Before presenting the Oscars for documentary short and live-action short, Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph drew laughs sending up the academy’s progress in with representation of minorities, both among presenters and nominees.
Haddish and Rudolph assured the audience that if anybody was uncomfortable with the number of minorities on the awards show, there were plenty of Caucasians waiting backstage, both to appear on camera and work behind the scenes.
Their comedy was a hit on social media. Some eagled-eyed viewers also spotted that Haddish was wearing the same dress she wore to promote “Girls Trip” and to host “Saturday Night Live.”
And others decided they had spotted something else: future Oscar hosts.
Here’s what the two presenters said:
TIFFANY HADDISH: We are so happy to be here but our feet hurt.
MAYA RUDOLPH: Yeah. I had to take my shoes off.
HADDISH: Girl, me too. I’ve been wearing these shoes since 11 o’clock this morning. How long you been wearing your shoes?
RUDOLPH: Since the Critics’ Choice Awards.
HADDISH: Well, I got blisters bubbling up on the bottom of my foot.
RUDOLPH: Girl, my pinkie toe fell off.
HADDISH: Oh.
RUDOLPH: We are so happy to be here, but a little nervous too, because a few years ago, people were saying that Oscars were so white. And since then, some real progress has been made.
HADDISH: But when we came out together, we know some of you were thinking, “Are the Oscars too black now?”
RUDOLPH: But we just want to say, don’t worry. There are so many more white people to come tonight.
HADDISH: So many. We just came from backstage, and there are tons of them back there.
RUDOLPH: Tons of them.
HADDISH: And not just movie stars, there are white people walking around with headsets, white people with clipboards.
RUDOLPH: Oh yeah.
HADDISH: Now, I’m personally not a fan of white people with clipboards, because I’m always wondering, what are they writing down about me?
RUDOLPH: Oh yeah. When they’re like, “I’m sorry, you’re not on the list.” And they didn’t check all the pages. And I’m like, “Hey white dude with the clipboard, check all the pages.”
HADDISH: Oh, oh, and what about when they’re on the headset and you’re like, “Who are they talking to?” Hold on one second. One moment.
RUDOLPH: Are you talking to me? Oh, you’re not talking to me. Oh, you want me to wait. I’m sorry?
HADDISH: OK, Kim. OK, Kim.
RUDOLPH:Who is Kim?
HADDISH: I don’t know, but it feels like I’m in a department store.
RUDOLPH: Guys. Guys. Enough about our personal issues. We are presenting two awards tonight, documentary short subject and live action short film. Here are the nominees for best documentary short subject.
[NOMINEES ANNOUNCED]
HADDISH:Hi, Meryl! I want you to be my mama one day.
RUDOLPH: One day. Just one day.
HADDISH:Let’s get this money, girl.
[BEFORE ANNOUNCING LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM]
HADDISH:Yup. We’re back.
RUDOLPH: Tiffany, can I just say, when you peed off a zip line in “Girls Trip,” it was brilliant.
HADDISH: Oh my God, Maya, when you took a dookie in the street in “Bridesmaids,” it changed my life. It was inspiring.
RUDOLPH: Thank you. Thank you and look where we are now.
HADDISH: Yeah. it was all worth it!
RUDOLPH: It was worth it.
[HADDISH STARTS DANCING]
RUDOLPH: There she is.
