An Oscars producer has addressed the online criticism after an acceptance speech for KPop Demon Hunters was interrupted.
Taking home an Academy Award is usually the kind of night you imagine ending on a high, with the winner getting a chance to enjoy the moment on stage.
But even with a win, the experience can be more complicated when the broadcast has to keep moving and speeches are tightly timed.
That’s what the team behind KPop Demon Hunters faced this year.
‘Golden’, a track from the 2025 film, earned Best Original Song, while the movie also picked up Best Animated Feature earlier in the ceremony.
Maggie Kang, who co-wrote and co-directed KPop Demon Hunters, used her Best Animated Feature acceptance speech to highlight what the win could represent for the Korean community.
She said: For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took so long to see us in a movie like this, but it is here. That means the next generations don’t have to go longing.
“This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.”
Later, one of the singing voices behind the group, EJAE, appeared on stage with several producers to accept the film’s win, but the remarks were ultimately cut short.
She said: “Thank you so much to the Academy. Growing up, people made fun of me for liking K-pop. But now everyone’s singing our song and all the Korean lyrics, I’m so proud.”
The moment drew attention online after the music began playing while producer Lee Yu-han was at the microphone, effectively stopping the rest of the speech.
Rob Mills, executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television, told Variety that future ceremonies may need to reassess how acceptance speeches are managed.
Speaking to Variety, he said: “One thing, as we post mortem for next year, will be to look at how we’re handling speeches.
“I don’t know what the most elegant solution is, but it’s obviously something we should look really, really long and hard at.”
Mills also noted that cutting people off during a once-in-a-lifetime moment is never straightforward.
He added: “Do we need to look at it and say, OK, designate one person to speak?
“Maybe you continue it backstage, and we have a feed on social or something like that.”