Jamie Lee Curtis didn’t have second thoughts when she fiercely defended Ariana DeBose’s viral BAFTAs rap.
When asked to say something about the opening performance, the Halloween star said: “I’m unclear as to what the f*** people are on about.”
“She is a fantastic talent,” she went on. “These people should shut the f*** up, back the f*** off, and let this woman just shine her light because she is fantastic. SHE IS FAN-TAS-TIC!”
Ariana left viewers stunned with her unusual rap performance celebrating female nominees, with lines including: “Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my woman king…Jamie Lee, you are all of us!”
Jamie, 64, was overjoyed by the performance, saying: “For me, it was joyous, celebratory, sisterly, hot, spicy, and she’s so incredibly talented!”
She also said that the only thing ‘shocking’ to viewers were the close-up camera angles.
DeBose, who presented with Diego Luna, was also quick to defend her performance after viewers branded it ‘painful’ and ‘awkward.’
Speaking on Radio 2 Breakfast Show, she made fun of the criticism and said the host was ‘one of the few’ who loved her hilarious performance.
She went on to explain that she was told her performance would ‘celebrate women,’ adding that she ‘had a blast’ despite negative reactions from viewers.
“And we did that and it was fun, not going to lie, I had a blast. So awesome,” she said.
Angela Basset also spoke out about the rap, which included the famous line about her ‘doing the thing.’
She said that she sent a message to the West Side story star to check in and ask if she was okay.
Speaking to Variety, Angela said: “I DM’d her last night. I just wanted to make sure she was okay because, you know, it’s a lot of attention. And she is A-Okay.”
During her acceptance speech, she teasingly quoted Ariana and said: “I guess Angela Bassett did the thing!”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!