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Summary

Tems Gave Zero F*cks As The Woman In The White Dress At The 2023 Oscars & It's So 'Rude'

"I genuinely feel terrible for the person sitting behind."

Jimmy Kimmel speaks to Malala Yousafzai at the 2023 Oscars. Right: A woman in a giant dress at the Oscars.

Jimmy Kimmel speaks to Malala Yousafzai at the 2023 Oscars. Right: A woman in a giant dress at the Oscars.

ABC
Interim Deputy Editor (News)

Oscar watchers had plenty of questions about one woman in the crowd at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday, after she showed up in an enormous white dress with a veil that dominated her section of the audience.

Who is that woman? Who does that woman think she is? And WTF is she doing with a giant outfit in a theatre?*

The woman's name is Tems, and the 27-year-old was nominated along with Rihanna for Best Original Song for "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Tems and her giant dress showed up throughout the broadcast, but she really had her moment when host Jimmy Kimmel went into the crowd to talk to Colin Farrell and Malala Yousafzai.

"You wouldn't want to sit behind the woman in the white dress," observed one Twitter user.

"I genuinely feel terrible for the person sitting behind the woman in the white dress," wrote another.

"I'd be PISSED," wrote another.

"I can't stop laughing," one user tweeted.

"Pretty inconsiderate of the people seated behind you, miss lady with the big white dress," said someone else.

You had to feel bad for whoever sat behind her.

However, you also have to admire the confidence to block a celebrity or two at the Oscars.

Kimmel didn't address Tems or her giant dress, although she definitely didn't get past the internet.

Why was Tems at the Oscars?

Tems was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2023 Oscars for her work on Lift Me Up, the song performed by Rihanna from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

The movie's director, Ryan Coogler, and composer Ludwig Goransson were also nominated for the song.

Tems and Coogler collaborated to write the lyrics.

They ultimately missed out on the trophy, which went to the song "Naatu Naatu" from RRR.

Although the dress clearly caused a stir in the audience at the Oscars, it does look like the sort of thing that someone would wear onto the red carpet.

*This story has been updated to reflect that the artist's name is Tems.

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  • Interim Deputy Editor, News

    Josh Elliott (he/him) was the Interim Deputy Editor (News) for Narcity, where he led the talented editorial team's local news content. Josh previously led Narcity’s international coverage and he spent several years as a writer for CTV and Global News in the past. He earned his English degree from York University and his MA in journalism from Western University. Superhero content is his kryptonite.

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