She “did the thing.”
Actress Ariana DeBose went viral Sunday following her “cringe” performance at the 2023 BAFTAS where she performed a cover of Eurythmics’ “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.”
The “West Side Story” star also included her own rap where she name-dropped all the female nominees.
“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my ‘Woman King,’ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang the 32-year-old as the camera panned to each actress.
The rap immediately went viral but has become the subject of many memes and ridicule. DeBose even deleted her Twitter account but later liked an Instagram post poking fun at her rap. “Honestly I love this,” she wrote.
Social media users were loving the fiasco, too, and went wild with memes about DeBose.
“Need Angela Bassett in ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 so she can do the Thing,” tweeted one user.
“Ariana DeBose has reportedly turned down a performance at King Charles III’s coronation,” joked another user. “‘Viola Davis is my woman King,’” she said.
“Ariana DeBose needs to reactivate Twitter and seize this moment. she will have stans for LIFE after serving that level of camp to us on a platter,” chimed in a third person.
“Ariana DeBose wasn’t lying!! Angela Bassett did do the thing,” a fourth person said alongside a photo of Basset’s 1982 film “The Thing.”
DeBose later liked and commented on an Instagram post from writer Evan Ross Katz that compiled several memes.
“Honestly I love this,” commented “The Prom” star.
BAFTA showrunner Nick Bullen, however, slammed people who were making fun of the performance.
“The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music,” Bullen said to Variety. “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.”
Bullen said that many of the people who slammed the performance “don’t like change.”
“There’s a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging,” Bullen explained. “American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz and perhaps a broader range of people being involved.”