gifts.”

-ABC News’ Carson Blackwelder

Mar 27, 2022, 11:03 PM EDT

Billie Eilish, Finneas win Oscar for best original song

Billie Eilish is now an Academy Award winner.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter and her brother Finneas won the Oscar for best original song for “No Time to Die,” the theme song they wrote and recorded for the 25th James Bond film. This is the first Oscar nomination and win for both Billie and Finneas.

Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish accept the award for Best Music (Original Song) for "No Time to Die" onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., March 27, 2022.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

During their acceptance speech, Billie shared, “Oh, my gosh. This is so unbelievable, I could scream. Thank you to our 007 family,” while Finneas added, “we want to thank our parents who have always been our biggest inspirations and our heroes, and we love you as parents we love you as real people too.”

At the time that Oscar nominations were announced, the creative duo released a statement on “how honored and excited” they were to receive recognition from the Academy. “It was a lifelong dream of ours to write a Bond theme, and one we never thought would ever come true,” their statement read. “It’s completely unbelievable that we are here being recognized for this song, and this is a peak life experience for us as songwriters and artists.”

While this is Billie’s first Oscar win, she notably swept the Grammys in 2020 when she won the awards for best new artist, song of the year, record of the year and album of the year. She has seven Grammy Awards under her belt, while Finneas has eight.

-ABC News’ Hayley Fitzpatrick

Mar 27, 2022, 10:23 PM EDT

Billie Eilish delivers performance of ‘No Time to Die’

Billie Eilish delivered a beautiful and haunting performance of “No Time To Die."

The singer and her brother, Finneas, are both nominated for best original song.

“So excited about tonight,” Finneas wrote on Twitter. “So deeply honored to be nominated amongst artists and writers I have been so wildly inspired by. Lucky us.”

Billie Eilish performs onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, Calif.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Related Topics