Ariana DeBose

2023 - 2 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Vanity Fair"

Angela Bassett Did The Thing, and Ariana DeBose Deleted Her ... (Vanity Fair)

Ariana DeBose opened the BAFTAs this weekend with an original number that took the internet by storm—and led to the Oscar winner deleting her Twitter ...

Others, like Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, and a [snap-happy](https://twitter.com/hunteryharris/status/1627679524983869443) Viola Davis, seemed to genuinely enjoy it. [Dolly De Leon](https://twitter.com/RhodeToLove/status/1627757346947571714), and Ana de Armas—watched DeBose with something akin to confusion. Online, social media accounts immediately began [memeing](https://twitter.com/asteel2/status/1627798502045777921) the number for all it was worth. Clad in a pink jumpsuit, DeBose gave her all to the number—which she crafted herself. “Other ladies in the room, supporting and leading all here, I presume,” rapped DeBose before launching into the most viral portion of the number. The Tony-nominated musical-theater star, who won Oscar gold for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, was asked to open this year’s BAFTA ceremony.

Ariana DeBose's BAFTAs rap defended by show's producer after ... (USA TODAY)

Ariana DeBose "did the thing" at the BAFTAs — and honestly, people need to calm down about it, a producer for the awards show says.

[Pantsuits (and shorts!) rule the Oscars 2022 red carpet: See Kristen Stewart, Ariana DeBose](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/03/27/ariana-debose-kristen-stewart-oscars-red-carpet-pants-shorts/7186996001/) [Bolu Babalola](https://twitter.com/BeeBabs/status/1627783514627137536) wrote. "The room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music. "She only had a few weeks to put this whole thing together," he said. [The rap](https://twitter.com/BAFTA/status/1627385850639294464) has garnered plenty of reaction on Twitter, where fans noticed DeBose [appears to have disabled her account](https://twitter.com/arianadebose). "Viola Davis, my ‘Woman King' / Blanchett Cate, you’re a genius / Jamie Lee, you are all of us."

Ariana DeBose quits Twitter after backlash over BAFTA Awards rap (Black Hills Pioneer)

'West Side Story' star Ariana DeBose deactivates her Twitter account following backlash over her viral 2023 BAFTA Awards rap.

BAFTAs producer says Ariana DeBose backlash to viral rap is ... (EW.com)

BAFTA Awards producer Nick Bullen defends Ariana DeBose after her rap during the ceremony went viral: 'I think it's incredibly unfair, to be frank.'

She had an amazing team around her, and she and her team put the whole piece together." When asked who wrote the lyrics of the rap, Bullen said, "She only had a few weeks to put this whole thing together. "And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game. The performance, specifically the rap, has been meme-ified extensively, and the phrase "Angela Bassett did the thing" continues to trend on social media. She sang "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" and "We Are Family," and then segued into a rap saluting the female nominees. In the wake of her BAFTA performance, DeBose deactivated her Twitter account.

Ariana DeBose Has Shared Her Reaction To The BAFTA Rap Memes (BuzzFeed News)

On Sunday, Ariana DeBose totally stole the show at the BAFTAs with her opening performance, which was dedicated to this year's women nominees across a ...

“Sure, Angela Bassett did the thing,” he went on to joke. She was amazing," he said, adding that their mission was to bring some energy and diversity to the show. While you’d be forgiven for thinking it, Ariana’s performance wasn’t the only attention-grabbing moment from this year’s BAFTAs. “But you know who else did too? "Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. Meanwhile, Evan was relieved to see that Ariana “is laughing with us” as he created a follow-up post on Tuesday that acknowledged her comment.

Ariana DeBose shares cryptic quote after disastrous BAFTA Awards ... (Page Six)

Ariana DeBose shared a cryptic quote on Instagram after going viral for her disastrous BAFTA Awards 2023 rap that name-dropped Angela Bassett.

Jamie Lee [Curtis], you are all of us,” she rapped as the camera cut to each actress. “Angela Bassett did the thing. “The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music,” he

Ariana DeBose Deactivates Twitter After 2023 BAFTAs Rap Goes ... (Us Weekly)

Ariana DeBose performed a song dedicated to the 2023 BAFTA nominees at the Sunday, February 19, awards show — get the details.

[BAFTAs producer Nick Bullen](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/baftas-2023-helen-mirren-pays-tribute-to-queen-elizabeth-ii/) shed light on the decision to have DeBose perform. [DeBose deactivated](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/kim-kardashian-more-celebrities-who-took-social-media-breaks/) her Twitter account. “And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game. [the performance was a hit](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kate-middleton-taps-prince-williams-butt-on-baftas-red-carpet/) inside the venue. He went on to defend the Oscar winner, who “only had a few weeks” to put together her routine. The Tony nominee chimed in, “Honestly I love this.” DeBose was joined by a group of dancers at the Royal Festival Hall in London as she sang “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves” and “We Are Family.” An original rap was also included in the high-energy performance. After the event, the clip quickly made the rounds on social media, with jokes pouring in about the Broadway vet’s lyrics. Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it. “I absolutely loved it. “Angela Bassett did the thing. [West Side Story](https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/ariana-debose-5-things-to-know-about-west-side-story-actress/) actress, 32, [opened the awards show](https://twitter.com/BAFTA/status/1627385850639294464) on Sunday, February 19, with a dedication to the women nominated for their work.

Ariana DeBose quits Twitter after backlash over BAFTA Awards rap (Manhattan Mercury)

'West Side Story' star Ariana DeBose deactivates her Twitter account following backlash over her viral 2023 BAFTA Awards rap.

Let's just evolve, let's just move forward with some gentle changes that start to lay out the stall of what this show should be and where we should be with it." "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." In a statement to Variety, Nick Bullen said: "The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music.

Ariana DeBose Did the Thing at the BAFTAs (Vulture)

Ariana DeBose's opening number at the BAFTAs went viral for being camp. What was so funny about “Angela Bassett did the thing,” and did the BAFTA producers ...

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. And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game. And she’s opening the BAFTAs with a song that said so much on so many levels.” However, the awkwardness of the performance is actually more intense when looked at through the diversity filter — the show would go on to have [solely white winners](https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/all-the-2023-bafta-winners-were-white.html). It’s the seriousness of a heartfelt tribute to the underappreciated women of film meeting a dedicated yet completely incorrect performance that makes this opening ever-more compelling to a Twitter audience that both lauds these queens and takes joy in unintended awkwardness. For one, DeBose’s performance is at its most confusing here, with her lack of breath leading to clipped syllables and an odd, almost melodic reading of the name “Angela Bassett.” Her sharp dance moves, specifically the waving of the finger, are equally compelling, if not necessarily right for the song. The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music. Below, the BAFTAs opening performance, the response, and the response to the response. DeBose’s performance was a tribute to the nominated women and included covers of “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” by Aretha Franklin and Eurythmics and “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge. In her essay “Notes on Camp,” Susan Sontag writes that “Camp is art that proposes itself seriously, but cannot be taken altogether seriously because it is ‘too much.’” What DeBose gives is certainly intended to be serious, yes, and it is certainly too much. In between songs, DeBose took the time to do a post-Hamilton rap homage to the nominated women of the night — “Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis, my Woman King.” It was special. Theater kids gave us the first season of Glee, they gave us an archetype to describe Anne Hathaway’s vibe, and they gave us Jan’s face crack after losing And so should the rest of humanity!

Ariana DeBose's viral BAFTAs rap is a meme now (NBC News)

Ariana DeBose "did the thing" during her opening musical number at the British Academy of Film and Television Art Awards (BAFTAs) on Sunday and quickly ...

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Ariana DeBose

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