Zendaya Was Loving Megan Thee Stallion’s “Bruno” Surprise at the Oscars

There’s often a point part way through the Oscars broadcast when the energy starts to dip. The constant repetition of stale jokes and too-long speeches leaves the viewer with glazed over eyes, wondering if they should give up on the show all together and continue their binge watching of Bridgerton. This year, though, the Oscars were prepared to ward off this third act exhaustion—by imbuing some Megan Thee Stallion at the exact right moment. It was surprising when John Leguizamo came out to announce the performance of Encanto’s insanely popular “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” considering the track was snubbed for a Best Song nomination. But the performance began with the original cast of the film appearing in the crowd to sing the beloved song and continued normally, until Megan Thee Stallion appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, almost like a sparkling orange mirage.

Wearing a striking dress by Los Angeles-based designer Rey Ortiz, made out of a crystal-adorned bra, orange ruffles, and sheer corsetry, the rapper broke into a new verse for the Disney song. Making mentions of the Oscar hosts and nominees, Megan walked through the audience, stopping by Zendaya to shout out the actress specifically. Of course, Zendaya loved getting singled out during the high energy moment and could be same dancing along to the performance.

Megan’s moment ended soon after, but the energy remained as Luis Fonsi and Becky G took the stage to add their own verses to the song. The performance ended in an explosion of color, the Encanto cast singing onstage with brightly dressed backup dancers behind them, and percussionist Sheila E adding some beats, giving viewers exactly the boost they needed before entering into the final hour of the show.

Following the song, Megan took to Twitter to provide a bit more context to the situation, revealing she flew to Los Angeles from Puerto Rico the day of the award show in order to participate. She also now has the honor of being the first woman to ever rap at the Oscars. “I’m in grind mode,” she said.