For once it was not Morgan Freeman’s distinctive voice or commanding presence that drew attention Sunday night at the Academy Awards – it was the black glove he wore on his left hand.
The 85-year-old actor’s Oscars role was to introduce a short video about Warner Brothers.
Freeman has told the story of the glove before. It began with a car accident in 2008 that severely damaged his left hand.
“They had to use the jaws of life to extract him from the vehicle,” witness Clay McFerrin said at the time, according to CBS News. “He was lucid, conscious. He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point.”
The injury would force the actor to wear a compression glove.
“I suffered nerve damage and it hasn’t gotten better. I can’t move it,” Freeman said in a 2010 interview with People, according to Hollywood.com.
“If you don’t move your hand, it will swell up. Do you know you move your hand about a million times a day?” he said then.
But none of that was on the mind of Oscars viewers Sunday night, as many shared the perspective of a Twitter user who posted, “Is Morgan Freeman ok?”
What was up with the one hand in a black glove? Is Morgan Freeman ok? #Oscars https://t.co/XznKycP6l7
— Anna (@lilwolf30) March 13, 2023
Morgan Freeman still looks (and sounds) amazing. No idea why the black glove on one hand, but I dig it and hope he’s in good health.
— Suns Uniform Tracker (@SunsUniTracker) March 13, 2023
is morgan freeman okay? why does he have a glove on?
— jelly (@spideyguell) March 13, 2023
Someone tell me Morgan Freeman is ok and the glove is meaningless please #Oscars
— Alex (@alannaba0314) March 13, 2023
Others who focused on Freeman noted something else: his hair, or rather the lack of it.
Why does Morgan Freeman have a bald head ? #Oscars #Oscar2023 pic.twitter.com/mTjRO3cG1A
— Mr Opinion ? (@Reelzcity) March 13, 2023
I don’t understand Morgan Freeman from dreadlocks to bald… #Oscars pic.twitter.com/jsXLHZQjL8
— Mmekwa MrTV (@mrtv_mmekwa) March 13, 2023
Fans who did not know the story about the glove were in good company.
In 2018, the internet buzzed over the same question when Freeman wore a glove to the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The questions resurfaced last year when Freeman appeared with the glove at the opening of the World Cup in Qatar.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
