Storm Reid's appearance at the Oscars was part of the Academy's attempt to attract and hold the interest of a younger audience

Dear Gossips,

Something we didn’t really get a chance to say during our Oscars coverage yesterday – it’s been a consistent trend all season on the carpet: red. So much red.

My colleague, Liz Trinnear, was on point. Actually on point on several trends because Liz had the sheer gloves and her dress was off-the-shoulder. There was a lot of shoulder action on Sunday night.

No shoulders, though, for Storm Reid in red. She was the first red look I saw (other than Liz) during Oscar arrivals and it’s a winner. Custom Alexander Vauthier and, of course, the main event here is the cape. It was perfect on her, and perfect for her debut – because this was her first time there, just like so many of the next-gen Oscar rookies the Academy invited to the show. I mentioned this yesterday in my post about Timothée Chalamet, but this is their attempt to attract and hold the interest of a younger audience, so that they might remain relevant as they approach their second century.

The Hollywood Reporter reported on early Oscar ratings – down slightly from 2024 in overall viewership but this is one of the key markers that they for sure are looking at:

“…gains among adults 18-49 and adults18-34, hitting a post-pandemic high in the latter demographic. The show posted a 3.92 rating (equivalent to about 5.25 million people) among adults 18-49, up from 3.82 a year ago and scoring the second best mark since 2020 (the 2023 ceremony had a 4.03 rating).

Among adults 18-34, the Oscars’ 3.17 rating (equivalent to 2.27 million viewers in that age range) was the highest for the show since 2020.”

That’s the sweet spot right now as they look to extend their legacy: adults 18-34 are looking to see the people they care about at the Oscars. And the Oscars tried to deliver. Storm Reid was one of the young stars who would have been part of that plan.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey