The Oscars ceremony isn’t known for being the most exciting or hilarious of awards presentations. However, Conan O’Brien brought life to the 97th Academy Awards with his lighthearted, clever hosting duties. With the help of presenters like Ben Stiller, the comedian entertained viewers for three hours and 45 minutes. Many praised the 2025 Oscars for its humor, especially regarding Stiller, who later explained what happened behind the scenes.

Stiller is currently celebrating the well-received release of Severance season 2 on Apple TV+. Perhaps that’s why he was chosen to present at the 2025 Oscars. The Zoolander actor admittedly hasn’t starred in many movies lately. But he did take to the Dolby Theatre stage to present the nominees for Best Production Design. Stiller pretended to undergo a major stage mishap as he was only partially raised to the main floor from beneath. The elevator device lifting him seemingly malfunctioned, leaving only part of Stiller visible.

Staring out at the audience from the waist up, Stiller was stonefaced as he explained the importance of production design. He stated flatly, “It is a field where the slightest miscalculation can lose the trust of the audience and humiliate the performers onscreen.” Eventually, the elevator kicked into gear and got him nearly level with the stage. Stiller climbed the rest of the way and presented the Oscar to Wicked‘s Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales.

Ben Stiller visited Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night to break down what really happened during his bit. The Dodgeball actor called it a “lonely feeling” being in the elevator. “I’m down in this pit, and I felt like [I’m] in Gladiator or something,” he told Jimmy Kimmel. “Like I’m the lion that they’re waiting to take up. And then you look up, and the stagehands are just looking at you, like, ‘Wow. Boy, this guy is gonna do this,” he laughed.

Kimmel expanded on Stiller’s experience. “No one realizes that there’s a lot of machinery and stuff down there, right?” the TV host asked. “Yeah,” Stiller agreed. “The first rehearsal, I tried to get out … And it took me literally like two minutes of trying to crawl out. The 59-year-old told himself, “You have to do this,” as he failed to leverage himself onto the stage. “I just got so in my head, like I had to prove it to myself,” he laughed. “And they started to worry that I was okay.”

Kimmel noted that doing this stunt in a tuxedo didn’t help. “Yeah, I made sure that I wore these like really long black compression socks, so I didn’t JD Vance it,” Stiller laughed. The filmmaker referenced Vice President Vance’s proclivity for wearing too-high pants and too-low socks, causing an awkward gap when he sits. Viewers on Reddit praised Stiller for his efforts. One commented, “Yes he is such a joy to watch!” Another wrote, “He’s been my comedy hero since I was a kid. I’m glad he’s still got it.”

Stiller went viral during the 2025 Oscars for another reason, too. A diehard Knicks fan, he kept an eye on the score as New York played the Heat in Miami. Thirty minutes after presenting, Stiller posted on X, “KNICKS WIN,” from the audience where he sat with wife Christine Taylor. Later, on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he clarified that he was not watching the game live from the Academy Awards. He was simply checking the score on his phone. The Knicks won in overtime, 116-112.