BAFTAs Producer Defends Ariana DeBose From Viral Hate for Her Show-Opening Rap

Ariana DeBose went viral for all the wrong reasons when she opened the 2023 BAFTAs with a rap

The 32-year-old West Side Story star was supported by a crew of dancers while she rapped about some of the stars in the audience for the awards show.

She also performed “Sisters are Doing It for Themselves” and “We Are Family.” However, the clip was met with mixed to negative reactions on line.

A BAFTAs producer is now defending her from the hate that has been piling on in the aftermath of the viral moment.

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Producer Nick Bullen told Variety that the response to her performance was “totally unfair.”

He added that Ariana “put the whole piece together” and worked hard with a team to pay tribute to the celebs in the audience.

“We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun, and also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that,” Nick told the outlet.

He continued, noting that “I think a lot of people don’t like change, and there’s a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging. But American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz, and perhaps a broader range of people being involved. We felt we’re not about revolution, we’re about evolution.”

“Everybody I’ve spoken to who was in the room absolutely loved it,” Nick added. “That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that. And here is a woman of color who is at the absolute top of her game. And she’s opening the BAFTAs with a song that said so much on so many levels.”

Ariana also had a big year at the BAFTAs in 2022.

Revisit Ariana DeBose’s viral 2022 BAFTAs performance below…