Adrien Brody left audiences in disbelief last night when he dramatically removed a piece of chewing gum from his mouth and handed it to his partner, Georgina Chapman, just before stepping up to deliver his acceptance speech for Best Actor.

This peculiar exchange sparked divide as Brody was branded “disrespectful” to his partner. In response to the unexpected moment, body language expert Inbaal Honigman, working with Covers.com, has stepped forward to share insights into what this intriguing behavior might reveal about the dynamics between the couple.

“Brody appears outwardly unfazed – it’s hard to look nervous while chewing gum. But a closer look reveals his true feelings. He holds a loose fist in front of his body, a protective gesture, revealing a hint of vulnerability. None of the other nominees display similar body language. Once his name is called, Brody instinctively raises his hands to his face, covering his eyes. This brief moment of privacy allows him to process the magnitude of the win before stepping into the spotlight.

“Instead of immediately heading to the stage, he takes his time, embracing his loved ones, even dancing briefly with Georgina Chapman. As they hug, she digs her fingers into his back, a silent but strong gesture of support and solidarity. Overcome with gratitude, he doesn’t rush toward his statuette. He pauses to make “prayer hands” to the audience, a gesture of deep appreciation, and blows air kisses before beginning his ascent to the stage.

“But then, an unexpected moment, he abruptly turns back. Realising he still has gum, he pulls it out inelegantly. Georgina immediately recognises his distress and steps in to help, catching the gum as he tosses it toward her. Love or hate the gum moment, it reveals the depth of their connection, he instinctively knew who to turn to, and she anticipated his need before he even voiced it.”

Adrien has won his second Oscar for best actor, for his role in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. He beat out Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) for the statuette.

Walking on stage to accept the trophy, Brody spit his chewing gum into his hand and threw it to his partner, Georgina Chapman. Toward the end of his lengthy and passionate speech, the Academy began to play Brody off with music.

“I’m wrapping up, please turn the music off,” Brody said. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief.”

Fans rushed to social media to hit out at the actor for being “rude”, as one said: “Adrien Brody is so rude and entitled to think he deserves more time on stage than others #Oscars,” one wrote, whilst another added: “Adrien Brody said ‘I’ll be brief’ but then gave us a whole director’s cut of a speech. Legend energy.” Another shared: “please god never make me sit through a Adrien Brody award speech again! #Oscars.”

In 2003, Brody became the youngest person to win the Oscar for best actor at age 29, for his lead role in The Pianist. Had Chalamet won this year, he would have beaten Brody’s record by eight months.

Brody joins a short list of actors who have won the Academy Award for best actor twice: Spencer Tracy, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Cooper, Tom Hanks, Fredric March, Sean Penn and Anthony Hopkins. (Daniel Day-Lewis is the only person to win best actor three times.)