In the wee hours of Monday morning, accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCooper — which counts votes and provides winners envelopes for the Oscars — apologized for the mix-up up that led to Warren Beatty mistakenly announcing La La Land as the 89th annual Academy Awards’ Best Picture winner.
The firm extended its “sincere” apologies to Beatty, Faye Dunaway, La La Land and Moonlight — which actually won the award. “The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected,” ran the statement, according to the BBC. ” We are currently investigating how this could and have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.”
By then, the Best Picture blunder had already become the subject of online conspiracy theories, and a meme-worthy template for reimagining the winners of other contests — like the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
PwC’s apology was met with predictable derision on Twitter. “@PwC You had one job” wrote one user; another wrote: “Next time hire an audit firm to make sure everything works right.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Joseph Hincks at joseph.hincks@time.com