Mick Jagger Reveals Surprising Bob Dylan Fact at the Oscars

Mick Jagger Reveals Surprising Bob Dylan Fact at the Oscars

Mick Jagger made an unexpected appearance at the 2025 Oscars and revealed the Academy’s initial choice had declined.

Mick Jagger made a candid admission about Bob Dylan during his presentation at the 2025 Oscars. The 81-year-old Rolling Stones frontman surprised attendees at the ceremony on Sunday, March 2, and received a standing ovation, including from fellow musician Elton John.

When Jagger took the stage, he humbly shared that he wasn't the first choice to present the Best Original Song category. He explained that the producers had initially hoped Bob Dylan would present, given that his biopic A Complete Unknown had been nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Actor for Timothée Chalamet. However, Dylan declined the invitation.

“As much as I love doing it, I wasn’t the first choice,” Jagger confessed. “The producers really wanted Bob Dylan to do this.” He added, “Bob didn’t want to do it because he had the best songs this year, well, obviously, in the movie A Complete Unknown. Bob said, ‘You should find somebody younger.’ I said, ‘OK, I’m younger’ – so here I am.”

The Best Original Song award ultimately went to “El Mal,” featured in Netflix's musical drama Emilia Pérez, which also saw Zoe Saldaña win Best Supporting Actress.

This year’s Oscars race was one of the closest in years, with three major contenders: Sean Baker’s Anora, Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, and the pope drama Conclave. In the end, Anora claimed five awards, including Best Picture.

Among the actors vying for Oscars, Demi Moore (The Substance) and Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) were both contenders but didn’t win, with Mikey Madison taking Best Actress and Adrien Brody securing his second Oscar for his performance in The Brutalist.