Lady Gaga's Tender Words For Liza Minnelli On The Oscars Stage Are Warming Hearts

While everyone was still reeling (in more ways than one) from Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage, Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli provided the audience with some much-needed sweetness as they presented the award for Best Picture at the end of the ceremony. If it weren't for The Slap and all the online discourse that sparked, Gaga and Minnelli's touching moment probably would have been the thing that kept social media chattering all night. 

Minnelli was diagnosed with viral encephalitis, which can cause seizures and paralysis, in 2000, according to ABC News, which may have been why she used a wheelchair. According to People, Gaga actually requested to present the award with Minnelli, who was celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Cabaret." In a nod to Minnelli's Oscar-winning performance in that movie, Gaga was also wearing a tuxedo. The cabaret legend was greeted with raucous cheers when she appeared, and Gaga told her, "Do you see that? The public, they love you." Then, when Minnelli appeared to stumble over her cue cards at first, Gaga was heard offering her the sweetest words of support. 

Liza Minnelli rarely makes public appearances these days due to her illness, but Lady Gaga was right there with her on the Oscars stage the whole time. When Minnelli got mixed up during her intro, Gaga immediately reassured her, "I've got it." Gaga told the crowd, "You know how I love working with legends. And I'm honored to present the final award of the evening with a true show business legend." Gaga also helped Minnelli through the rest of their short intro, holding her hand the whole time. Right before they announced that "CODA" was the year's Best Picture winner, Gaga was heard whispering, "I've got you," and Minnelli whispered back, "I know, thank you."

Even though a lot happened on that stage that night, the moment was not lost on fans on social media. "I think Lady Gaga's gentle respect for elderly entertainers is genuine and I think it says a lot about her," tweeted one viewer. "What a class act by [Lady Gaga] with legend Liza Minnelli," wrote another. Yet another person wrote, "In a night where everyone will unfortunately remember the worst of this years Oscars, try to remember that on a hot mic, Lady Gaga turned to Liza Minnelli and said 'I got you.'"