Jamie Lee Curtis has fiercely defended Ariana DeBose's viral BAFTAs rap in an expletive-filled response to a reporter's question at this year's Producers' Guild of America (PGA) Awards.
The 64-year-old actress was walking on the red carpet for the event that honored the best film and television producers of 2022. Among those attending were Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler, Michelle Yeoh, and Judd Apatow.
Reporters swarmed the event, hoping to get exclusive interviews with some of the industry's greatest - something one Deadline journalist managed to snag when they grabbed Curtis for a quick comment on DeBose's viral rap.
For those who don't know, the decorated actress and Westside Story star was memed mercilessly after she opened the BAFTAs with a rap that name-dropped several of the evening's nominees - including Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett, Emma Thompson, Ana De Armas, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Many netizens caught onto one line DeBose said in her rap, in which she stated: "Angela Bassett did the thing." Some people found it hilarious, while others claimed the rap was awful, causing DeBose to delete her Twitter account just two days later.
The BAFTAs ceremony producer Nick Bullen commented on the situation, telling Variety: "I think it's incredibly unfair, to be frank. 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. That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it's been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that."
Evidently, Curtis was in agreeance, after she recently went viral for her response to a reporter who asked what she thought of the rap. "I'm unclear as to what the f*** people are on about, and for me it was joyous, celebratory, sisterly, hot, spicy, and she's just so incredibly talented. I don't know what - the only thing I know is that it was shocking to me. It's in a theater. It's not at tables, and so you're in a theater, and so if you're looking this way and there's the stage and you're watching her on stage, these camera people literally came, and they would be here," she said, gesturing to her face.
"And you know they're there, and you're like 'why is this camera person this close to me?' And I think a little of it was there were these camera angles that were really -- and none of us knew what she was doing, so when they would cut to us I was into it. By the time they got to me, I was into the music and I was having a great time," Curtis continued.
She then added: "She [DeBose] is a fantastic talent, these people should shut the f*** up, back the f*** off, and let this woman just shine her light because she is fantastic."
As for Bassett, she reportedly loved the viral moment, telling Variety that she even DM'd DeBose the day afterward: "I DM'd her last night. I did. It was beautiful. I just wanted to make sure she was okay because, you know, it's a lot of attention. And she is A-Okay."
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