Life comes at you fast: a decade after exploding onto the international scene with her standout performance in Pitch Perfect, Rebel Wilson was given the honour of hosting the 2022 BAFTAs. 

Hosting such glitzy awards ceremonies, though, are always tough gigs – just ask Joanna Lumley or James Franco – and Rebel’s performance hasn’t quite been unanimously well-received.

The Aussie comedian had some standout jokes in her opening monologue on Sunday – a particular highlight was a comical bit surrounding who might be the new James Bond, with Rebel jokingly announcing that she had been given the prestigious film role. Other jokes were aimed at the likes of J.K. Rowling, Lady Gaga, and even Kenneth Branagh, but not all of them landed.

“Not sure Rebel Wilson is hitting the right not yet,” said one Twitter account. “Oh gosh I’m cringing so bad, I usually love Rebel Wilson but these jokes,” wrote someone else. Some less reasonable people went so far as to say they were turned off watching the BAFTAs. “Switched off…Rebel Wilson is just crude,” said one Twitter user.

Rebel’s hosting chops found favour with many other people though. “Rebel Wilson isn’t holding back,” insisted someone. “Rebel Wilson is killing it,” wrote another. “Yas kween,” was how another fan put it.

It’s just proof that social media reactions are always topsy turvy. And as Rebel said herself before hosting the ceremony, “when you’re the host, I don’t think you can hide behind anything… I just have to come out as myself, which will be terrifying!”

The big film winner on the night was Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction epic Dune, which won five awards. Best Picture, though, went to Jane Campion’s much-discussed Western The Power of the Dog. Rebel’s fellow Aussie Kodi Smith-McPhee was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, but lost out Troy Kotsur for his performance in the deaf family drama CODA.

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Check out Rebel Wilson’s BAFTAs opening monologue:

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