The host didn't waste any time (about 10 seconds, in fact) before he left the audience wide-eyed and open-mouthed...
Watch next
Watch Next
This year's Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris said he wanted to outdo Ellen DeGeneres' epic Oscars selfie.
And it looks like he managed to do it in the first 10 seconds of the show.
The audience looked on in horror as the father-of-two joked: "Welcome to the 87th Oscars. Tonight we honour Hollywood's best and whitest - sorry, I mean brightest."
As the camera panned to the audience, Benedict Cumberbatch didn't look at all impressed.
But judging by the reaction on Twitter, plenty of others thought he was right to call out this year's Academy Awards with a joke about race.
One quoted the joke before saying: "On point!"
Neil Patrick Harris wins the Oscars one sentence in. "We're here to recognise the best & the whitest - sorry BRIGHTEST" On point! #Oscars
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) February 23, 2015
While another said: "Niel Patrick called it out that the oscars is the whitest it's been."
And it wasn't long before the joke was overshadowed by an epic singalong with Anna Kendrick and Jack Black.
Though there was another awkward moment with David Oyelowo later in the night.
