Ariana DeBose shares cryptic quote after 2023 BAFTA Awards rap

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By Francesca Bacardi

February 21, 2023 | 11:21 a.m.

Ariana DeBose is getting enigmatic after coming under fire for her now-viral rap at the 2023 BAFTA Awards.

Despite deleting her Twitter account after Sunday’s disastrous performance, the “West Side Story” star took to her Instagram Story on Monday to share a quote in an apparent attempt to send a message to her critics.

“Babygirl (sic), in a world full of choices, choose yourself,” reads the post, originally shared by the @BossBabeCorner account.

The post is the only public statement DeBose, 32, has made since her scenic performance, during which she covered Eurythmics’ “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family.”

At one point, the Oscar-winning actress inserted her own rap in which she named the female nominees for the UK awards show.

“Angela Bassett did the thing. Viola Davis, my “wife king”. Blanchett Cate, you are a genius. Jamie Lee (Curtis), y’all are from us,” she rapped as the camera cut to each actress.

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The equally maligned and beloved rap caught instant attention on social media, where fans flocked to comment on the ridiculous nature of reducing the famous Bassett, 64, to someone who simply “did the thing”. .

“Ariana DeBose reportedly turned down a performance at the coronation of King Charles III,” one Twitter user joked.

“This whole performance hurts more when you remember that Ariana Debose has more Oscars than Angela Bassett,” tweeted another.

“Ariana DeBose’s rap at the BAFTAs is both awful and amazing. Like, I can’t stop watching it,” wrote a third viewer.

BAFTA showrunner Nick Bullen, however, slammed people who made fun of the performance.

“The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping and people were kind of dancing to the music,” he told Variety. “That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that.”