Nearly three decades after earning her first Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It, Angela Bassett earned her second nomination ever, and first nod for Best Supporting Actress, with her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. In the end, Jamie Lee Curtis took home the gold.

Bassett’s loss tonight (March 12) sparked disappointed reactions from fans online. Heading into 2023 Oscars night, the How Stella Got Her Groove Back star was a fan-favorite to win the category, though she faced some stiff competition from fellow fan-favorites Curtis and Stephanie Hsu for their performances in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

“THE ACADEMY AWARDS PLAYED IN HER FACE,” one user tweeted. “ANGELA BASSETT DESERVED BETTER.”

“The irony is the #Oscars played a clip of Angela Bassett PERFORMING ‘Have I not given everything?’ as Queen Ramonda just to give the Oscar to someone else,” another posted.

Bassett made history with her nomination this year, as she was the first Marvel actor to earn a nod for their role in a comic book adaptation. She reflected on her journey as an actor throughout the years in a sit-down with Gayle King ahead of the show. “Queen Ramonda for me is just, at its core, a representation of the strong women that I’ve had in my life who’ve raised me,” the nominee said of her part in Wakanda Forever. “I see my love for them, my appreciation for them.”

When looking back at her Best Actress nomination for What’s Love Got to Do With It, she conceded that her honor today “seems a lot busier” amidst a career filled with almost 30 years’ worth of accomplishments. King asked if she felt she deserved that Oscar win back at the 1994 ceremony. “Of course, in the moment you’re hoping, and praying and wishing,” she confessed. “But I don’t walk away thinking I’ve been robbed. That’s too negative of an emotion to carry with me for the rest of my life. I choose to believe there is a reason why it didn’t happen.”

After Bassett’s loss tonight, Creed III stars Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors shouted out the veteran actress while introducing the nominees for Best Cinematography. “Hey Auntie,” Jordan cooed, while Majors added, “We love you.”