Daniel Kaluuya’s Mom’s Reaction To His Speech Won the Oscars
Daniel Kaluuya won an Academy Award for his powerful performance as Fred Hampton. But in a deep, true sense, his mother was the real winner of the night.
Kaluuya’s mother Damalie was watching the Academy Awards live from a theater in London. She was among the very first people he thanked in his speech — and then, near the end of his speech, he circled back to crediting her one more time. “You’ve got to celebrate life, man,” Kaluuya said. “We’re breathing, we’re walking. It’s incredible. It’s incredible! My mom met my dad, they had sex, It’s amazing. You know what I mean? I’m here! I’m so happy to be alive.”
Because Kaluuya’s mom was watching from London, and because she’d already been on camera, they were able to cut back to her, and capture her live reaction to her son telling millions of people around the world that she had sex. You can see the moment below:
(Kaluuya’s mother’s reaction is so magnificent, you might overlook his sister’s reaction as she sits next to her. Don’t miss that one. It’s worth rewatching a couple times.)
Congratulations to Daniel Kaluuya for his well-deserved Oscar win — if you haven’t seen Judas and the Black Messiah yet, it’s outstanding and Kaluuya is remarkable in it — and congratulations to Kaluuya’s mom for giving us what will surely go down in history as one of the all-time great moments in the history of the Academy Awards. You can find the full list of the winners from the 93rd Academy Awards right here.
Gallery — Best Picture Winners Every Film Lover Should Watch: