Oscars 2024 recap: Biggest moments from the 96th Academy Awards

Everything that happened on Hollywood's biggest night.

The 2024 Oscars have come and gone, and "Oppenheimer" was the big winner of the night.

Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 96th Academy Awards, a ceremony which honored excellence in cinematic achievements for some of the past year's biggest films.

"Oppenheimer" earned seven Oscars from its 13 total nominations, including the top prize of the night, best picture, as well as best director for Christopher Nolan.

In the lead acting categories, "Poor Things" star Emma Stone took home the award for best actress while "Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy took home best actor.

"The Holdovers" star Da'Vine Joy Randolph and "Oppenheimer" star Robert Downey Jr. snagged wins in the supporting acting categories.

For all the biggest moments from the 2024 Oscars, keep reading below.


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'American Fiction' wins best adapted screenplay

Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy presented the Oscar for best adapted screenplay to "American Fiction" director and screenwriter Cord Jefferson.

The film was based on the 2001 novel "Erasure" by Percival Everett.

"This means the world to me, thank you so much to the academy," Jefferson said. "There are so many people. I feel so much joy being here, I felt so much joy making this movie, and I want other people to experience that joy, and they are out there, I promise you."

"The next Martin Scorsese is out there, the next Greta's out there, the next Christopher Nolan's out there, I promise you. They just want a shot and we can give them one," he continued. "And this has changed my life. Thank you all who worked on this movie, for trusting a 40-year-old Black guy who had never directed anything before. It has changed my life."

Other nominees in the category included Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig for "Barbie," Christopher Nolan for "Oppenheimer," Tony McNamara for "Poor Things" and Jonathan Glazer for "The Zone of Interest."


'Anatomy of a Fall' wins best original screenplay

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari won the Oscar for best original screenplay for the film "Anatomy of a Fall," accepting the award from Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy.

In her opening remarks, Triet joked that winning an Oscar will "help me through my mid-life crisis, I think."

She recalled beginning to write "Anatomy of a Fall" with Harari, her husband, when they were stuck at home with their two kids during the COVID-19 lockdown, saying, "There was no line, I think, between work and diapers."

Triet also gave a shoutout to the film's star, Sandra Hüller, and the rest of the cast.

Other nominees in the category included David Hemingson for "The Holdovers," Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer for "Maestro," Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik for "May December" and Celine Song for "Past Lives."


‘The Boy and the Heron’ wins best animated feature film

“The Boy and the Heron” won the Oscar for best animated feature film. Presenters Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth accepted the award on behalf of director and writer Hayao Miyazaki and producer Toshio Suzuki.

Other nominees in the category included “Elemental,” “Nimona,” “Robot Dreams” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”


'War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko' wins best animated short film

Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth presented the Oscar for best animated short film to "War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko."

Dave Mullins and Brad Booker accepted the award onstage. "John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote a song that inspired us, that is an anti-war message that we tried to honor with this film," Mullins said.

Other nominees in the category included "Letter to a Pig," "Ninety-Five Senses," "Our Uniform" and "Pachyderme."


Robert Downey Jr. wins best supporting actor

Robert Downey Jr. won the Oscar for best supporting actor.

The actor won the award for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in "Oppenheimer."

The award was introduced by previous Oscar winners in the category including Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Tim Robbins, Christoph Waltz and Mahershala Ali. They all shared words honoring each nominee before the Oscar was given to Downey.

"Thanks Sam, thanks fellas. You only flubbed one line," Downey joked during his acceptance speech. "I'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the academy, in that order. I'd like to thank my veterinarian -- I mean wife, Susan Downey, over there. She found me, a snarling rescue pet, and you loved me back to life, and that's why I'm here. Thank you."

"Here's my little secret. I needed this job more than it needed me," he continued. "Chris knew it, Emma made sure that she surrounded me with one of the great casts and crews of all time: Emily, Cillian, Matt Damon, Blunt -- it was fantastic. And I stand here before you a better man because of it."

Downey ended his speech by saying, "What we do is meaningful and the stuff that we decide to make is important," before thanking his stylist, entertainment lawyer and others.

This awards season, Downey's role in "Oppenheimer" earned him a Golden Globe for best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture and a Screen Actors Guild Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role. Downey and the rest of the "Oppenheimer" cast also won a SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.

Other nominees in the category included Sterling K. Brown for "American Fiction," Robert De Niro for "Killers of the Flower Moon," Ryan Gosling for "Barbie" and Mark Ruffalo for "Poor Things."