Ariana DeBose baffles Bafta viewers with 'painful' opening rap

20 Feb 2023

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Ariana DeBose left Bafta viewers confused with her show opening rap on Sunday night.

The West Side Story star won best supporting actress for her role in Stephen Spielberg’s adaptation of the iconic musical, but hours after the event people on social media couldn’t stop talking about her live performance to kick off the evening.

During a rendition of Eurythmics hit Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves, Ariana ended up delivering a rap verse in which she name-dropped all the women nominated for awards, including the likes of Viola Davis, Ana De Armas and Jamie Lee Curtis.

The cameras cut to the stars as they were mentioned, as most of them looked slightly bemused by the whole thing (although Jamie Lee was loving life).

Despite Ariana sporting a stunning skirt for the performance, which was pulled off by dancers as she strutted her stuff in a trouser suit, and showing her skills, viewers were utterly baffled by the rap.

‘This has unlocked a whole new level of cringe for me. Like I can’t. I need a day off to recover,’ wrote on viewer.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Ariana DeBose performs on stage during the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

Ariana DeBose kicked off the show with a stunning routine (Picture: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Ariana DeBose performs on stage during the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

She was joined on stage by a group of dancers who pulled off her skirt (Picture: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Ariana DeBose performs on stage during the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

However, the West Side Story star left viewers baffled with her rap (Picture: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

‘Ariana is usually brilliant but this clip at least was pretty painful to watch. I’m sorry,’ added another fan, while a third person tweeted: ‘Got a lot of time for the celebs who smiled charmingly and awkwardly during Ariana DeBose’s painful Bafta rap.’

Another viewer said: ‘Ariana is a super talented artist (Hamilton, The Prom, West Side Story) but this was not a strong performance for her,’ and a different fan questioned: ‘P***ing myself laughing at Ariana DeBose’s BAFTA song, why did this happen?’

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 19: Ariana DeBose poses during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

Ariana won best supporting actress on the night (Picture: Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

Not everyone criticised the actress for her performance, with some suggesting she did the best she could with what she was given.

‘Look Ariana DeBose did the best she could with the material, but who the hell wrote that song? Because jail, immediately,’ argued one viewer.

‘It wasn’t phenomenal but it’s not that bad either. Y’all just want to jump on the hate train,’ added another supporter, as one other fan said: ‘Ariana DeBose doing an absurd rap about the women up for things. She is, however such a pro (non more pro) so hardly matters.’

All Quiet on the Western Front was the big winner at the Baftas, with the German language war drama – which stars newcomer Felix Kammerer as an idealistic teenager who sings up to fight in World War I – winning seven prizes from 14 nominations.

The movie captured the best film award, having seen off competition from The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Tar and Elvis.

Baftas 2023 full winners list

Best adapted screenplay

All Quiet On The Western Front

Best supporting actress

Kerry Condon - The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best supporting actor

Barry Keoghan - The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best film not in the English language

All Quiet On The Western Front

Best cinematography

All Quiet On The Western Front

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

Charlotte Wells - Aftersun

Animated film

Pinocchio

Best original screenplay

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best original score

All Quiet On The Western Front

Best documentary

Navalny

Best sound

All Quiet On The Western Front

British short animation

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Outstanding British film

The Banshees Of Inisherin

Best director

Edward Berger - All Quiet On The Western Front

Best leading actor

Austin Butler - Elvis

Best leading actress

Cate Blanchett - Tar

Rising star

Emma Mackey

Best film

All Quiet On The Western Front

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