Ben Stiller’s Oscars 2025 ‘mishap’ leaves fans in stitches – “Funniest thing in Oscars history”

A stage failure (scripted, we assume) during the 97th Academy Awards led Ben Stiller to deliver an impromptu comedy routine at the Dolby Theatre, which became one of the standout moments of the night. As he arrived to deliver the Best Production Design award, Stiller ended up being suspended in mid-air by a faulty lift platform that paused his ascent.

However, Ster turned the spontaneous technical glitch into a humorous bit that brought laughter to both theater and television viewers.

The internet wasted no time reacting. Within minutes, clips of the mishap took over social media. Not only did the moment go viral, but users couldn’t stop reacting to the irony of him pulling off the whole act flawlessly while delivering a supposedly powerful speech about production design.

A user stated:

"This is the funniest thing in the Oscars history 😭"

Another added:

"This was hilarious actually 😂"

A user said:

"Ben Stiller at his best there 😂😂"

A user went on to say:

"I still can’t believe this is the same guy that directs Severance."

A user joked:

"Failed successfully."

One user mentioned:

"I can’t believe this goofy guy made the best show on TV right now."

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Ben Stiller’s Oscars stage fail: How it happened

Stiller stepped up to present the award for Best Production Design. The original intention was a dramatic entrance via a rising floor, making him look effortlessly cool.

But the floor had other ideas.

As he was rising from the platform, it stopped midway, leaving him stranded awkwardly.

Undeterred, Stiller began delivering his speech while the platform was having alleged technical difficulties.

He was in the middle of talking about how production design is a massive part of filmmaking when, right on cue, the platform moved again—and he seemingly fell.

The absurdity of it all was undeniable. Here he was, presenting an award for production design while experiencing a production fail in real time.

By the looks of it, the execution was too perfect for this to be a mere accident. This could very well have been planned—but either way, it was funny.

On production design, Ben Stiller said:

“Production design. Production designers bring the visual world of a screenplay to life. It is a field where the slightest miscalculation could lose the trust of the audience and humiliate the performers on screen.”

“Production designers plan meticulously, creating sketches that illustrate a film's mood and atmosphere. With their strong knowledge of color theory and architecture, they handle everything from minor visual details to massive technical challenges, collaborating with the director to significantly impact the final image on screen, making sure what you are seeing is exactly what the artist intended.”

The Best Production Design was bagged by Wicked.

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List of 2025 Oscar winners

While Stiller’s unexpected stunt also dominated the headlines, the night wasn’t without its well-deserved wins.

Anora triumphed at the ceremony, claiming the prestigious Best Picture award along with victories in four additional categories. Sean Baker won Best Director, while Mikey Madison earned recognition as Best Actress. The film also secured awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

Best Actor: Adrien Brody secured his second Oscar for The Brutalist.

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin secured the award for A Real Pain.

Best Documentary Feature: No Other Land won for its portrayal of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians.

Best Original Song: El Mal from Emilia Pérez took the gold.

Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell became the first Black individual to win this category for his work on Wicked.

Best Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two won for its visual effects work.

Best Animated Feature Film: Flow won Best Animated Feature Film.