Teyana Taylor’s triumphant Oscar night took an unexpected turn moments after the broadcast ended. The Best Supporting Actress nominee confronted a security guard, she says “literally shoved” her while she attempted to join her One Battle After Another castmates on stage for a post-show photo. The Teyana Taylor Oscars security incident quickly went viral, drawing responses from the Academy and the security firm involved.
Video circulating on social media shows Taylor visibly upset in a crowded area of the Dolby Theatre. “You’re a man putting your hands on a female,” she tells the guard. “You’re very rude. You’re very rude. You’re very rude”. A companion attempts to calm her, but Taylor continues: “He literally shoved me. … Do not touch me, do not shove me”.
Sources confirm the incident occurred seconds after the 98th Academy Awards concluded. Taylor was making her way to join the One Battle After Another cast and creative team for a group photo celebrating the film’s six Oscar wins, including Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.
Warner Bros. co-head Pamela Abdy accompanied Taylor when a security guard allegedly blocked their path to the stairs leading to the stage. According to witnesses, the guard used his body to stop them and placed a hand on Taylor while physically preventing her from moving past him. The situation escalated when the guard later asked Taylor to apologize for her response.
Despite the confrontation, Taylor struck a measured tone when addressing the incident afterward. “It’s all good,” she said. “Everybody’s having a good time and security was just doing a lot. There’s always that one, but I’m fine. I’m happy”.
She added: “The first thing people do is definitely make assumptions, but at the end of the day, I just don’t tolerate disrespect, especially when it’s unwarranted and unprovoked”.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement Monday condemning the incident. “We were extremely upset to learn about the experience endured by Teyana Taylor at the end of the Oscars ceremony last night,” the organization said.
The statement continued: “We have worked with Teyana over the last several months during awards season, and she has been nothing short of remarkable, supportive, kind, and all about community. Though the incident was with our outside security firm SIS, the experience of every single guest is our responsibility. We have made it clear to them that this behavior is not acceptable”.
Security Industry Specialists, Inc. (SIS) released its own statement confirming “a brief interaction involving Ms. Taylor and a member of our security team”.
“Our security personnel were working to manage a crowded area and ensure the safety of all guests. During that interaction, there was incidental contact and we regret that the situation escalated. This is not the standard of professionalism we expect from our team, and we have addressed the matter internally to help ensure situations like this do not happen again”.
The Academy concluded by thanking Taylor “for showing remarkable grace” and confirmed they are “taking the appropriate measures to ensure this does not happen again”.
The confrontation punctuated an emotional evening for the 35-year-old actress and singer. Taylor earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in One Battle After Another, though the award ultimately went to Amy Madigan for Weapons.
Earlier in the ceremony, cameras captured Taylor leaping from her seat to give Madigan a standing ovation when her name was announced. Later, when One Battle After Another won Best Picture, Taylor playfully put director Paul Thomas Anderson in a headlock as they walked to the stage, a moment she later explained was an inside joke.
“He already knew the headlock was coming,” Taylor told Variety at the Vanity Fair after-party. “We kind of took it back to Critics Choice and I told him like, ‘Listen, when you get that Best Picture, I’m gonna get you a helmet.’ Because I’m such a sports girl. I’m like, ‘Yeah!'”.
Reports indicate the security guard involved was subsequently relocated from his position inside the theater. The incident sparked widespread discussion online, with fans divided over the confrontation.
For Taylor, the night ultimately ended on a high note. She arrived at the Vanity Fair after-party wearing a slinky Chanel number with an open back, celebrating a historic night for her film and her own remarkable awards season journey.
