--- description: The La La Land actor clarified several online conspiracy theories title: Emma Stone: I Was Holding Best Actress Envelope During Mix-Up image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4057da9fdaa200a/6988bc1af887dc6022e993a2/gettyimages-645739128.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [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 # Emma Stone Says She was Holding Best Actress Envelope During the Best Picture Mix-Up by [Joey Nolfi / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Joey Nolfi / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 27, 2017 6:33 AM CUT  Actress Emma Stone in the press room at the 89th annual Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. Actress Emma Stone in the press room at the 89th annual Academy Awards on Feb. 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California.Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images by [Joey Nolfi / Entertainment Weekly](/author/entertainment-weekly/) ## Joey Nolfi / Entertainment Weekly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 27, 2017 6:33 AM CUT Emma Stone, who won best actress in a leading role moments prior to Faye Dunaway [incorrectly announcing _La La Land_](http://ew.com/awards/2017/02/27/oscars-2017-warren-beatty-faye-dunaway/ "undefined") as the 2017 best picture winner at Sunday’s Oscars, has clarified [several online conspiracy theories](https://twitter.com/kellyoxford/status/836086161885974528 "undefined") suggesting Leonardo DiCaprio mistakenly carried the card announcing her victory offstage, where an unsuspecting Warren Beatty supposedly picked it up. “I also was holding my Best Actress in a Leading Role card that entire time, so whatever story… I don’t mean to start stuff, but whatever story that was, I had that card,” she told reporters backstage at the Dolby Theatre. “So, I’m not sure that happened.” After the _La La Land_ producers had already begun their acceptance speeches, show staff rushed the stage with the correct envelope, which contained the name of the actual best picture winner: Barry Jenkins’ _Moonlight_. Following the Oscars ceremony, actor Neil Patrick Harris tweeted a screen shot from the telecast, which appears to show Beatty holding an envelope that reads “Best Actress in a Leading Role” before presenting. > [](https://twitter.com/ActuallyNPH/status/836088914247057412) Though the gaffe is arguably one of the most shocking Oscar moments of all time, Stone expressed her enthusiasm for the film that ultimately trumped _La La Land_. “It was an amazing thing to hear _La La Land_. I think we all would have loved to win Best Picture. But we are SO excited for _Moonlight,_” she said in the Academy press room. “I think it’s one of the best films of all time… But again, God I love _Moonlight_. I’m so excited. So I think it’s an incredible outcome, but a very strange happening for Oscar history.” _Reporting by Marc Snetiker_. _This_ [_article_](http://ew.com/awards/2017/02/27/emma-stone-holding-best-actress-envelope-best-picture-mixup/ "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Ew.com_](http://www.ew.com "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4683566/emma-stone-2017-oscars-best-picture/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4683566/emma-stone-2017-oscars-best-picture/"},"headline":"Emma Stone Says She was Holding Best Actress Envelope During the Best Picture Mix-Up","datePublished":"2017-02-27T06:33:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:32:15.228Z","description":"The La La Land actor clarified several online conspiracy theories","url":"https://time.com/4683566/emma-stone-2017-oscars-best-picture/","keywords":["awards","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4057da9fdaa200a/6988bc1af887dc6022e993a2/gettyimages-645739128.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joey Nolfi / Entertainment Weekly"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4057da9fdaa200a/6988bc1af887dc6022e993a2/gettyimages-645739128.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"89th Annual Academy Awards - Press Room","caption":"89th Annual Academy Awards - Press Room","creditText":"Jason LaVeris—FilmMagic/Getty Images","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/4683566/emma-stone-2017-oscars-best-picture/","name":"Emma Stone Says She was Holding Best Actress Envelope During the Best Picture Mix-Up"}}]}] ```