Busy Philipps Recalls Oscars Best Picture Mix-Up: 'I Told Ben Affleck to Do Something!'

Published: May 21, 2025

Busy Philipps is still shaken by the infamous 2017 Oscars Best Picture mix-up, and she expected Ben Affleck to save the day - literally. In a recent conversation with Michelle Williams on QVC+ HSN+, the Girls5eva actress recalled the chaotic scene at the Dolby Theater.

Philipps, 45, remembered the awkward moment when Warren Beatty mistakenly announced La La Land as the Best Picture winner instead of Moonlight. She was seated in the front row alongside Williams, 44, and Affleck, 52. "It's just hours and hours, and you've barely had anything to drink, and you have nothing to eat. You're just out of it. You're there, just witnessing it, the chaos," Philipps described.

When the mistake happened, Philipps turned to Affleck and told him to "do something!" because, in her words, "was Batman." She expected the actor to know what to do and save the day. Williams laughed as Philipps recounted the story, shaking her head in agreement.

The White Chicks alum also recalled that Matt Damon was seated nearby at the time. "I don't know Ben Affleck - I just was like, 'He's Batman, he's a movie star, he can go onstage and handle it!'" she said.

During the mix-up, Philipps explained that a stage manager or someone who worked at the Oscars crouched in front of Casey Affleck (Ben's brother) and started whispering urgently into his microphone, saying, 'It's a mistake! Moonlight is supposed to be Best Picture. It's a mistake! It's a mistake! Moonlight is Best Picture!'"

The Moonlight cast eventually took the stage to accept the award, and Philipps remembered the iconic photo of herself, Williams, and Affleck sitting in the audience, looking confused and shocked. Busy Philipps and Ben Affleck at the 2017 Oscars

In a 2017 Instagram Story, Philipps explained the chaos that ensued during the mix-up. She said, "La La Land got up there, all of a sudden this stage manager or somebody who worked there with a microphone crouched in front of Casey [Affleck] and started whispering urgently into his microphone really urgently and saying, 'It's a mistake! Moonlight is supposed to be Best Picture. It's a mistake! It's a mistake! Moonlight is Best Picture!'"]

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