Kieran Culkin‘s brutal Adrien Brody shoutout turned out to be spot-on.
The Succession alum—who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for A Real Pain at the 2025 Academy Awards—called Brody out during his acceptance speech at the SAG Awards last month, warning him to make sure to keep his speech to under the 45-second time allotment if he won an award that night.
“Thank you SAG-AFTRA, for this incredibly heavy award,” Culkin joked, referring to a stand featured onstage at the Feb. 23 ceremony. “That’s why they put the thing here, I guess, right? I don’t think it’s any way anyone can hold this for 45 seconds, which is the allotted time.”
He then emphasized, “Adrian Brody, 45 seconds.”
While Brody wound up losing his award that night to Timothée Chalamet, he did take home the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Brutalist at the Academy Awards, where ignored Culkin’s previous warning from and delivered a five-minute speech during which he asked the orchestra to stop playing music encouraging to wrap it up. (See all of the night’s big winners here.)
“I’m wrapping up. Please. Please. I will wrap up,” he declared. “Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before. It’s not my first rodeo. I will be brief.”
After that, he continued for another minute. In fact, the 51-year-old’s 558-word speech ended up clocking in as the longest acceptance speech in Oscars history.
“One thing that I’ve gained, having the privilege to come back here—is to have some perspective,” Brody said during his remarks. “No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that.”
“It is a chance to begin again,” he continued. “And the opportunity to hopefully be fortunate enough that for the next 20 years of my life, I can prove that I am worthy of such meaningful, important and relevant roles.”
Brody—who became the first person to ever win two Best Actor Oscars from their first two nominations—also thanked his girlfriend Georgina Chapman and the two children she shares with her ex, Harvey Weinstein.
“I share this with my amazing partner Georgina,” he gushed, “who has not only reinvigorated my own self-worth, but my sense of value and my values.”
“Dash and India, I know it’s been a roller coaster, but thank you for accepting me into your life,” Brody went on. “Popsie’s coming home a winner.”
Keep reading for more moments from the 2025 Oscars…
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Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner Sneak a Kiss
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Best Supporting Actor Winner Kieran Culkin Enjoys His Victory With Robert Downey Jr.
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Meg Ryan and Best Actress Nominee Demi Moore Have an Emotional Moment
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2025 Best Actor Nominees, Assemble!
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Samuel L. Jackson and Selena Gomez Snap a Selfie
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Best Supporting Actress Winner Zoe Saldaña Tunes in Backstage
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Lisa Steals a Quiet Moment Backstage
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Margaret Qualley, Elle Fanning Catch Up Backstage
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What Did Kieran Culkin Just Tell Ariana Grande?
Ariana Grande, in attendance with Wicked costar and real-life love Ethan Slater, appears to have had her mind blown—but only her boyfriend and Kieran Culkin know for sure.
Halle Berry & Michelle Yeoh
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Oprah Winfrey Celebrates Quincy Jones With Queen Latifah
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Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldana & Kieran Culkin
Cheers! The newly-minted Oscar winners tap their trophies in celebration.
Past Winners Cillian Murphy and Emma Stone Meet Again
Returning to pay it forward, 2024’s Best Actor winner Cillian Murphy and Best Actress Emma Stone had a word up before heading out to present to this year’s respective winners, Adrien Brody and Mikey Madison.
Best Actress Winner Mikey Madison Can’t Stop Smiling
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Adrien Brody Thinks Billy Crystal Looks Marvelous, Darling
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