Oscars 2025: Ben Stiller distracted by Knicks victory despite presenting awards

‘Zoolander’ star is known for being a die-hard New York Knicks fan

Ben Stiller may have been at the 2025 Oscars, but that didn’t stop him from keeping a close eye on his beloved New York Knicks.

The 59-year-old New York native and die-hard Knicks fan was at the Sunday ceremony — which happened to coincide with the Knicks vs. Miami Heat game — to present the award for Best Production Design.

It was shortly after he presented the category that the Knicks bested their opponents 116-114 in overtime.

“KNICKS WIN,” Stiller wrote on X minutes after the team’s victory.

The Zoolander star’s enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed by fans, who immediately called him out for posting the tweet while at the Oscars.

“Are [you] not at the Oscars sir,” one fan commented, with a second playfully telling him to “pay attention to the awards.”

Ben Stiller cheered on the Knicks from the Dolby Theater in LA during the 2025 Oscars (Getty Images)

“Aren't you busy?” a third questioned, with a fourth praising him for “casually multitasking at the oscars.”

“You are so real for this,” another said, while someone else called him “a true Knick fanatic” for “presenting at the Oscars yet still keeping an eye on the game.”

“Tweeting abt the Knicks from the Oscars is hilarious,” another added.

Stiller later returned his attention to the ceremony, going on to celebrate Sean Baker’s four wins for his sex worker rom-com Anora.

“Congrats Sean Baker your movie is so good and your speech: [raised hands emojis],” the Severance director and executive producer tweeted.

Baker won a total of four awards for his film, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay. He became the first person ever to win four Oscars in one night for the same movie. The movie’s lead, 25-year-old Mikey Madison, also won Best Actress for her portrayal of Ani.

Madison’s triumph was one of the more surprising wins of the night, as Demi Moore had been projected to take the category for her career-best performance in the body horror The Substance.

Other notable wins from the night included the affecting Israeli-Palestinian movie No Other Land for Best Documentary, The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody for Best Actor, A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor, and Emilia Pérez’s Zoe Saldaña for Best Supporting Actress.

You can find the full list of winners here.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by Conan O’Brien, who opened the show with a silly monologue featuring a dig at controversial Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón and a Dune sandworm playing the piano.

“Hire Conan O’Brien again next year,” The Independent’s Adam White declared. “Who else would be able to celebrate LA’s firefighters, mock Donald Trump and introduce a piano solo by the sandworm in Dune all within the space of 15 minutes?”