Glenn Close’s Iconic “Da Butt” Oscars Moment Was Scripted

Hollywood, a place where everything is fake, even booty dances from living legends. Last night (April 25), Glenn Close stole the Oscars by correctly identifying a Spike Lee deep cut, then dropping down and doing “Da Butt” dance, to our collective joy. But the LA Times has since confirmed that this bit of lovely Hollywood magic? It was all a lie.

The viral moment happened after Zendaya awarded the Oscars for Best Original Song to H.E.R. That’s when Lil Rey Howery descended into the audience to play “name that song.” The category was Oscar-nominated music, and it was a hard one. The United States vs. Billie Holiday star Andra Day correctly noted that Prince’s “Purple Rain” didn’t receive a nomination from the Academy Awards. Next up was Judas and the Black Messiah‘s Daniel Kaluuya, who incorrectly answered a question about “Last Dance.” Close, who was nominated for her work in Hillbilly Elegy, swept in to comfort Kaluuya on his wrong answer, assuring him he was too young to get the reference. That’s when Howery turned his attention to her, trying to stump her with “Da Butt,”  a song from Spike Lee’s 1988 film School Daze. 

But Close was one step ahead of him. Not only did she seem to recognize the song almost immediately; the actor gleefully started to perform the dance.

A regal member of Hollywood royalty using the industry’s biggest moment to celebrate Spike Lee’ legacy by proto-twerking — it’s a moment that seems too excellent to be true. And it was. The entire moment was a scripted bit designed to entertain viewers. On one hand, of course this was the case. As delightful as it is to imagine that Glenn Close has Lee’ entire filmography memorized, we all secretly knew this wasn’t true. But on the other, more important hand: does it really matter?

Last night the Academy Awards gave us a booty-popping dance from one of the greatest actors of our time. This is Glenn freaking Close we’re talking about. The woman secured an Oscar nomination for Fatal Attraction then turned around and did the same thing a year later for Dangerous Liaisons. She a powerhouse who can act circles around most people in her profession. Even though Ms. Close didn’t organically remember “Da Butt,” the fact she was up for this moment and jumped into the dance with such gusto speaks volumes. Thank you, Glenn Close, for a moment of silliness in these dark times.