The Honorary Oscar Dance Party

This year’s Governors Awards celebrated the careers and contributions of Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen, Wynn Thomas, and Tom Cruise who are now honorary Oscar winners. 

It was confirmed well in advance that Dolly would not make it so here’s the Governors class photo of 2025: 

Wynn’s award was presented by Octavia Spencer. Cynthia Erivo presented to Debbie Allen who arrived, as expected, with her sister Phylicia Rashad. Their public togetherness, which has played out now over 40 years, is so comforting! 

@gma

Phylicia Rashad supports her sister Debbie Allen at the #GovernorsAwards @The Oscars

♬ original sound - Good Morning America

And it was Alejandro González Iñárritu who did the honours for Tom Cruise, the longest of all the introductory speeches, although it was pretty entertaining, hearing Alejandro describe what Tom is like – the eye contact, LOL – and super intense but also… “sunshine”. 

Turns out they’ve known each other a long time and not just on the recent project that they filmed together due out next year. So this appearance, by both of them, is like an appetiser, because Tom Cruise starring in an Alejandro González Iñárritu will have Oscar ambitions, you can count on it. And a year from now they might be working the campaign circuit together. 

Alejandro also reminded people of what we learned when Tom went to Korea a few months ago and took a recommendation from Jin: Tom Cruise can handle some heat! According to Alejandro, Tom Cruise eats more chilis than “any Mexican alive”. 

So when is Tom Cruise going to be on Hot Ones?! 

Can I be honest now though? All of this was just an excuse to get to what I really wanted to post… which is a video from the after-party of all three honorary Oscar winners. It’s Tom Cruise dancing with DEBBIE ALLEN, a legend of dance. 

How long has it been since we’ve seen Tom getting down, LOL. Is it cringe? Yes, of course. But is he winning points here? Also yes. Because he’s participating, because he’s just out there having a time. Look at the comments underneath this post – they’re almost all positive, nobody is clowning on him. And, as controversial as he has been, this is the quality that’s made him so enduring: Tom Cruise has always tried. He’s not outside with the too cool crew smoking cigarettes and posturing. Instead he’s inside with his dad moves just trying to be part of something. It’s irresistibly endearing.