Da'Vine Joy Randolph Breaks Down While Accepting Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: 'Thank You for Seeing Me'

During the 2024 Academy Awards on Sunday night, the actress took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the comedy-drama film The Holdovers.

Randolph, 37, was presented the award by Jamie Lee Curtis, Regina King, Rita Moreno, Lupita N'yongo and Mary Steenburgen, and quickly got emotional when her praises were being sung by Nyong'o onstage ahead of her big win.

"I didn't think I was supposed to being doing this as a career. I started off as a singer, and my mother said to me, 'Go across that street to that theatre department, there's something for you there. And I thank my mother for doing that," Randolph said through tears. "I thank you to all the people who have stepped in my path and has been there for me, who has ushered me and guided me."

"For so long, I've always wanted to be different, and now I realize, I just need to be myself," she added. "I thank you for seeing me."

The Only Murders in the Building actress also took a special moment to thank her publicist, before noting that it was taboo to do so.

"I have to give a special shoutout to my publicist," Randolph said. "I know y'all said don't said nothing about no publicist, but you don't have a publicist like I have a publicist. You have been by my side for the entire thing, and I am forever grateful."

Host Jimmy Kimmel also called out the tongue-in-cheek moment, praising Randolph's speech and her shoutout to her publicist.

"Beautiful speech. You know, you forgot to mention your publicist's name. I think your publicist needs a publicist," he quipped, before Randolph mouthed out the name of her PR rep. He also made mention of the method acting Randolph underwent to prepare for the film.

"Great story about Da'Vine. Da'Vine had to learn how to smoke for her role in The Holdovers. Director Alexander Payne sent her boxes of fake cigarettes so she could practice, but she didn't think fake ones looked right, so she started smoking real cigarettes and now she has an Osar."

"See kids, sometimes smoking his fine," he quipped.

Randolph -- who starred as a grieving mother and cook, Mary Lamb, in The Hangovers -- won the award over fellow nominees Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), America Ferrera (Barbie), and Jodie Foster (Nyad).

Randolph has swept the 2024 awards season. In addition to the Oscar, she also won the Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress.

The 96th Academy Awards -- hosted by Kimmel -- were broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on March 10 on ABC. To see the complete list of winners, click here.