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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Emma Stone, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks and more step out on red carpet

Emma Stone, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks and more have arrived at the Oscars.

"Poor Things" star Stone, who is nominated for best actress tonight, wore a strapless, structured peplum gown, while Domingo, who is nominated for best actor for his performance in "Rustin," stepped out in a black, double-breasted suit with flared pants.

"The Color Purple" star Brooks, who is nominated for best supporting actress, wore a black gown with a train.

See more red carpet fashion here.


Which stars are battling it out for best actress?

The five actresses nominated for best actress tonight include Annette Bening for "Nyad," Lily Gladstone for "Killers of the Flower Moon," Sandra Hüller for "Anatomy of a Fall," Carey Mulligan for "Maestro" and Emma Stone for "Poor Things."

Stone is the only one in the group who has previously won an Oscar. Mulligan and Bening have been nominated in the past, while Gladstone and Hüller are first-time Oscar nominees.

Learn more about the nominees here.


Which stars are battling it out for best actor?

Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo, Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy and Jeffrey Wright are all nominated tonight for the best actor Oscar.

Cooper, who is nominated for his performance as legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," and Paul Giamatti, who is nominated for his performance as a grumpy boarding school professor in "The Holdovers," have received past Oscar nominations.

Domingo, Murphy and Wright, who are being recognized for their respective performances in "Rustin," "Oppenheimer" and "American Fiction," are all first-time Oscar nominees.

Read more about the actors here.


Who is performing at the 2024 Oscars?

All five songs nominated in the best original song category will be performed during the show.

In February, the Academy announced that Becky G, Ryan Gosling, Billie Eilish and more would take the stage. Becky G will perform Diane Warren's "The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot," while Eilish will sing "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie," which she co-wrote with her brother, Finneas O'Connell.

Gosling will sing the power ballad "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie." The song was co-written and co-produced by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.

Also taking the Oscars stage are Jon Batiste, who will perform "It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony," and Scott George, who will perform "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon" with the Osage Singers.


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."