Sometimes, you just know, and that can certainty give you a little peace.
That was the experience actress Demi Moore had tat the 2025 Oscars ceremony when she "knew" that Mikey Madison was going to walk away with the award for Best Actress.
While conducting an interview with Time, Moore explained that when the nominees for Best Actress were displayed, she knew between herself, Cynthia Erivo, Fernanda Torres, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Mikey Madison that Madison was going to win, hands down.
Instead of feeling jealous or hurt, Moore was at peace with it.
"I leaned over and whispered to my manager, 'I think it's going to Mikey.'"
"I don't know why I knew, but I did. I was so centered and calm. I didn't feel gutted."
Seeing the winners of the Oscars ceremony, some fans joked online about the possibility of Demi Moore embracing her character's story arc a little too much.
Moore was the leading actress in The Substance, which follows a middle-aged woman who has lost relevance in her industry. It's only when she uses an illegal and dangerous drug that a younger version of herself is able to make strides in the industry again, before going terribly and brutally off the rails.
Unlike her character, Moore held no hard feelings toward Madison or even the act of losing itself.
"The physical, human part that has ego, of course, has disappointment. It certainly would have been wonderful to have won."
"To go from the beginning of this last year feeling like I was never part of the conversation, to being acknowledged in a critical way for my work, has just allowed me to open up my belief in greater possibilities."
"I just trusted, and am in trust of whatever is going to unfold."
Fans applauded Demi Moore for maintaining such a positive attitude.
didn’t win the Oscar, but won the moment with this energy
— Sven (@svenwontmiss) April 16, 2025
All class, all the time
— Austin Butler's Unofficial Publicist (@ABUnofficial100) April 16, 2025
She better then me cuz i thought she was gonna win because of the way the academy doesn’t award young actresses in their 20s.
— Ocean (@414_777) April 16, 2025
God, I still feel so badly for Demi. Mikey is amazing in Anora, no question, but Demi really met and owned the moment, so it was heartbreaking to see her go home empty-handed on what probably was a now-or-never opportunity.
— The Brutalish (@mbrinkerhoff) April 16, 2025
she was calm I was crashing out.
— Maxine (@maxine_221) April 16, 2025
A true queen!
— Polignac36 (@polignac36) April 16, 2025
A few were more critical and thought the prediction could be made from a mile away.
Easy prediction cause Oscar against awarding acting in horror, sci-fi, action, or any genre other than drama, and Mikey is young upcoming talented actress, of course she's gonna win.
— 🎃🍉🍩 (@ghypxe) April 16, 2025
The truth is: no one in the academy cared about the Substance, it didn't win anything but make-up. Anora won basically everything and you couldn't let the actress who carried the whole movie leave empty handed
— Yanca ᶠᶠᶜ (@Yancamirella1) April 16, 2025
Mikey has been sweeping the critics group eversince, and Demi wasn’t even close. Demi swept the televised award shows coz they make good tv and headlines. They played her and she believed her own hype.
— DEAN (@deandraker) April 16, 2025
That was her season. We all know it
— The Easter Beagle (@shanefrom54) April 17, 2025
Yeah, Mikey gained steam when she won the BAFTA. She won the majority of the critics awards as well. So her winning the Oscar was well deserved. It’s at least the second or third best performance of 2024.
— House of Fire and Blood (@HouseofFireand2) April 16, 2025
Plenty of people predicted Mikey would win it. You aren't that special in this case
— Will Joy (@willjoy13) April 17, 2025
It's natural to feel excited about being nominated for an award—and to hold out hope for a win. It's also natural to feel disappointed when that doesn't happen.
But we can take a page from Demi Moore's playbook and remember to practice gratitude and grace.
