Every year, it’s almost as if there’s guaranteed to be a bit of drama at the Oscars. In recent years, there was the 2015 #OscarsSoWhite movement. In 2022, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage (and earned a 10-year Oscar ban for it!). This year, the drama started well before the ceremony even kicked off, with Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón facing backlash over past racist tweets.
Even Filipinos haven’t been able to escape the Oscars’ spotlight when it comes to a bit of teasing and pot-stirring. In 1986, during the 58th Academy Awards, hosts Jane Fonda and Alan Alda enlisted co-host Robin Williams to act as their “interpreter” for the ceremony’s millions of global viewers. Williams does a more-or-less decent job of translating basic greetings in different languages, speaking in Mandarin, Hindi, and French. But when Fonda has Williams greet the Philippines, he… sells shoes?
With an accent that’s not Filipino at all (but A for effort, Robin), the comedian morphs into a shoe hawker. “Come on down, some of these have never been worn!” Williams says to an entire auditorium of A-list celebrities. “You get two pairs of shoes, one black bra free!” In the 2025 Academy Awards, host Conan O’Brien made a similar joke, albeit less cringe-inducing.
Was the shoe reference about Imelda Marcos or something else? Either way, Williams’ bit was a throw-away joke that was never brought up again. Perhaps one silver lining to come out of this Filipino shout-out was Fonda making the Laban sign, perhaps in solidarity with then-recently concluded People Power Revolution.
Whether it’s controversy, humor, or unexpected drama, the Oscars have a way of making even the smallest moments unforgettable. With this year’s Academy Awards well under away, who knows what new moments will join the ranks of Oscars history.
