Oscars

Loud cheers from Bay Area Asian American community as Michelle Yeoh makes Oscars history

Monday, March 13, 2023

Loud cheers from Bay Area as Michelle Yeoh makes Oscars history

There were loud cheers the from Bay Area Asian American community as Michelle Yeoh makes Oscars history after winning best actress.

HILLSBOROUGH, Calif. (KGO) -- The cheers coming out of the Bay Area Sunday night may have been heard in Hollywood for Michelle Yeoh, the first-ever Asian woman to win an Oscar for best actress for her role in "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

"Not just a story with Asian faces, but this is a story that is about the Asian American family and as it relates to the larger American fabric all in one story. This has never happened in Oscar history," said Payhuan Shiao, who is CEO of Immortal Studios.

2023 OSCARS: See full list of winners, recap

And at an Academy Awards viewing party in Hillsborough, everyone, including those with the organizations called Stand with Asians and Gold House, were well aware of the history made. Coming in the form of nominations and Oscar wins by "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and the history made with Yeoh winning best actress.

"I've been rooting for Michelle Yeoh since I was a little girl. She is really the golden standard to represent the Asian American woman. She is beauty, grace, power, and kindness," said comedian Jiaoying Summers.

"I think a lot of the roles that Asian Americans used to fill, they were very stereotypical, or at least didn't show the full diaspora of our community," said Mark Young of Stop Asian Hate.

U.S. Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi spoke to the gravity of the moment.

VIDEO: Michelle Yeoh makes history with best actress win at 2023 Oscars

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"It's been a longtime coming, and I think Michelle Yeoh is such a hero in a sense that her resilience and longevity and just being able to continue to grow," said Yamaguchi.

She was pure inspiration to many here, which included ABC7 News Anchor Kristen Sze, Miss California 2022, and many more.

"It's big time I'm so proud now that Asian actors and actresses are nominated and able to represent our culture to the world," said personality Leah Qin.

"The Asian American community has faced so many challenges in the past couple of years, but it's so inspiring to see all of these actors actresses in the cinematography field creating space for people like myself," said Miss California 2022 Catherine Liang.

See full coverage of the 2023 Oscars here.