Oscars producer reacts to backlash for cutting off acceptance speech

Rob Mills, the producer behind the March 15 award ceremony, has addressed the backlash over not allowing the winners of the Best Original Song to complete their speech before being led off the stage.

The incident which stirred controversy was addressed by Mills during his interview with Variety on Monday. He explained that they will look into how to handle speeches in the coming ceremonies, adding that they expected only one person to speak.

“One thing, as we post mortem for next year, will be to look at how we’re handling speeches. I don’t know what the most elegant solution is, but it’s obviously something we should look really, really long and hard at. Do we need to look at it and say, OK, designate one person to speak. Maybe you continue it backstage, and we have a feed on social or something like that,” he said.

Mills stressed that the Oscars will find an elegant solution to the problem, adding that they want all winners to enjoy their time in the spotlight as much as possible.