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Ariana DeBose Is Already A Gay Icon After Awkward (Camp?) BAFTA Rap
Ariana did her thing!
Ariana DeBose may have won an Oscar for her role in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake last year, but she has officially pushed herself into gay icon status following an awkward performance at yesterday's BAFTA Awards.
The Broadway star served us a breathy performance of "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves", "We Are Family," and an original rap saluting this year's female nominees in an incredible year in film, according to producer Nick Bullen. "She only had a few weeks to put this whole thing together. She worked with a great musical director and choreographer. So it was a real team effort. She had an amazing team around her, and she and her team put the whole piece together."
But the performance didn't go quite as planned and DeBose's rap in particular sparked an immediate social media reaction.
\u201cwho let her do this\u201d— kie (@kie) 1676927428
She instantly became a meme, particularly the part where she says, "Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my Woman King/ Blanchett Cate you're a genius/Jamie Lee you are all of us."
It's still unclear if she's part of the joke or the butt of the joke, but DeBose deleted her Twitter account before she could find out.
Bullen told Variety the backlash is "incredibly unfair, to be frank," adding, "I absolutely loved it. Everybody I've spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. She's a huge star, she was amazing."
It doesn't quite look like everyone in the room loved it, but sure!
In the time since, DeBose has stayed away from Twitter but has commented on a few Instagram memes, particularly one that reads, "Sure grandma let's get you to bed."
"Honestly, I love this," DeBose wrote in the comments.
We do too! And as one Twitter gay points out, she's rapidly becoming the next gay icon.
\u201cI\u2019m not kidding this will make Ariana DeBose a gay icon for the rest of her life. \n\u201d— Ben Yahr (@Ben Yahr) 1676948922
Embrace it, Ariana. The club remixes are in the works as we speak.
DeBose was in the original cast of Hamilton and The Prom, and led the 2020 film of the same name. She also appeared in the Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoon!
In 2022, she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake.
DeBose was in the ensemble of the original Broadway production and played Martha, as well as the bullet.
Born on January 25, 1991, DeBose is currently 32-years-old.
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
Taylor Henderson is a PRIDE.com contributor. This proud Texas Bama studied Media Production/Studies and Sociology at The University of Texas at Austin, where he developed his passions for pop culture, writing, and videography. He's absolutely obsessed with Beyoncé, mangoes, and cheesy YA novels that allow him to vicariously experience the teen years he spent in the closet. He's also writing one!
