5 History-Making Moments from the 2023 Oscars

At this year’s ceremony, first-time nominees became first-time winners, and two women made history as they accepted their awards

1. Ke Huy Quan Wins His First Oscar

Ke Huy Quan nabbed his very first Oscar, the Best Supporting Actor award, for his performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The comeback star was bursting with gratitude as he thanked his robust list of supporters, including his 84-year-old mother, whom he said was watching from home. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!” he exclaimed to start his acceptance speech.

“They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me,” said the former child star, who got his start decades ago in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. “This — this — is the American dream!”

2. Jamie Lee Curtis Wins Her First Oscar

The longtime Hollywood star took home her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress — the same award her actress mother, Janet Leigh, was nominated for in 1960. The Everything Everywhere All at Once actress doled out thanks for the “hundreds of people” who helped her on her journey to the Oscars stage.

“To all of the people who have supported the genre movies I have made all these years, the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people, we just won an Oscar together!” Curtis said, in addition to individually thanking her husband, daughters, agents and her film’s directors, the Daniels (Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan).

She finished her acceptance speech by celebrating her late Oscar-nominated parents, and exclaiming “I just won an Oscar!” before walking off the stage with her golden statue.

3. Ruth Carter Becomes the First Black Woman to Win Two Oscars

With a second Academy Award under her belt, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever costume designer made Oscar history: Carter is officially the first and only Black woman with two Oscar wins. In her acceptance speech, the Best Costume Design winner thanked the Academy for “recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman.”

The record breaker also revealed that she’d recently suffered a family loss.

“She endures, she loves, she overcomes. She is every woman in this film. She is my mother,” Carter said, explaining that her mom, Mabel Carter, had died the week prior at 101 years old. She added: “This film prepared me for this moment.”

4. Brendan Fraser Wins His First Oscar

For his leading performance in The Whale, Fraser took home the coveted Academy Award for Best Actor, making his own career history with his first Oscar win. The accolade is an especially meaningful win for Fraser, who took a hiatus from acting for much of the 2000s after making it big in the 1990s. The actor was emotional on stage as he accepted the golden statue.

He began by giving thanks to the film’s studio, A24, and the team that made it all happen: The Whale‘s director, Darren Aronofsky, its writer, Samuel D. Hunter, and Fraser’s costar: “Only whales can swim at the depth of the talent of Hong Chau,” he said of the Oscar-nominated actress, who played his nurse in the movie.

“I started in this business 30 years ago, and things, they didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time, until it stopped. And I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgement,” he continued in his speech. He wrapped by thanking his sons Holden, Leland and Griffin, his manager, publicist and his girlfriend, Jeanne Moore.

5. Michelle Yeoh Becomes the First Asian Woman to Win Best Actress

The Everything Everywhere All at Once star made history with her milestone Best Actress win, becoming the first Asian woman to earn the title. The award was presented to Yeoh by last year’s winner in the category, Jessica Chastain, and Halle Berry, who became the first Black Best Actress winner in 2002.

Yeoh opened her acceptance speech on an inspiring note: “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that, dream big, and dreams do come true. And ladies don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime,” she said.

She thanked Everything Everywhere‘s cast and crew, and then shined a special spotlight on “all the moms in the world, because they are really the superheroes. And without them none of us would be here tonight.” Yeoh gave a special dedication to her own mom, whom she said was watching from home in Malaysia. She added: “And also to my extended family in Hong Kong where I started my career. Thank you for letting me stand on your shoulders, giving me a leg up, so I can be here today.”

Before she took her first Oscar off stage, Yeoh thanked the Academy, too. “This is history in the making,” she said.