Ariana DeBose has defended her universally criticized rap that opened the 76th EE British Academy Film Awards in London in February.
The 32-year-old Oscar winner said Time is over that the song was ‘fun’ and that she ‘owns every ounce’ of her performance.
Viewers declared they were embarrassed when the West Side Story star took the stage to spit lyrics about the nominees.
She told the publication: ‘These lyrics were never intended to be Charles Dickens. They are what they are’.
He went on to say: ‘On TikTok, people were asking why [one lyric was] “Blanchett, Cate?” It’s literally a play on Madonna’s “Vogue” rap.
Staying strong: Ariana DeBose, 32, has defended her universally criticized rap that opened the 76th EE British Academy Film Awards in London in February
Less Than Impressed: Viewers declared they were embarrassed when the West Side Story star took the stage to spit lyrics about the nominees
Loving life: The Oscar winner said the song was ‘fun’ and that she ‘owns every ounce’ of her performance
He also teased that he would not “shun away” from the viral performance and would recreate it during his upcoming concerts in London and New York.
Adding: ‘I still maintain what it was. It was fun. I enjoy memes. There are DJ remixes for this little rap’.
After Ariana’s BAFTA performance, one viewer tweeted: “I’m laughing at Ariana DeBose’s BAFTA song, why did this happen?”
With another addition: ‘Absolutely horrible that not a single [talent show] The voice’.
More writings agree: ‘It was horrible’ and ‘God-horrible’.
Another said: “I have a lot of time for celebrities who smiled charmingly and awkwardly during Ariana DeBose’s painful BAFTA rap.”
And: ‘Ariana DeBose doing a silly rap about women willing to do things. However, she is so professional (not more professional) that she hardly matters.
Slammed: After Ariana’s BAFTA performance, one viewer tweeted: “I’m laughing at Ariana DeBose’s BAFTA song, why did this happen?”
Cringe: With another addition: ‘Absolutely horrible, she wouldn’t light up a single [talent show] The voice’
After the ceremony, the star leaned into the criticism she received when she poked fun at herself at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Clad in a hot pink suit, she presented the award for Female Actress in a Drama Series alongside Diego Luna, 43, which went to Jennifer Coolidge for her acclaimed role in The White Lotus.
But before they could open the envelope and read Coolidge’s name, DeBose looked at Luna and said, ‘Diego, do it.’
Ariana was referring to a disconcerting lyric on her infamous BAFTA wrap: ‘Angela Basset did the thing,’ and her cheeky joke at the SAG Awards earned a stamp of approval from the star herself.
Laughing in the audience, a beaming Angela Bassett, 64, greeted the West Side Story star and blew her a supportive kiss.
Ariana’s self-loathing moment garnered rave reviews on social media, where she was brutally roasted a week ago.
‘Yaaaaaas. She did what she did,” wrote one Twitter user, while another fan declared, “Awww I loved how Ariana DeBose rocked and she made it funny because Angela did what she did!”.
She also defended her ditty on Zoe Ball’s BBC Breakfast Show shortly after the event.
In the interview, the American actress explained that she was told that her performance would “celebrate women” and that she “had a lot of fun” despite the negative reaction from viewers.
Zoe told Ariana: ‘Can I just say, our listeners, we all loved your performance? and all that [reaction]… I don’t know what happened there?’
Doing his thing! After the ceremony, the star took on the criticism she received when she poked fun at herself at the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Before they opened the envelope and read Coolidge’s name, DeBose looked at Luna and said, ‘Diego, do it.’
Seal of approval: Ariana was referring to a baffling lyric in her infamous BAFTA wrapper: ‘Angela Basset did the thing,’ and her cheeky joke at the SAG Awards got a stamp of approval from the star herself. Laughing in the audience, a beaming Angela Bassett, 64, greeted the West Side Story star and blew her a supportive kiss.
Clearly agreeing with the presenter, Ariana added: ‘You know what? You may be one of the few, but I will accept it… because you are my people!
Continuing to praise the performance, Zoe said, “She was a woman singing and dancing, being great at celebrating women on stage. Come on!’
The Hollywood star added: “That’s what I wanted to do…honestly…it’s not like I was like ‘Hey BAFTA…let me in.’ They actually called me believe it or not (laughs). But that was homework, like coming to celebrate women, and I was like “absolutely!”
‘And we did that and it was fun, I’m not going to lie, I had a great time. So awesome. And then I spent the rest of the night like ‘cutting a rug’ with Emma Thompson…it was fabulous…I had a great time.’
As Zoe noted: “She’s got the moves, doesn’t she?” Ariana added: ‘Oh, she does. Don’t sleep with Dame Emma…don’t!
“But Baz Lurhmann came and found me, and he said ‘no, I think you’re great, that was fun.’ I had fun and was like ‘WERK’… that’s a win guys. And apparently gay Twitter seemed to like it. So that’s good… I’ll take it!’
Adriana will headline the London Palladium on April 1 before NYC at David Geffen Hall on April 8.