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We all know that A Star Is Born co-stars Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have chemistry, but at the 2019 Oscars on Sunday, their intimate performance of “Shallow” — the movie’s hit duet, which picked up an Academy Award for Best Original Song — was more than any of us were expecting.
The song started with a mesmerizing cold open after Cooper and Gaga walked up to the stage from the audience (because by now, “Shallow” needs no introduction), and ended with the pair staring soulfully at each other.
In the middle of our previously scheduled Oscar night to-dos — a host-free show for the first time in 30 years, a disappointing Best Picture win, several milestones reached, and red-carpet fashion — not even the fierce fandom for A Star Is Born was prepared for Gaga and Cooper to drape themselves lovingly across a piano bench and gaze into one another’s eyes. It might be the closest the Oscars have ever gotten to “horny on main.”
The social media reaction was swift.
Pizza is the only thing I’ve ever looked at with this much passion. #oscars pic.twitter.com/NXuhrfQurL
— Jezza M (@JezzaMxwll) February 25, 2019
And the Oscar for “Best Intercourse, Sung” goes to pic.twitter.com/5QTK4Bd3Qx
— Ben Boskovich (@benbosk) February 25, 2019
Speculation ran rampant among onlookers that the pair’s onscreen chemistry might be an offstage thing as well.
The Oscar for convincing me they’re having a real life affair goes too.... #oscars pic.twitter.com/Rr2dzJv70f
— Ashley Clements (@TheAshleyClem) February 25, 2019
break up with your girlfriend, I'm bored #Oscars pic.twitter.com/MczMXT3Mp2
— everythingisgreat (@Ftima28259832) February 25, 2019
One observant viewer even snuck in a comparison to beloved Canadian ice dancers Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, the not-actually-a-couple who were the subject of similar shipping during the 2018 Winter Olympics.
"Gaga and Bradley are the Virtue and Moir of this year" -a real thing i just thought to myself, i'm so sorry pic.twitter.com/KKE3E0dUGw
— Kate Halliwell (@katehalliwell) February 25, 2019
But eventually, everyone caught their collective breaths. And then came the memes.
— Travis Helwig (@travishelwig) February 25, 2019
— Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) February 25, 2019
when your Postmate doesn't make you come downstairs to pick it up pic.twitter.com/1zs4Ep63FN
— Sam Lansky (@samlansky) February 25, 2019
— Rebekah Entralgo Fernández (@rebekahentralgo) February 25, 2019
— Lauren Katz (@Laur_Katz) February 25, 2019
— Steadman™ (@AsteadWesley) February 25, 2019
this meme format is unparalleled #oscars pic.twitter.com/BnQLkL2YgI
— Alex Thomas (@AlexThomasDC) February 25, 2019
It’s a fitting end to A Star Is Born’s moment of cultural dominance that it should finish off its awards season run by creating a social media flurry. From the moment the first trailer dropped in June, A Star Is Born was one of the buzziest films of 2018; it drew a huge fandom and generated plenty of memes well before it hit theaters in October.
And it’s easy to see why: Despite the movie’s ultimately mixed critical reception, A Star Is Born completely revolved around the chemistry between its two stars. And on Oscar night, they reminded us all once again just how palpable and vibrant that chemistry was.