--- description: People online lost it after the 2017 Oscars ended in a shocking twist title: The Internet Lost It Over the Oscars Best Picture Mix-Up image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd63aadc009801fc3/6988bc190b72e3a7036ecc60/moonlight-lalaland-fb1.jpg?branch=production ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [awards](/tag/awards/) ## awards Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Internet Lost It Over the Oscars Best Picture Mix-Up by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Feb 27, 2017 6:18 AM CUT  Jordan Horowitz of La La Land talks with award presenter Warren Beatty and show host Jimmy Kimmel after discovering that Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture instead of La La Land. Jordan Horowitz of La La Land talks with award presenter Warren Beatty and show host Jimmy Kimmel after discovering that Moonlight won the Oscar for Best Picture instead of La La Land.Lucy Nicholson—Reuters by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Feb 27, 2017 6:18 AM CUT The Internet had a field day after the 2017 Oscars ended in a shocking twist—[_Moonlight_ won Best Picture](http://time.com/4683500/oscars-2017-wrong-best-picture-announced/ "undefined"), but only after the award was mistakenly given to _La La Land._ _La La Land_ was [expected to win](http://time.com/4674774/oscars-2017-predictions/ "undefined") the award, so the accidental announcement that it had won disappointed but did not shock those viewers who considered _Moonlight_—a deep, vivid coming-of-age story—the more deserving film. Although initial tweets about _La La Land_‘s win expressed anger, things changed when it was confirmed that _Moonlight_ had [actually won](http://time.com/4683501/oscars-2017-best-picture-warren-beatty/ "undefined"). Everyone at first was incredibly confused. > [](https://twitter.com/NoahWilsonLive/status/836082516163383296) > [](https://twitter.com/fortunefunny/status/836082255588175872) > [](https://twitter.com/jes%5Fchastain/status/836085319401365505) > [](https://twitter.com/intothecrevasse/status/836082526913507329) Then confusion turned to joy as people realized the mix-up was not a joke. > [](https://twitter.com/davidlsims/status/836085064006053889) > [](https://twitter.com/ConstanceWu/status/836087359917580288) > [](https://twitter.com/bimadew/status/836087144565309440) > [](https://twitter.com/jazzedloon/status/836087473532981248) Then began the political comparisons, as people said they wished the 2016 elections could have turned out like the Oscars. > [](https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/836082157172969473) > [](https://twitter.com/zachbaron/status/836081481592156160) > [](https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/836083420790992896) > [](https://twitter.com/annetdonahue/status/836082465185935360) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4683502/oscars-2017-best-picture-moonlight-la-la-land-mix-up/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4683502/oscars-2017-best-picture-moonlight-la-la-land-mix-up/"},"headline":"The Internet Lost It Over the Oscars Best Picture Mix-Up","datePublished":"2017-02-27T06:18:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:32:11.015Z","description":"Moonlight won Best Picture, although La La Land was announced","url":"https://time.com/4683502/oscars-2017-best-picture-moonlight-la-la-land-mix-up/","keywords":["awards","onetime","Oscars 2017"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd63aadc009801fc3/6988bc190b72e3a7036ecc60/moonlight-lalaland-fb1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd63aadc009801fc3/6988bc190b72e3a7036ecc60/moonlight-lalaland-fb1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"89th Academy Awards - Oscars Awards Show","caption":"89th Academy Awards - Oscars Awards Show","creditText":"Lucy Nicholson—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/awards/","name":"awards"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4683502/oscars-2017-best-picture-moonlight-la-la-land-mix-up/","name":"The Internet Lost It Over the Oscars Best Picture Mix-Up"}}]}] ```