Flipping off Putin, breaking out the fishnets and 10 more chaotic moments from the 2022 Spirit Awards

To quote Honorary Chair Kristen Stewart: "Let's clap. It's weird."

By Alison Foreman | March 7, 2022 | 2:41pm

Film Features Peter Sarsgaard

Flipping off Putin, breaking out the fishnets and 10 more chaotic moments from the 2022 Spirit Awards

Introducing Endless Mode: A New Games & Anime Site from Paste

Read our announcement | See the 10 Best Games of 2025 (So Far)

L to R: Nick Offerman, Taylour Paige, and Kristen Stewart Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez, Amy Sussman

The Independent Spirit Awards returned as an in-person affair for the first time in two years on Sunday, adding a jolt of energy and an unexpected shot of chaos to Hollywood’s 2022 awards season. Clearly, the stars and filmmakers who filled Film Independent’s giant tent at the Santa Monica Pier were eager to cut loose after the show’s pandemic-induced hiatus.

The nearly three-hour affair featured several memorable bits from hosts Nick Offerman and Megan Mullaly (including a sadly unused stripper pole), as well as drunk winners, confused presenters and a category quirk that left Taika Waititi handing out Best Ensemble Cast to his own show. “I’m literally giving an award to myself,” quipped the co-creator of Reservation Dogs, which also won Best New Scripted Series. “This is what’s become of us.”

Here are just some of the moments that made this year’s Spirit Awards an event worth remembering.

“Back-up host” Sarah Silverman “dies”

If the Spirit Awards went by Friends naming conventions, then this show might’ve gone down in history as “The One That Killed Sarah Silverman.” Mullaly and Offerman opened the show with a backstage sketch about meeting “back-up host” Sarah Silverman. A former Spirit Awards host herself, Silverman arrived in a big box bearing the words “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BREAK GLASS.”“It’s a liability thing,” explained the stagehand who wheeled Silverman into frame. “Since you both joined Twitter before 2015, it’s standard procedure for us to keep a back-up host in case anything resurfaces before showtime.” You’d think someone would have made sure to put air holes in Silverman’s enclosure. But alas, they didn’t — and Silverman “suffocated” at the sketch’s end.

Regina Hall presents the concept of presenting

Regina Hall, a 2018 Spirit Awards nominee for her performance in Support the Girls, was tapped to present this year’s Best Supporting Male category, won by CODA’s Troy Kotsur. “I really appreciate being here with you all,” Hall said, reading from the teleprompter, before abruptly changing tact. “I didn’t even write that! But I do mean it.”“What if I couldn’t read?” Hall said with a laugh, before scrambling to get back on script. “I don’t know! I haven’t been out in a while!”

Most Popular

Everyone flips off Vladimir Putin

From Jennifer Beals honoring the Ukrainian flag on the red carpet to multiple winners and presenters voicing their support onstage, the Spirit Awards put Vladimir Putin on blast. “I think we speak for everyone here when we say we are hoping for a quick and peaceful resolution,” Mullaly said. “Specifically, fuck off and go home, Putin.”“Yes, that is the quick and peaceful resolution we’re talking about,” Offerman added. “That Vladimir Putin fucks off and goes home. And to that end, let’s all join together and send him off with a Spirit Awards salute: to Putin!”

Pig’s Vanessa Block gives voice to the cold

Michael Sarnoski and Vanessa Block accepted Best First Screenplay for their film Pig. But Block stole the moment by voicing what many in the ceremony’s oceanside tent were thinking. “We’re all trying to be stylish, and I think we’re walking out of here with hypothermia,” said Block, who was sporting a strappy dress and rubbing her hands together for warmth. “Is anybody else freezing cold? I’m so cold! Oh my God, please turn up the heat.” Daisy Edgar-Jones, presenting Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series with Sebastian Stan, later echoed Block’s comments. Give these women coats!

Sam Richardson reword-for-words Hannah Einbinder

If presenting was a category that could be won, the night’s clear-cut champs would have been Sam Richardson and Hannah Einbinder.Honoring the Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series, Richardson and Einbinder embarked on a bit that consisted of Einbinder speaking and Richardson rephrasing what she said via classic mansplain. The light-hearted interlude was followed by a heartwarming reaction from winner Thuso Mbedu, who starred in the otherwise snubbed Underground Railroad. Mbedu’s genuine surprise when her name was called may have been the night’s best reaction by any winner.

Offerman sports fishnets for Zola

Awards shows run over and things have to get cut. That’s simply how show business works. Still, it would’ve been nice to see the supposedly canned Zola musical number that left Offerman wearing fish nets and nipple tassels in front of indie Hollywood.The gag referenced Janicza Bravo’s beloved indie darling, which competed in numerous categories including Best Feature, and told the story of a stripper in Florida. The resulting images speak for themselves, but Offerman’s request that stagehands place a stripper pole in his dressing room regardless leaves us wanting more.

Taylour Paige wins (and celebrates) big

Zola star Taylour Paige, a former Laker Girl, according to the show’s announcer, landed one of the night’s biggest awards: Best Female Lead. When her name was called by presenter Michelle Yeoh, Paige unleashed a stream of happy tears and hugs all around.Once onstage, the emotion continued. “I wrote something because I’m not eloquent and I’m drunk,” Paige quipped. The moment was met with uproarious applause.

Maggie Gyllenhaal wears a path to the podium

The Lost Daughter was nominated for four awards and won three of them, including the biggest honor, Best Feature. That meant multiple walks up to the stage for Maggie Gyllenhaal, who also earned Best Screenplay and Best Director honors. The film’s writer-director ran the gamut of emotions over the course of the night, tearing up on one trip, then sharing a laugh and a private joke with friend and presenter Chloé Zhao on another visit to the podium.

Summer of Soul “debuts” unseen footage

Questlove’s Best Documentary winner Summer of Soul used lost footage from the all-but-forgotten 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival to spin up a story that resonates with today’s viewers on multiple levels. The Spirit Awards apparently found additional footage to share on Sunday, although the never-before-seen clip featured a band that looked suspiciously like hosts Offerman and Mullaly. “They thought they’d booked the O’Jays,” the Offerman-esque performer said, referencing the famed R&B group from Ohio. “But we are the Ojays.”“Without the apostrophe,” the Mullaly-like artist added. “It’s Dutch.” OK.

Javier Bardem stares us all down

Offerman and Mullaly brought a lot of fake beefs to the Spirit Awards, including a tiff with rival famous couple the “Gyllensaars.” (That’s Maggie Gyllenhaal and husband Peter Sarsgaard.)But nothing was quite as silly as Offerman’s mid-show staring contest with Javier Bardem. The two stars, one onstage and one in the audience, locked eyes in a standoff that was as intense as it was comical. Later, Mullaly physically held Offerman back when Bardem came up to present Best Feature.

Reservation Dogs unleashed

Underdog FX comedy Reservation Dogs captured a pair of big TV awards during the show. In addition to Taika Waititi jokingly presenting himself the honor for Best Ensemble Cast, the series claimed the statuette for Best New Scripted Series. It was an unprecedented victory by the show, which boasts indigenous actors, crew members, directors, and writers. “We don’t want a handout,” said Sterlin Harjo, who co-created the series with Waititi. “We just want an opportunity to tell our stories. That’s all.”