Da’Vine Joy Randolph has won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and delivered what might be the most joyful and emotive speech of the night.
After winning the gong, presented by former Oscar winners Mary Steenburgen, Lupita Nyong'o, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rita Moreno and Regina King, for her role in The Holdovers – Randolph's first Oscar nomination and first win – the star began her speech with: 'God is so good.'
'I didn't think I was supposed to be doing this as a career. I started off as a singer and my mother said to me, "go across that street to that theatre department, there's something for you there. And I thank my mother for doing that,' she added.
'I thank you to all the people who have stepped in my path and has been there for me, who has ushered me and guided me. I am so grateful to all you beautiful people out here for so long. I've always wanted to be different and now I realise I just need to be myself.'
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The actor went on to thank her biggest supporters over the years. 'I thank you... when I was the only Black girl in that class when you saw me and you told me I was enough. And when I told you I don't see myself. You said "that's fine. We're gonna forge our own path. You're gonna lay a trail for yourself".'
The star went on to joke about mentioning her publicist in her shoutout, despite being told not to prior to the show. 'I have to give a special shout out to my publicist. And I know y'all said, "don't say about [anything about my] publicist, but you don't have a publicist like I have a publicist. You have been by my side through the entire thing, and I am forever grateful.'
She concluded her speech by saying: 'I pray to God that I get to do this more than once. I thank you for seeing me.'
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